Run Run Shaw
The wild untold story of the iconic Shaw Brothers who paved the way for the boom of the Kung fu film movement, which had a huge influence on the West that still continues today.
Hong Kong cinemas had a wide range of glamorous female stars during the golden age of the 60's and 70's. The series will take the audience on a sentimental journey to the good old days and once again look at the expansive epic costume dramas and huangmei operas in which actresses played both the male and female roles. Rare interviews with Sir Run Run Shaw, stars Ivy Ling Po, Shaw Yin Yin, Tanny Tie Ni and Cheng Pei Pei are also featured.
Filmmaker Ian Taylor examines the impressive legacy of Hong Kong cinema -- specifically, how martial arts crossed borders and become an international phenomenon -- with the help of footage and interviews with the stars who made the genre what it is today. Director Lau Ka Leung (who helmed The 36th Chamber of Shaolin) joins in, sharing his thoughts on how certain cinematic technologies have improved martial arts films and expanded their appeal.
Fong Sai Yuk's uninhibited arrogance toward a Manchu lord forces him to seek refuge in a Shaolin temple. Although abundantly trained in the martial arts, he is no match for Master San Te, the creator of the 36th Chamber of Shaolin, who constantly overpowers his younger, more agile disciples in matters of both body and mind. Exhausted by his frequent defeats, Fong seeks to escape his prison and crosses paths with a governor, who rewards him with a yellow robe granting immunity from any Manchu. But what are the governor's true intentions? Will Fong feed his foolish ego and betray the Shaolin Temple?
Taking place in 1941, Love in a Fallen City centers on Pai (Cora Miao), a young woman who has been ostracized by her family for divorcing her rich husband. A local match-maker, Mrs. Hsu (Helen Ma), takes pity on Pai and decides to bring her to Hong Kong, under the guise of employing her as the Hsu's nanny, but in reality to introduce her to Fan (Chow Yun-Fat). Pai and Fan seem to hit it off, but Fan's refusal to marry Pai soon sours things. However, as the Japanese begin to invade Hong Kong, the two begin to realize their true feelings for each other.
Chen Li is the son of an enormously wealthy Hong Kong businessman and is vacationing in Hawaii, experiencing typical girl problems. His lothario friend Lolanto flies in from Hong Kong and is determined to find Chen Li a girl within a few days. After a series of hijinks, Chen Li and Lolanto are back in Hong Kong and investigating high-level embezzling in Chen's father's corporation. It also turns out that Kitty and May are employed there as well, with Kitty being the secretary of the supposed embezzler. Because Chen has been notoriously inconspicuous and no one knows what he looks like, he is able to assume to role of a limousine driver for Lolanto, who takes on the persona of Chen Li himself. While tracking down the corruption, Lolanto and Chen also are trying to win the hearts of the two women, but are they looking for true love or only money?
Leslie is Simon, a mild mannered guy starting a new job and taking care of his mom and dad. He catches a glimpse of a pretty girl named Monica at the MTR station--and it's love at first sight. But she's going through a tough breakup with a guy who's married. She does get over it and the two become a couple. But not only does her ex return, Simon is constantly interrupted by a perky rich girl Anita, who spends lots of money on him, is annoying, but is just looking for company. This strains Simon and Monica's quest for love, but finally she puts Simon to a test, once again at the MTR station...
Traveling swordsman Shen Sheng-yi (Ti Lung) and his lady friend match wits and swords with the last surviving member of the once great Murung family who is determined to rule the martial world by stealing plans to crafting firearms.
This is an extremely rare example of science fiction, Hong Kong style, but, fittingly, it's unlike any sci-fi flick you've ever seen. Alien abductions, suicide pacts, superstardom, and the reality of science fiction itself is spotlighted in this bright, crazy, truly out of this world epic -- one of the more unusual movies in the Hong Kong cinema of the early 1980s. And if you know 80's Hong Kong cinema at all, you know that's really saying something!
From its evocative title to its gritty filming to its gutsy plot, this sizzling crime thriller struck a chord with international audiences. The robberies, ambushes, double-crosses, and murders multiply as a hitman, a robber gang, and two obsessed cops clash with increasing deadliness and danger
Legendary Weapons of China is a martial arts fantasy film taking place during the late Qing Dynasty when Empress Dowager Cixi dispatches her agents to various factions of the Boxer Rebellion in order find supernatural martial artists that are invulnerable to western bullets. When one of the leaders of these groups disbands his forces, assassins from the remaining factions are sent out to kill him.
In this entertaining, surprisingly lighthearted martial arts extravaganza, Kuo Chue, finds himself being confused with his doppelganger time and time again. With each case of mistaken identity, he becomes drawn into a number of heated conflicts between several rival schools and gangs - a dilemma that he just isn't prepared to deal with! As he is pulled to and fro by circumstances, there's no telling where the day will take him! By the film's end, he's sure to learn some valuable lessons about brotherhood and honor, but at what price?
Cheng (Kara Hui Ying Hung), a beautiful martial arts ace, battles to keep her inheritance from the ruthless Yun Wei (Johnny Wang Lung Wei), but her efforts are sabotaged by Yu Tao (Hsaio Ho), her wayward and irrepressible great-nephew. Following a frenzy of spectacular comic mishaps, the hapless duo are setup and imprisoned and the deeds to Cheng's estate are stolen. She is held hostage after a doomed attempt to reclaim the papers back from Yu Wei's place, and the stage is set for a savage fight to the death.
An expert swordsman is suspected of being the thief of a treasure sent to Emperor. The swordsman who has nothing to do with the theft investigates and is led on the trail of the supernatural "Bloody Parrot". This leads to the "Parrot Brothel" and the star prostitute who walks around half naked. Strange things happen including a demonic possession, witches casting poison spells, disgusting autopsies and numerous sword fights. Then a dead constable turns into a vampire! This is all in the first 30 minutes!
Li Xunhuan comes back to his home after three years of wandering. He had decided to have a normal life, but a group of skilled martial arts fighters and leaders are bent on killing him, so they can be ranked top by Bai Xiaosheng in his renowned list of the best warriors in the martial arts world. Li Xunhuan battles them as he searches for his estranged friend A'fei, who is now married and living in seclusion. Li asks A'fei to join forces and fight against a new threat that wants to rule the world: the Money Clan.
Actors David Chaing and Alexander Fu Sheng join director Chang Cheh and the rest of the Five Deadly Venoms crew for a supernatural martial arts epic that takes the action to another plane of reality entirely. When a fallen angel descends to the Earth on a mission to storm the underworld, a love shared between angels and humans offers telling testament to the power of a lucky ghost. In the battle that follows, both the living and the dead will discover that a war waged in hell could have consequences that resound forever
Complex plots? This director didn't want them. Expensive, famous stars? Didn't need them. Glorious sets and costumes? He could take them or leave them. With his choreographer Hsu Hsia, John Lo Mar liked making lean, mean, fighting movies, and fans rejoiced. Here Wu Yuan-chin stars as "the Kid," a monk whose education in the aptly named "Crazy Lo Han Fist" finds him battling a cruel bandit's son and befriending an abused prostitute. From then on, it's one fight after another in another John Lo Mar martial arts marvel.
A treasure hunt sparks the continuing violence in this Hong Kong action film, yet the film does not focus only on the violent nature of some of the characters. An enamored Ting Tien (Pai Piao) spends a cold winter's night waiting to spot the love of his life, Ling Shuang-hua (Szu Shih), when she makes her usual morning excursion onto her balcony. The theme of his love for her is treated with sensitivity, though his love does not affect the fate in store for both himself and the woman he worships. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
Shaolin practitioners and brothers Wu and Hung kill the merciless Pai Mei. However, Pai Mei's even more merciless brother White Lotus takes revenge; killing most of the Shaolin disciples, including Wu and Hung's girlfriend, leaving only Wu's pregnant wife and Hung as the only remaining practitioners of Shaolin left to avenge the deaths. But Hung's kung-fu will not be powerful enough so he must learn feminine kung-fu techniques to help him try and defeat White Lotus.
Kao is given a mission by his elderly master to take a cursed sword and solve petty squabbles between skilled martial masters.
The workers of a dye factory have their pay cut by 20% when the factory owner brings in some Manchu thugs to try and increase production. Desperate to reclaim their full wages, the workers hire an actor to impersonate a priest and kung-fu expert from the temple of Shaolin. The factory owner proves the actor a fraud, and punishes all those involved. The young actor feels he has let the workers down, and promises to atone. He sets out for Shaolin, determined to be accepted as a kung-fu pupil at the elite temple.
When a notorious fiend known as the "Bat Without Wings" returns to his small village after a five-year absence and kidnaps a young maiden, it's up to her family and a resourceful swordsmen to brave the horrors of the underworld to bring her back home alive.
Wang Chung plays the standard level-headed cop in charge of a rag-tag bunch of misfits and stereotypes (the coward, the playboy, etc.) who are after a drug runner. After their informant is killed, the team turns to a former Triad member (Danny Lee) to infiltrate the gang and bring the big boss down.
A French TV documentary from 1980 directed by Maurice Frydland, in which Sir Run Run Shaw gives an all-access tour of the Shaw Brothers backlot (including behind-the-scenes footage from Return to the 36th Chamber.
2 million taels in gold has been stolen from a vault within the Forbidden City. The Empress wants the money returned within 10 days. Chief Constable Leng Tian-Ying is hired to bring back the gold robbers, dead or alive- and Leng's earned a reputation of never bringing anyone back alive.
Something or someone is attacking people one by one on the beach. Some of them are mutilated, but most of them are sucked into the sand, disappearing without a trace. What is the creature responsible? Where does it live, and where did it come from? And is there any chance of it reproducing? Meanwhile, David Huffman and Mariana Hill are once-almost-married old friends, reunited over the death of her mother on the beach, and searching for clues in the abandoned buildings where they used to play when they were young.
Teng Piao (Ti Lung) went to jail for fifteen years on a frame up for drug smuggling. Now that he's out, along with his iron chain, Teng Piao is hungry for revenge. The man he wants to beat with his chain is Black Leopard Lam Fei. The problem for Teng Piao is that he doesn't know who he is, only that he has a picture of a black leopard tattooed on his chest.
Shaolin warrior Tung Chien-chen is injured in battle against the hated Wu Tang clan, and nursed back to health by a knife-throwing master. As he recovers, Tung learns this deadly art, and also falls in love with his teacher's daughter. But when a Wu Tang attack disrupts the young lovers' wedding, Tung must put his new skill to use as he seeks revenge.
The General's son Yang escapes a massacre at his home that subsequently sees a corrupt, criminal syndicate in charge of the local forces. Seeking shelter with four good friends who are street performers, Yang plots his revenge though refuses to acknowledge the fearsome odds he faces. The quartet try to convince him to bide his time, but the young avenger sneaks into his former home and, after a battle against a few top fighters, is killed by their leader. When Yang's friends discover his tragic fate, they devise a way of defeating the killers without having to face their mighty army directly.
Venom regulars Philip Kwok, Chiang Sheng, and Sun Chien star as a gang of unemployed martial artists who spend their days stuffing their faces at local restaurants and letting the staff beat them up instead of paying the bill. Their fortunes appear to improve when the head of a local security agency hires them to take out the competition, who their new employer insists is up to no good. But the boys are being played for fools, and after an unfortunate misunderstanding, they unite with their former adversary to take out the true villain.
Three inmates in an asylum tell their stories. Story 1, a husband and wife discover they should be careful what they wish for. Story 2, a naked female ghost gets revenge from her watery grave. Story 3, a dead prostitute returns as a ghost.
Three females from a private detective agency are hired to find out what happened to a man who went missing while scuba diving.
Leaving behind an inch of sword in the spent corpses of his opponents, Tuan Changqing (Lung Ti) is known as the Deadly Breaking Sword. After barely surviving a duel, one of his foes is treated by the diabolical Dr. Kuo, who uses his powers of mind control to transform the man into a somnambulistic killer. After Tuan Changqing teams up with Rabelaisian gambler Xiao Dao (Sheng Fu), the story proceeds as a comical kung fu buddy flick.
After his parents are murdered, Jiang Xiao Yu (Fu Sheng) is separated from his twin as a baby and taken by a family friend to "Villains Valley," where he is raised to be a "villain" by a host of outlaws, each of whom has a special skill. When he's old enough (and grows up to be Fu Sheng), he devises clever means to trap each of his "uncles" and escape the valley to head off into the outside world. A chance encounter with a beautiful girl dressed as a man leads to a treasure hunt and eventually a confrontation with the Princess of Yi Hua Palace, the one who murdered Xiao's parents in the first place. Eventually, a reunion with his twin will occur.
A young man who is thrown into jail simply because he displeases a police inspector. But even when he's eventually released, the police continue to persecute him until he feels he has no choice but to become a real criminal.
In the 18th century, Emperor Chien Lung makes a journey into Southern China.
The anti-Ching patriots, under the guidance of Ho Kuang-han, have secretly set up their base in Canton, disguised as school masters. During a brutal Manchu attack, Lui manages to escape, and devotes himself to learning the martial arts in order to seek revenge.
Despite its stand-alone title, this mixture of martial arts and exploitation is a semi-sequel to Shaw Brothers's Flying Guillotine series. This time, the focus is Rong Qui-yan (Chen Ping), a kung fu student turned dutiful wife whose life falls apart when her husband is murdered by a squad of government operatives led by the duplicitous Jin Gang-Feng (Lo Lieh). Qui-yan is forced to go into hiding as she plots her revenge and finds allies in fellow fugitive Ma Seng (Tsui Siu Keung) and ex-lover Wang-jun (Yueh Hua). Meanwhile, Jin Gang-Feng sends out an array of killers to track them down. Complicating things further is the fact that Qui-yan is pregnant and struggling to keep her unborn child safe while fighting her way to safety.
Eagle Chief Yoh Xi-hung raises orphans to be his personal killers. One such is Chik Ming-sing who now wants to put his killer life behind him. When the Eagle Clan come after him, a stranger called Cheuk comes to his assistance It turns out that Cheuk is the son of a family who were robbed and murdered by the Eagles. Now they will team up to destroy the evil clan.
This social romantic satire delightfully reflects its era, as three doctors pursue three hard-to-get beauties in the "go-go-go" era of the 70’s. Danny Lee was just at the beginning of his extraordinarily diverse career when he led Liu Lu-hua and Liu Shang-chien on an ever-challenging, sometimes frustrating but always funny, pursuit of the lovely Hsiao Yao, sexy Niu Niu, and sweet Chen Szu-chia. This bright, entertaining film proves that the road to true love may not be smooth, but it is always worth traveling… and enjoying.
The Embroidery Bandit is stealing treasures while blinding his victims. The hero Liu Xiaofeng is called in to solve the mystery. The evidence points to the all-woman Clan of the Red Shoes - but appearances can be deceptive....
The emperor's reign of terror expands. Heroic outlaw Ma Teng joins a squad of female rebels, whose leader is torn between family loyalties.
Gordon Liu stars as a Chinese martial arts student struggling to relate to his new Japanese wife. When a series of martial misunderstandings spirals into an international incident, he's forced to take on seven of Japan's most powerful martial arts masters, each an expert in a different discipline, ranging from karate to samurai to ninjitsu.
The headless corpse of the Chao Clan patriarch and the theft of a jade tiger set in motion another successful collaboration between three of the biggest names in swordplay action dramas: director Chu Yuan, martial arts novelist Ku Lung, and kung-fu superstar Ti Lung (the same trio who made The Magic Blade and Clans of Intrigue such big hits). The authoritative Hong Kong Movie News magazine praised the film as one of the director's most "well-known suspenseful thrillers."
Due to his own extreme ideals, famed swordsman Li has lost everyone dear to him. After his life is saved by a rival swordsman, Li's overwhelming pride means he forsakes the woman he loves and lets her marry his saviour. Li's only comfort is alcohol and the simple life he has now accepted. On one such journey, the lonely swordsman befriends the exceptionally skilled, yet secretive Fei who has his own pressures to contend with. The person behind Li's troubles proves to be elusive, though all the clues seem to point to the legendary 'Plum Blossom Bandit', a disguised figure whose identity has long proved elusive to the martial world.
After a sudden spike of supply into the drug ridden streets, staunch anti-narcotics cop hellbent on disrupting the flow of drugs beyond the Golden Triangle recruits the help of an attractive young ex-convict to infiltrate a major Thai based drug syndicate controlled by a ruthless drug lord who's expanded their operations into Hong Kong. As our seductive undercover heroine gets inside and rises the ranks to the top, skepticism also rises as the boss' jealous moll smells a plant.
Li Han-Hsiang's adaptation of the classic Qing Dynasty novel will take viewers to the heightened pleasures of love and the despairing depths of betrayal. Timeless beauty Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia appears as Chia Pao-yu in her first attempt at a gender-bending role, an art she will wield complete mastery over in later films. Pao-yu is in love with his cousin, Lin Tai-yu (Sylvia Chang), but his family has other marital plans for him that will leave both broken-hearted.
Struggling to survive the murderous gang wars of Hong Kong, Tan Tung, a young martial arts street fighter, successfully takes on all challengers—until he runs up against the savage underworld empire of Hong Kong's Triad mafia. Escaping to San Francisco, he again tangles with criminal gangs, but this time fights his way to the top of the city's most feared gangster organization led by the White Dragon boss (Kuo Chui). At last, his rise to power leads to a final, murderous, gang-land war for control of all Chinatown. And in the end, Tan Tung must decide whether he will use his awesome skills to fight for evil...or for to help his best friend Yang Ching.
Emperor Chien Lung uses disguises to experience life among his subjects.
Millionaire Chu Te-Sa (Chiang) invests his considerable wealth into the rebel movement who are intent on usurping the ruling Mongol powers. His goals are impeded by a lack of support though and the supposed allies he has made in the town are merely eager to get their hands on his money. During an attack where these craven 'comrades' flee, Chu befriends three con-artists who relish the chance to show off their fighting skills. The trio subsequently agree to help Chu in his quest to end Mongol rule and hatch a plan to destroy a major munitions dump
Sun Chung was already a valued comedy, romance, and modern crime filmmaker, when, through this tale of the 100 Poison Clique's obsessive ambition to destroy all rivals, he started bringing morality and motivation to martial arts movies like never before. Kung-fu superstar David Chiang and prominent choreographer Tang Chia lead the cast in a bloody clan clash centered on the trial of an admitted mass murderer and serial rapist. It was just the beginning of Sun Chung's exploration in emotion.
The "Godfather Of The Kung-Fu Film" created this rousing epic of a seemingly suicidal mission to destroy the Japanese Navy's flagship in 1937, featuring many great actors he had worked with over the years. Their courageous and desperate attempts to do just that comprise the remarkable action in this rousing epic, featuring some of the greatest actors Chang had ever made, was making, and would ever make famous. (IVL)
A brother who loves books and a sister who loves swords must face a yellow-robed warrior, the Red Python, a sinuous snake-charmer, and a silk-masked beauty (who must kill or wed the first man to see her face) before they can bring peace to their battle-addled family.
A commentary on the contradictions between sex and Hong Kong's hidden attitudes about them.
It's back to the Shaolin Monastery for one of the most unusual action-paced tales to invade its hallowed halls. Lo Lieh is the ringleader of the Snake Sect, intent on reviving a deadly faction known as the "Five Poison Web." In order to do so, he has an affair with the sexy ringleader of the Scorpion Sect, Angela Yu Chien. However, there is also the Centipede Sect to contend with, as well as other assorted martial artists, among them played by Shaw Brothers talents Yueh Hua, Ching Li, and Lily Li.
Coy "Cannonball" Buckman (David Carradine) and his blazing red Pontiac enter the Trans-America Grand Prix, an underground road race spanning the continent in which there are no rules, no speed limits and no heed for the law. En route, Buckman jockeys with an international ensemble of racers for a $100,000 purse. But there are none more important than Cade Redman (Bill McKinney), his direct competition for a guaranteed spot on the elite Modern Motors racing team.
The Wong family kung fu school gets smacked around by a rival school. Wong Fei-hong gets fed up with the abuse and goes to learn from his fathers master. After one of the rival schools members kills some of the towns people Wong Fei-hong becomes enraged trains even more comes back and gets his revenge.
A cripple takes revenge on criminals by using a magic spell that transforms him into an oily monster/superhero.
The beloved cartoon character Master Q gets a hilarious live-action adaptation in the side-splitting comic adventure Mr. Funny-Bone! Join Master Q for a series of comic vignettes as he attempts to win the heart of the lovely Li Jing. Along for the ride is Master Q's loyal sidekick Potato, a stout fellow who's forever getting into silly mishaps. The pair get involved in plenty of shenanigans and gags, including pratfalls, low-brow bathroom humor, and even some fun fighting sequences.
Liao Jiang is the lowest ranking member of a gang that holds up a jewelery store. Subsequently the three other gang members die, and their gold haul goes missing. Liao Jiang and his new gang member Huge Eyes are then forced to turn to a triad gang to help get back their gold from a rival group.
Despite Kuang Hsu's enthronement as the last reigning Emperor of China, his ability to rule effectively is overshadowed by the ever-present power of the Dowager Empress. When his attempts to reform the Imperial system are thwarted by the Dowager Empress, he attempts to curb her power. His efforts are not successful, and this failure leads directly to his own death and the end of Imperial rule in China. The Dowager Empress, though, ends her days comfortably and in peace.
In 1974, John Lo Mar co-directed The Crazy Bumpkins, a new variation on the time-tested, beloved Cantonese comedy "Country Bumpkin" tradition. That proved such a success that a sequel, Return Of The Crazy Bumpkins, soon appeared. Now, the third time's the charm, as John Lo Mar gets to both write and direct the third slapstick-filled installment, once again starring Yeh Feng and Wang Sha as the hapless and hilarious yokel Ah Niu and his crafty city-slicker Uncle Chou.
Besides martial arts, Bruce Lee's contribution to Chinese society was instilling a strong sense of nationalism. After his death, anti-Japanese films found new breathe especially in Taiwan. Based on a King Hu’s script, Heroes Of The Underground tapped into Lee's nationalistic fervor and the Confucian ethic of country above family and starred the popular Ching Li as a World War II, Chinese secret agent planted into the Japanese Headquarters at Changsha. Tears flow in the name of country pride.
Danny Lee is Hsu Chih-yuan, the youngest son of strict patriarch Hsu Hui-tang (Cheng Miu). A sailor, Chih-yuan incurs his father's wrath when he tells the latter of his girlfriend Susan's (Ai Ti) pregnancy. Pressured to leave her by his father, Chih-yuan finally agrees to continue his studies overseas. Eldest brother Chih-wen (Ling Yun) volunteers to raise money but ends up losing the family fortune in the stock market. It starts a roller coaster of tragedies for the family that ends with bitter disillusionment for Chih-yuan. It's a battle between tradition and youthful rebellion that leaves everyone a little poorer off.
Jiao is framed for rape and murder (and, later, two more murders) by Chen and his son - the same people who framed Jiao's father and left him orphaned. Into the mix comes THE LADY OF THE LAW, Miss Leng, whose job it is to find the guilty. This she does, and she and Jiao find themselves battling pretty much everyone else who's appeared in the movie up to this point.
Gu Hui, a member of the ‘Wolf Head Gang’ becomes unhappy after their new chief decides to abandon their old code of conduct. After the chief kills a travelling family and kidnaps the daughter, Gu frees her and escapes, hiding out in a nearby town and trying to start a new life as a humble shoemaker. Unfortunately, the gang refuses to let him go and put a bounty on his head, forcing him to face up to his responsibilities.
When fellow operatives (and childhood friends) Matthew Johnson and Melvin Johnson disappear during an undercover mission in Hong Kong, Cleopatra Jones travels there to find them. With the help of local detective Mi Ling, Cleopatra discovers that her friends' disappearance has to do with The Dragon Lady, a much-feared blonde "lipstick lesbian" who runs a Macao casino and controls a major chunk of the local drug trade.
Accompanied by his old manservant, scholar Sung Li Ho (Hong Hoi) is on his way to the capital for the imperial exam. They spend a night in the house of Mrs. Yuan and Li Ho takes a fancy to her pretty daughter, Pei Fang (Dana). Li Ho is discovered by a maid peeping at Pei Fang as she takes a bath. He slips and falls into the bathtub, creating a most embarrassing situation. His old servant is also implicated and both are beaten up before being thrown out. Continuing their journey in the desolate countryside, they come across woodcutter Hsi Hsueh Kuei who puts them up for the night. Captivated by the beauty of the owner’s two daughters, who are vampires, he spends a night with them and turns into a skeleton. Chased by the vampires, Shun Lai makes a narrow escape.
Following the lives of three downtrodden but resilient outcasts, John Lo Mar's gritty social drama paints a sense of realism rarely seen in Hon Kong movies. Li Ching - the best actress of her era - play Ah Chiao is a girl from a rural village stranded in the city, who befriends a kind-hearted transient and a retired actor. They are poor, but they are happy. Although her fortune changes for the better when she becomes a singer, she ultimately learns money can't buy happiness.
With the cast list, you would almost expect this to be another Chang Cheh film. Two of Chang's proteges, David Chiang and Chen Kuan-tai go head-to-head in The Imposter which sees cinematographer Pao Hsueh-li back in the director's chair. Chiang plays Ko Liang, as master of disguise who puts his seven faces to good use when he goes to the aid of two young guardsmen Tseng Yung (Danny Lee) and Tseng Kan (Wang Chung) who have been framed by Captain Lo (Chen Kuan-tai) for murder.
Director Ho Meng-hua is one of Shaw Studio's most versatile directors. He's helmed romances, mysteries, award-winning dramas, contemporary action films, historical costume dramas, fantasies, and, finally, popular swordplay movies. The title character in this one is a chivalrous thief who raises the jealous ire of the rival Red Shirt Gang. There's plenty of action in this adventure, which sweeps from the plains to the mountains ... to the sound of slashing swords.
An office girl and a writer who have taken the same commuter ferry to work and have ogled one another for a long time eventually get to meet. The two have a romance and then a live-in relationship, but the girl's parents are not content with this, and want to see her married.
A look at Shaw Brothers Studios in their prime. Includes: interviews with David Chiang; exploring the Shaw Brothers sets; a look at the craftsmen, foley artists and stuntmen of Shaw Bros.; a profile on Run Run Shaw; Italian-meets-Chinese kung-fu films; and a visit from Peter Cushing.
A gang of several girls who operate as pickpockets in a busy and popular tourist area of Hong Kong preys on men who are attracted by their beauty.
A pacifist village is beset by bandits in this martial arts thriller. "Savage Five" hands-down rivals the ornateness of "Kid With The Golden Arm" and the twist-heavy "Five Deadly Venoms". The always great David Chiang plays a lesser version of his Rover character from "Duel Of The Iron Fist", and Ti Lung, looking incredible here, is at his physical best. Accolades to Chen Kuan Tai and Wang Chung in great sympathetic roles, too. A kung fu classic where the actual martial arts display takes a back seat to the mesmerizing story.
During a hold-up in the Wild West, Dakota kills a rich old Chinese man, Wang. Later, he is captured, sentenced, and is about to be hanged - and he never profitted from Wang's death, has he buried him with the photographs of his four widows, and a few worthless papers. Meanwhile, Ho comes to America in search of his uncle's fortune, and must get Dakota free, as he his the only man who can lead him to Wang's tomb. They open the tomb, retaking the pictures of Wang's widows. It happens he reads the papers and knows that Wang had one quarter of a map tattooed in each of his women's buttocks. Now, the difficult part will really start... Treasure hunt.
A romantic melodrama about an affair between a 16-year-old boy and a neglected wife.
Golden Lotus is based, in part, on Jin Ping Mei, a famous erotic novel of ancient China. Li Han-Hsiang adapted part of the story into this film, which starts with Hsi Men Ching, a successful merchant, wooing Pan Chin Lien, the beautiful wife of one of the townspeople.
A band of fighting Ming Dynasty loyalists branded as enemies of the state are driven underground following the burning of the Shaolin Temple by Qing Dynasty officials. Due to a misunderstanding, Shaolin kung fu prodigy Fong Sai-yuk (Alexander Fu Sheng) is duped into helping Qing agents to capture leading Shaolin rebel Hung Hei-gun (Chen Kuan-tai). Upon discovering his mistake, Sai-yuk teams up with the remaining rebels to free Hei-gun before his planned execution. Plotting to stop them is General Che Kang (Zhu Mu), a formidable Tibetan kung fu master who commands an army of fighters including four deadly Tibetan llamas.
A father tricks his three daughters into joining him on a mountain excursion to search for food. Deceiving his children, the father is actually searching for a hidden treasure relayed to him by an old monk.
As the Heng Seng Index reaches unprecedented heights, people from all walks of life go stock speculation crazy. A security guard and his landlord learn firsthand that money is ‘Easy Come, Easy Go’ as their fast fortune disappears overnight in a Macau casino. Meanwhile, greedy neighbours and infidel couples cheat each other and even blue-collar workmen dive into the frenzy. Inevitably, the market tumbles as do the people’s bittersweet lives. A hilarious but ironic tale featuring some of Shaw’s biggest stars.
In FRIENDS, Hua Heng (David Chiang) is a poverty-stricken aspiring painter whose day job involves painting the ads that go up on the sides of buildings. He and his buddies hang out in a makeshift gym set up in an abandoned building where they train and practice kung fu. His girlfriend is Gao Xin (Lily Li), a bar maid who is in debt to loan sharks. Into their lives comes Jiaji (Alexander Fu Sheng), who happens upon Hua Heng in a street fight with local thugs who'd made fun of the painting he's carrying and decides to help him out. Afterwards, Jiaji tags along with Hua Heng and follows him to the gym, where he proves his own skill at kung fu in an impromptu fight with one of the group. Unbeknownst to them, Jiaji is a rich boy, the son of a Hong Kong billionaire (Lu Ti), and he decides to stay with Hua Heng and not go back to his sheltered home life, where his preoccupation with kung fu was his only outlet for self-expression.
Flight Man takes place in Taiwan in 1933, when the country was under Japanese occupation after the First Sino-Japanese War. The Taiwanese people have signed a petition to have the Japanese establish a Taiwan council, but instead this merely provokes the Japanese police to hunt down and round up everyone who signed the petition.
Heroes of Sung stars one of the original kung-fu ladies of the silver screen Shih Szu playing swordswoman Meng Hung who must work with Fan Tien-fu, played by perennial Shaws bad guy Lo Lieh (although he's good in this) to find then protect the royal seals of the Sung Dynasty. If they should fail, the dynasty will fall. Shih's magnificent performance earned her the female hero role in the Shaws-Hammer Studio hit "Dracula" and the 7 Golden Vampires.
An Iron Bodyguard (head of a security firm) called Wang Wu (Chen Kuan Tai) meets a scholar (Yueh Hua) and forms a strong friendship with him after they fight some villains together. The scholar is a member of the reformists - a group of scholars pressing for social reform in China towards the end of the Qing dynasty. The Emperor is actually all for reforms, and appoints this group to run the country. This doesn't suit the Empress Dowager though, as she has no intention of losing her power. She orders the reformists to be arrested, and Chen Kuan Tai hence gets drawn into politics despite having no real political views himself.
Heisse Ware aus Hong Kong is a German Documentary on Hong Kong cinema.
Set during a period of depression, the film chronicles the daily lives of a single urban building split up into several separate units, and the actual people that dwell within.
Set in the waning years of the Ching Dyansty, this dramatic, tragic, romantic, blood-soaked martial arts tale of betrayal and revenge explores one of the most sensational scandals in Chinese history and marked the true ascension of its director and actors to superstar status. In fact, Ti Lung won Taiwan's Golden Horse Award for Outstanding Performance as the challenging role of a jealous provincial governor who kills his friend in order to steal the man's wife. The 11th Golden Horse Awards: Special Award for Outstanding Performance (Ti Lung)
Little Bastard searches for the parents who abandoned him as an infant, with the help of Little Beggar. He finds his father, who is a powerful and wealthy manl and is taken in by him and his family. Before long Little Bastard is seduced by his attractive cousin, making Little Beggar very jealous. However, the seduction and family welcome are all part of a nefarious plan.
3 martial arts directors united for this unique anthology film. Yueh Feng writes and directs a clever love-and-kung-fu triangle, Cheng Kang both writes and directs kung-fu courtesans battling brigands, and the ""godfather of the kung-fu film,"" Chang Cheh, creates a cliff-hanging, swashbuckling mini-movie with maxi-action.
Man of Iron was positioned as something of a follow-up to Boxer From Shantung, the rise-and-fall story of Ma Yung Chen and it reunites the directors and some of the cast in a similar but much slighter tale of a lesser gangster's rise and fall in Shanghai. While the opening narration specifically recalls the events and tragic conclusion of BOXER, this one is set 20 years later in the same section of Shanghai but otherwise has nothing to do with the events or characters of the previous film.
The longstanding rivalry between a music club and a sports club is compounded by their leaders' mutual interest in a girl.
The Angry Guest is a direct sequel to Duel of Fists which had two long-separated brothers, Ti Lung and David Chiang, reuniting in Bangkok and running afoul of the local mob after Ti Lung, a boxer, beats the local favorite in the ring. In this film, the action shifts from Bangkok to Hong Kong to Japan and then back to HK as the brothers contend with a Japanese mob led by crime boss Yamaguchi, who is played by the film's director, Chang Cheh, in a rare screen appearance.
A young boxer joins a martial arts school to increase his skill so he can enter a martial arts competition. He leaves the school when he hears that a local gangster is terrorizing the town. He comes to the aid of a young singer and brings on the wrath of the local gang. He eventually enters the martial arts competition after learning iron palm technique and takes out all competition.
Alan Whicker meets Chinese film mogul, Run Run Shaw, at his Hong Kong studios and sees examples of the swordfight films, of which he is producing more than sixty a year.
The corruption in the Sung Dynasty of 11th century China is so rampant that it inspires a band of Oriental Robin Hoods - the Honorable 108. Mountain bandits who nevertheless live by a scrupulous code of conduct, the Honorable 108 pledge to end the repression of the brutal overlords.
This sword-filled thriller centers on the title location--an inn where the down and dirty meet to plot nefarious doings. Award winning actor Ku Feng stars as the "Whip Devil," while the luminous and lethal Shih Szu plays "The Lady Hermit" who has a surprise in store for all the double-crossing masters of mayhem.
The Yang family, men and women, have served their country loyally for generations. During the war General Yang is ambushed and killed. His widow and the entire family set out to avenge his death and defend the country.
A magician-warrior who protects a man from an ambush, not knowing of his true villainous nature. But he discovers the truth after his wife and friend are killed and must now fight to set things right.
A perennial Chang Cheh favorite, Anonymous Heroes focuses on two vagabond brothers, Meng Kang (David Chiang) and Tieh (Ti Lung) who, in the search for fame and fortune, join in a rebellion against a provincial general. Used to shaking down local vendors for food and gambling away their limited funds, they are recruited by a local rebel leader (Ku Feng) who promises them a glorious adventure. The rebels plan is to steal a huge cache of new rifles set to be delivered to the barracks of the local army. With the help of an officer’s daughter (Ching Li), their plan starts out well, but inevitably slips toward a heroic but tragic finale.
This top ten box office hit reunites the star duo from Come Drink With Me in another classic action adventure. Cheng Pei-pei (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) radiates her trademark charm while wielding the deadly title weapon, which is implicated in multiple murders and a major heist. Whether single-handedly fighting sixteen bandits or avenging her father's brutal death, she demonstrates why she was Hong Kong's number one swordswoman -- and no slouch with the whip either!
Legendary jewel thieves "Nocturnal Earl" (Ling Yun) and "Fragrant Night" (Lily Ho) are set on a collision course for destiny when both arrive in Japan to get their hands on the famous "Venus Tear Diamond." But sparks fly between the jewel thieves and the two fall instantly in love, without knowing that their beloved is after the very jewel each is seeking! To make matters worse, the diamond is in the possession of a randy widow who has her eye on the debonair male thief, and there's even a mystery man interested in the widow, too. Who's going to get the Venus Tear Diamond, and will it mean the end to a perfect love?
The famed Ivy Ling Po (Temple Of The Red Lotus) stars as a mysterious swordswoman dedicated to keeping the five volume "Five Generations Fighting Methods" kung-fu manual out of evil-doers' hands. She joins Ling Yun, star of The Iron Buddha, who plays a hero known only as the Roving Knight to fight, train, then fight again -- facing such characters as The Six-Armed Giant and The 1000-Cut in this action-packed adventure.
Reclusive hero Jin Fei, (Ti Lung) known as the King Eagle, inadvertently gets involved in the internal conflicts of the Tien Yi Tong sociaty, after he falls in love their 7th chief, Yuk Lin (Li Ching)
Sworn-brothers expert martial artists are the targets of a mysterious killer, which seems to bear a grudge against them for what happened several years ago.
Three Sung loyalists decide to become blood brothers to fight the tyranny of the Tartar invaders. They build a stronghold and christen it 'The Flying Dragon Fortress' up in the hills. Gathering together a devoted army of followers, the three brothers wage war against the Tartar defense. Desiring to oust the oppressors altogether, Ma Ching plans to coerce an ally, Hong Zhang Chung to release the kidnapped Tartar princess in what initially seems a strategic and civil effort to gain points with the court. Not long after, it soon becomes apparent Ma desires both a great position and power and is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to get it.
The swordsman Zhang Zhen is injured in a misadventure and rescued by Eldest Sister of Changchun Sect, who has a crush on him. However, Zhang falls in love with the maid Yuenu instead, and conceives twins with her. The couple are killed by a group of evil pugilists later. The Eldest Sister is angry with Zhang Zhen for not accepting her and plans to make Zhang's children kill each other as revenge. The baby girl (Xiaolu'er) is saved by Zhang's friend, Lian Lanyan, while the male infant (Hua Yuchun) is taken away by the Eldest Sister. Lian Lanyan encounters the Ten Villains when he passes through Villains' Valley. He is overwhelmed by them and knocked out in a fight. The baby Xiaolu'er is taken away by the Villains, who surprisingly do not harm her, and instead intend to groom her to become the greatest villain ever. Eighteen years later, the twins meet each other by coincidence.
The plot involves patriots during the Sung Dynasty and their attempts to rescue a kidnapped prince from Ching troops who have invaded the north of China. The patriots are led by Ti Lung who recruits a mysterious but seemingly superhuman fighter played by David Chiang to find a way to cross a perilous bridge to enter an impregnable fortress to locate and rescue the imprisoned prince. The big confrontation at the end involves trickery on the part of the heroes and the self-sacrifice of one of their number as David, who is not known to the enemy, brings in Ti as his `prisoner' to turn over to the Chings, as a way of gaining entrance. Then he cuts Ti's bonds and all hell breaks loose.
Intrigue in the court means that the wife and daughter of framed scholar Sung have to travel to the capital in disguise, as court agents hunt them down. A righteous swordsman and a group of kiln workers get caught up in the action.
It's a no-holds-barred battle to the death for possession of the invaluable Purple Sword. Assistant director Wang Po-yi also wrote this entertaining and exciting adventure which could have also been called "The Five Tigers" since there's no doubt that this quintet is the highlight of the action. Huang Tsung-shun is "Fierce Tiger," Hung Liu is "Drunk Tiger," Hsu Erh-niu is "Lame Tiger," award-winning actor Ku Feng is "One-eyed Tiger" and respected director/actor Wu Ma is "Sick Tiger" in a tangle of tussles and thrills
David Chiang stars as a nightclub vocalist whose former criminal friends blackmail him into working with them again.
A Mogul king decides to take stealthy action to help overpower his greatest rivals. He chooses nine out thirteen of his loyal generals (who he treats as sons) to embark on the mission. However, jealously amongst them sparks a treacherous family feud that could lead to catastrophic consequences for all involved.
In this thrilling martial arts twist on the tale of Robin Hood, a charismatic highwayman (Death Duel and Shaolin Temple's David Chiang) with formidable sword skills decides to help the poor by robbing from thieves and distributing the wealth. This plan doesn't sit well with the criminals, who band together to stop him. Fortunately, our hero has a powerful blade on his side, not to mention popular beauty Lily Li (Black Magic) at his side. A high-spirited blend of action, romance, and comedy, this Shaw Brothers classic from fearless director Chang Cheh (Five Deadly Venoms) is a timeless example of pure high-voltage entertainment.
Famed screenwriter Shen Chiang got one of his very first chances to direct his own script with this exciting action adventure. His story is suitably thrilling: if villains "Winged Tiger" Teng Fei and "Underworld King" Yin Te-lung combine their kung-fu knowledge, the "Martial Arts World" will be plunged into chaos. That evil union is set to occur at the marriage of Yin's sister to Teng. Can this dangerous duo be stopped before one says "I do"?
As a valiant Chinese general and his men battle Tartar invaders, patriot swordsmen attempt to stop the delivery of 12 medallions sent by a traitor that could spell the doom of the Sung Dynasty. When a powerful kung fu master assumes responsibility for the deliveries, his daughter and a former student turn against him in order to save China.
After a notorious rapist kills his master and entire clan, the Iron Buddha sets out for revenge. He'll need a magic sword first though, naturally.
Betty Ting Pei plays the lead,a Taiwanese singer searching in Hong Kong for her younger sister, who disappears after coming to HK to be discovered as a nightclub singer.
The Yu family earn the ire of the Green Dragon clan when the daughter (Cheng Pei-Pei) kills the clan chief's son (a rapist and murderer). The Green Dragon chief wounds family head Yu Yuan with his flying daggers, and kills many others who try to protect the noble family. Wandering swordsman Ying Qing (Lo Lieh) saves the family in a fight, using his own flying dagger skills, but his allegiances and motives are unclear.
this is one of the few films where godfather of kung fu film; chang cheh headlined lo lieh as the leading hero. three years before lo would become the shaw brothers first international star in king boxer. here he plays a dedicated chief constable for the tsang chou village. he falls in love with the blind daughter of a bandit who is wrecking havoc. joining him in all the action and emotion are award winning actor ku feng and future superstar david chiang.
Li Zhishan is a rich man, but wealth cannot keep the loyalties of his wife, who has been visiting the bed of a rival. She helps plot against him, and the Vicious Long Brothers invade his home and steal the Golden Dragon Blade - a sword that makes its wielder unbeatable. Zhishan, crippled in the attack, and his young daughter are whisked away by a devoted servant, and the trio soon find shelter in the home of an herbalist. Years pass, the daughter grows up to be a lovely young woman and a powerful fighter, and the Long Brothers use the Golden Dragon Blade to gain power in the region. Zhishan's family of sorts has managed to stay well hidden, but a trip into the city - the daughter's first - sets off an old power struggle as Zhishan's wife discovers her daughter is quite alive.
A jewel thief (Lin Chong) decides to turn over a new leaf. He starts anew as a professional singer; but before long, the he becomes suspect again for a series of robberies. He sets up a trap to snare the copycat thief, but will it snare him instead?
Mysterious songstress Fang Biyu is loved by two brothers, Qiwei and Qijun. After freeing herself from the clutches of gangsters, she gives her heart to Qiwei. Tragedy comes knocking on the door when one of the gangsters comes out of prison, and Qiwei dies in a car accident. Blamed for her husband's death, Biyu is forced to go back to singing to make a living, but hopes to reunite with her son and return to the family one day.
Tu Cheng Kang (Kwan Shan) teaches at the Ta Tap Middle School where pupils are delinquent. Tu’s class is the worst. As the headmaster and his fellow teachers are unable to cope with the unruly students, Tu is determined to win them over with kindness. He fails initially but does not despair. Kao Te Sheng (Chuen Yuen), nicknamed the One Eyed Dragon, is the chief troublemaker and leader. When Kao’s father, a coolie, faints at the wharf from over work, Tu takes him to the hospital and befriends him. The old man does not realize Tu is his son’s teacher and neither does Te Sheng realize that his teacher had saved his father, he continues to oppose Tu.
Lo Wei remains internationally famous for directing Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan's first major movies. Cheng Pei-pei is now internationally famous for her superlative role in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. But both were superstars in Hong Kong for decades prior, so any teaming of the superlative "swordswoman supreme" and the vaunted director/writer/actor is cause for celebration. Kao Yuen joins them as a noble swordsman, and watch, too, for award-winning actor Ku Feng as the "Frontier Terror" in the evocative and effective "Martial Art World" adventure.
Ivy Ling Po plays the dedicated wife of a man being blackmailed for an illicit love affair, who uncovers a pit of deceit, double-crosses, extortion and murder after murder.
After the Ming Emperor is overthrown and his infant son put in the care of the Black Dragon Society, a traitorous martial arts clan attacks the society and forces two inexperienced swordsmen to flee with the infant and begin a dangerous journey in search of allies.
A gripping drama about a seductive woman with three men in her life: a rich husband ; a sexy playboy, and a sensitive intellectual. That two of her lovers are brothers further complicates the story.
A simple woodcutter named Wei Fu (Chang Yi) finds his world shattered when three murderous horsemen arrive to kill his family and kidnap his sister. Left with nothing but his mother’s bell-laden bracelet, he sets out to seek his revenge. Lucky for him, Wei Fu encounters a master swordsman (Yeung Chi-hing), who takes him under his wing.
Lily Ho, a secret agent out to thwart the sale of a powerful explosive to the wrong people. It’s a female, Chinese James bond.
A great "swordfighter" learns humility after he is defeated by a master martial arts monk. But his reputation always precedes him, leading to danger, destruction, challenges, cruelty, kidnapping, and killing.
There's nothing like a good, opulent, gaudy musical to lift the spirits, but when it's a 1960's Hong Kong musical orchestrated by a Japanese director and composer, it breaks through the ranks as a classic of campy kitsch. A follow-up to the previous year's megahit Hong Kong Nocturne, with the same Japanese creative team, Hong Kong Rhapsody follows the fortunes of an unemployed magician whose love life is so knotty it would take Houdini to unravel!
Lone swordsman Jiang Dan-Feng (Wong Chung-Shun) is ambushed by a pair of bandits and quickly despatches them. One of them, as he is dying, asks Jiang to take his personal effects to his sister. This being a Wuxia film, our hero is bound by a strict code of honour, and he agrees. The bandit’s sister, Xiu Xiu (Shu Pei-Pei), is surprisingly forgiving and tells him that he got mixed up in a bad crowd of robbers before he died. As it happens, these self-same bandits are threatening to tear up the village at any moment, and Jiang prepares to defend it despite being despised by the town folk for killing Xiu Xiu’s brother.
In 1966, like in The Love Eterne, Ling Bo took up the male lead in Forever and Ever, despite Shaw Brothers' earlier plan of having her as the female lead. Facing opposition from fans, they finally arranged for her to star as a male student named Xiaowen. Wicked rich man Liu, portrayed by Lo Wei, the director of this film, wants Xiaowen to marry his daughter (Lin Yu) who is suffering from leprosy, thinking that marriage will take away her disease. Although Xiaowen discovers Liu's plan, he is still in love with her and hopes that a miracle will cure her disease...
A mad scientist wants to get his hands on a certain growth-accelerating serum developed by Hong Kong scientist Dr. Li Zong-Hua (Goo Man-Chung) so that he can create an army of supermen and conquer the world.
Lo Wei was twenty years into his notable career when he wrote, directed, and co-starred in this tale of a murdered lord, a hired killer who unknowingly becomes friends with his intended victim, a vicious bandit chief, and a kind blind woman. Star Yueh Hua would go on to an exceptional acting career, while Lo himself would give both Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan their "big breaks."
They brutally killed his wife, wiped out dozens of his innocent people, and burnt his entire village down to a charbroiled crisp. Now, master Liou Wen-lung (Fang Mien) is out for revenge. Armed with a near-invincible sword style and a pack of killer darts, he heads out to settle a 10-year old grudge with the cold-blooded evildoers. Joining him is his son (Yueh Hua), an orphan named Yu Sien (Chin Ping) and his trusty servant.
Spring Blossoms is a parable about the Chinese youth culture and what's important to the younger generation when it comes to romance. It starred a new wave of seventies, Shaw's beauties, Lily Li, Shu Pei-pei and Essie Lin-chia as single women looking for love. It's a triple-decker romantic bus ride on a road to nowhere speeding toward a low bridge. Only Lily Li became successful via her martial-arts abilities, so awesomely featured in Jackie Chan's The Young Master.
Su Fen, a young and frail girl, looked forward to her wedding with her fiancé, Li Kuo-liang. The happy couple's bliss was cut short when war broke out. Kuo-liang was summoned to fight at the front lines. In his absence, Su Fen discovered she had tuberculosis.
Hsiao Yun's rise to fame all results from a lucky break, as she's forced to substitute for another singer at the last second. The girl makes the most of her fortuitous opportunity, creating a huge splash in her debut as an entertainer, a fact which forever changes her life! However, this newfound meteoric rise to fame begins to take a toll on her personal life. For one thing, it starts to complicate her burgeoning romance with her pianist lover. And secondly, she soon finds herself the receiver of some sexual overtures from the producer of her show. What will poor Hsiao Yun do? And will blue skies be smiling at her by story's end?
Movie queen Ivy Ling Po is ideally cast as a male scholar in this historical Huangmei Opera romance. It’s a tragic love story between the scholar and a local beauty (played by Fang Ying). He polishes mirrors as a pretext to get closer to his love, who signals her approval by tossing him a bunch of lichees. From that point on the course of true love proves operatically rocky, complete with murder and suicide.
Zhang Shijie is an international spy, like James Bond, and has to seduce Julie Tan, the daughter of an organization’s leader in order to find their headquarters.
A romantic Han Dynasty adventure epic of a dying Emperor, an Evil Queen, a beautiful Princess, a dastardly royal nephew, and a masked hero, with plots and counterplots galore, complete with cliffhangers and last-second rescues.
Love knows no limits in the grand period romance, Lady Jade Locket. A young fighter inadvertently falls for the spirit of a beautiful woman, who died years earlier avenging her own father's murder. The beautiful ghost is in fact the sister of his fiancee. Experienced as an actor in many such romances, director Yen Chuan keeps the tone perfect. Plus, with period specialist Li Li-hua in the lead and the attractive and acclaimed Li Ching playing the ghost girl, he really can do no wrong.
A musical about 3 sisters, singers and dancers, and their dad, a magician performing in nightclubs until they make their own life.
A young swordsman is tasked to lead a patriotic secret society to fight a traitorous general who conspired with the enemy to invade their country. In due course, he meets two pretty sisters from a rural tribe and is caught between the affections of the two girls...
The adventures of a young married swordfighting couple, Lianzhu and Gui Wu, and the swordfighting members of their different clans.
Chivalrous swordsman Jun-zhao (Kiu Chong) goes in search of a fugitive named Li Yueh (Jimmy Wang Yu) in order to reunite him with his love, Liu Xian (Chin Ping). Though the two men meet and become loyal brothers, Li does not reveal his true identity until Jun-zhao’s life is endangered by swordsmen from Flying Fish Island who are looking for revenge.
Some 40 years ago when warlords rode rough-shod over the Chinese people, circus acrobat Pao Te-cheng took to the hills and began robbing the rich to help the poor. His daring feats earned him the nickname of “The Masked Robber”. Trying to intercept a large sum of money to be turned over to public security chief Cheng Kuan-hsi, he is nearly caught. Partner Hsiao Chung is jubilant over his safe return. But in the government office, chief detective Ma Pu-yun frantically plots his arrest. Ma Chien-li, son of the chief detective, devises a clever trap set for Ma Pu-yun’s birthday party. Among the guests is Huang Tan-ping who is engaged to Doctor David Lee. Ma Chien-li proposes to her without knowing this.
Northeastern China is infested with bandits. Hsiao Kai (Paul Chang Chung), a wandering knight, captures a white horse from thieves. His skilful handling of the horse earns his admiration of fellow traveler Chu Ching Hsu (Wong Chung Shun). They arrive at Lo Lung Kow, where the villagers hunt for a living and are constantly terrorized by bandits. Grocer Ting Tze Pao (Ngai Ping Ngo) returns from his negotiations with the bandits with bad news. They intend to collect furs from the villagers at a fixed price. Village leader Mu (Yuen Sam and his daughter Tsui Ying (Pat ting Hung) run a tavern. She wonders how the white horse belonging to a Sinkiang youth named Sha Yi Ti (Man Ling) is now in the possession of Hsiao Kai.
Golden Swallow (Cheng Pei-pei) is a fighter-for-hire who has been contracted by the local government to retrieve the governor's kidnapped son. Holding him is a group of rebels who are demanding that their leader be released from prison in return for the captured son. After a brief encounter with the gang at a local restaurant, Golden Swallow is joined by an inebriated wanderer Drunken Cat (Yueh Hua) who aids her in her mission.
Ling Bor plays Wen Fei E who is both an excellent academic as well as martial arts expert. Since her childhood days fond of dressing up as a boy, she becomes a village scholar sharing classes with Tu Zi Zheng (Chin Feng) and Wei Zhun Zhi (Ho Fan). When Fei E's innocent father is framed and sent to prison, she rushes to his rescue saving Jing Fu Quan (Kam Fie) who is in the hands of robbers along the way. Mistaking Fei E to be a noble hero, Fu Quan has no greater wish than to get married to her savior...
The lovely Li Hsiang-chun stars as a poor beauty who is drugged, ravished, lied to, locked in a burning store room, left to drown, and chased by sword-wielding ruffians, among other things. Her only hope is her betrayer's new wife, played by the strong and sensual Ivy Ling Po. Dawn may come, but the questions is: will it be too late? Director/writer Kao Li shows both restraint and sadism in this historical melodramatic tearjerker.
Young love and its comedy of errors. Hsiao Fang, played by Li Ching, is a spunky young girl not afraid to fight back against hooligans. Unfortunately, she mistakes the handsome Ma Ta-hai, for one such hoodlum. The two are immediately attracted but refuse to admit their true feelings. The real hooligans are from a rich family led by a devious Madam who devise a revenge plot. With plot twists, mistaken identities, along with some terrific musical numbers, romance has never been this much fun.
Paul (Zhang Chong) is a businessman who gets caught up in an international espionage plot when he accidentally switches briefcases with a friend aboard a Singapore-bound plane. The friend turns up dead, and Paul discovers a small Golden Buddha inside the briefcase that contains a set of instructions. The instructions are only one of three parts, the other two being held in similar Golden Buddhas by Lo Wei (doing double duty as actor and director) and Lin Cui. When combined, the three Buddhas will lead the bearers to a buried treasure. But the nefarious Skeleton Gang is after the Buddhas, along with a buxom femme fatale (Fannie Fan) who isn't above showing a little skin to get her way. Luckily, Paul knows kung-fu, so the bad guys had better watch out!
It's a powerful melodrama about a thwarted romance in 1930s Tientsin, China, during the Japanese occupation, and it stars Linda Lin Dai, one of the era's most popular stars. It was part of Golden Horse's 100 Greatest Chinese-Language Films.
Six heroes are killed while investigating rampant lawlessness at Zhaoqing Temple where villains are posing as monks. The dead heroes’ senior brother Su-chen and his two apprentices pose as scholars in order to infiltrate the temple. When the life of the Emperor’s Inspector and his daughter are threatened, the trio leaps into battle as government troops prepare to storm the temple.
Jimmy Wang Yu plays a young kid who heads off to Dragon Valley to meet the childhood friend who was promised as his bride. When he gets there, he finds that the family of the bride might not be an entirely honest bunch of people though. What is the story behind their feud with the monks at the Temple Of The Red Lotus, for a start?
With China under control of a weak Emperor, two officials compete to steer the future destiny of the land. Chiu believes the people are the future of China, while the diabolical Tu wishes to grind the people beneath an iron heel. Tu decides to take out Chiu's family, but one lone infant escapes.
It seems that Li Zhenfei was once an imperial concubine, who often found herself competing with her rival Madame Liu for the emperor's sole, undivided attention. When Li gives birth to the Emperor's child, the jealous Liu switches the boy with a cat and commands a servant named Kou Zhu to kill the baby. However, Kou Zhu ignores the order and gives the prince-to-be to the emperor's brother, a decision which eventually leads to the boy being adopted by the emperor himself! But as fate would have it, to go along with his new son, the emperor has a new wife as well - Madame Liu! As this strange new family unit is being constructed, poor Li Zhenfei has been confined to the forbidden palace, condemned to never see or speak to her son, the prince. But destiny reunites her with her son, but will this family reunion be a happy one? And will Madame Liu finally be punished for her treachery?
The Goddess of Hua Mountain is imprisoned for falling in love with a mortal, meanwhile her son is raised in secret until he can attempt to free her.
The story revolves around Tian Yu Quan (Chin Feng) who rushes to the aid of an elderly fisherman who is bullied by an arrogant relative of the Qiu Shan ministry. In the heat of the ensuing battle he kills the said man and is hence chased by the district's officials. Trying to use the waterway to shake off his enemies, Yu Quan finds a true friend in the old fisherman's bark-stearing daughter, Hu Feng Lian (Ting Hung) who becomes his loyal accomplice. As symbol for his gratitude, Yu Quan bestows Feng Lian with a Butterfly Chalice to reflect their eternal friendship bond...
Comedy of Mismatches begins with widow Sun who single-handedly raises her son Yu Lang (Chin Feng) and daughter Zhu Yi (Li Hsiang Chun). One day, Mother Sun sends her children to the temple, where Yu Lang encounters Hui Niang (Pat Ting). Artist Xu Ya is also at the temple, praying that his daughter Wen Gu (Carrie Ku) will find a good husband. Soon after, Wen Gu encounters nobleman's son Pei Zheng (Wai Mao) and the two fall in love at first sight.
The husband-and-wife team of Ivy Ling Po and Chin Han returned to another Huangmei Opera classic after Lady General Hua Mu-Lan. Helmed by Chow Sze-loke and written by Chang Cheh, the story revolved around two intellectual siblings, Ching Feng-sheng (Chin Feng) and Ching Feng-hsiao (Ivy Ling Po), who were constantly abused by their stepmother Hsia (Kao Pao-shu). Feng-hsiao was engaged to Li Ru-lung (Chin Han) since birth, but the greedy Hsia forced him to forfeit the marriage. When Ru-lung refused, Hsia framed him for thievery and put him behind bars. To rescue her lover, Feng-hsiao dressed as a young man and went to the capital. She then used Ru-lung's name to enter the national exam and was ranked first place. Impressed by Feng-hsiao, the Emperor decided to let her wed the Princess (Fang Ying). On the wedding night, Feng-hsiao revealed the truth to the Princess...
A woman in an arranged marriage falls in love with her husband's brother.
Fan Chia-soo is a kind-hearted student whose heart is captured by the sweet song of Shen Feng-hsien. However, he is not the only one who has eyes for Shen. The General's henchmen are also determined to present the songstress to their superior as a gift. Fan received help from an unexpected quarter to save the woman he loves.
Beyond the Great Wall is a true story based on how Wang Chao-chun sacrificed her love and life for the good of the Chinese people during war time fears between China and the Huns.
This gripping story centers on the romance between Wang Chin Lung and Sue San. Although they may be perfectly matched when it comes to their love for one other, the two come from remarkably different social ranks. While Chin Lung is the son of a respected government official, Su San is a prostitute, albeit a famous one.
Chen Hou is a chauffeur who gets caught in a mistaken identity scandal linking him to businesswoman Lok Dai. Chen was supposed to audition for a job as her chauffeur, but a proposed musical show is far more attractive to the aspiring dancer. When a rumor gets out that the two are involved in an affair, she's angry and confronts him, but his charms overwhelm her, and it's revealed that she too desires to dance. Soon she's bankrolling the affair, the sets are being built, and the singing and dancing begin!
Admist a rebellion during the Ching Dynasty in ancient China, a nurse flees the palace with a young prince. As an adult, he convinces the daughter of the usurper to betray her father and to assist in restoring him as the rightful monarch.
Taiwan's submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1964
About a woman who disguises herself as a man to take her father's place in the army.
To put her younger sister Huilan (Margaret Tu Chuan) through college, Huilian (Grace Ting Ning) became a taxi dancer and is despised by Huilan. Now married to a good husband (Kwan Shan), the lonely Huilan falls for a man after her money. To protect her younger sister, Huilian puts herself at risk. Grace Ting Ning plays a sad role, as the noble sister who keeps her purity in a cesspool.
A widow of four gave up two of her children to be raised by an uncle in Singapore. Many years later, just when the widow, now a house maid, is feeling contented by good news of her long gone son and daughter, she accidentally runs into his own son, now a lawyer, and ends up being looked down upon by him. It was a story about how traditional Chinese family and its value was impacted by the change of time. The movie depicted Macau in 1945 to Hong Kong in the mid-60s, moving from poverty after WWII to opulence. The human relationships became complicated and fragile. Many elements uniquely "Hong Kong", such as upper class Chinese, western religions, English speaking and a mixed-culture society are used to contrast the traditional, kind, enduring and forgiving love of a mother.
In this dreamy romance set in China during the fourth-century, a young woman convinces her parents to allow her to dress as a boy and attend university.
Seventh sister of the celestial world goes down to earth to marry Dong Yong, a young man sold to servitude. However the Jade Emperor orders her to go back to the immortal world.
The winning couple of Linda Lin Dai and Peter Chen Hu light up the screen in the delightful Shaw Brothers musical Love Parade!
The Black Fox (黑狐狸) is a 1962 Hong Kong thriller film directed by Yan Jun. The film was produced under the Shaw Brothers banner in the Mandarin language.
This Classic Seductive tale of two snakes who assume human forms will send chills of pleasure down viewers' backs. The Lovely Linda Lin Dai (Les Belles, The Kingdom And The Beauty) and margaret Tu Chuan (The Dream of The Red Chamber) play the two sister serpents, Pak Su-cheng and Ching Ching. Su-cheng meets Hsu Hsien (Chao Lei) one day and recognizes him as her savior in another life 1,000 years ago. She marries him to reward him but the snake-human union brings about problems beyond imagination.
Essentially an adaptation of Gaston Leroux's classic The Phantom of the Opera, Mid-Nightmare is set in a Huangmei diao teahouse theatre, which an embittered and horribly disfigured ex-performer ‘haunts', looking to extract revenge on his enemies and falling in love with a talented and beautiful, but ultimately unattainable, ingénue.
The film tells the story of the happy-go-crazy trio Ramli, Aziz and Sudin, and their daily problems living in a crowded boarding house. Jobless and penniless, they decide to try their luck as movie stars. They are told by the studio manager that they will be given a break if they can prove their talent at a screen test. Sudin gets into his antics which catches the attention of the studio manager. Will show biz fame change them in any way?
A Shaw Brothers comedy starring Margaret Tu Chuan and Paul Chang Chung,
Li Qingqing, an orphan, just arrives in Hong Kong and becomes a singer who sacrifices everything for her man.
A young scholar spends the night in a creepy temple that is said to be haunted. He doesn't believe in the rumors, but after running into a Taoist swordsman, he meets a beautiful lady ghost. She is forced by an evil old witch to seduce young men, so the witch can kill them and drink their blood...
Nurse Leng Shuxian is forced by family circumstances to marry Long Yusheng (King Hu), a grossly disfigured Quasimodo with a heart of gold. Shuxian tries but is unable to accept his deformity and they remain a couple in name only. With the appearance of Yusheng's cousin, she has to make a choice between personal happiness and family duty. From the start, Loh's character and drove the action, evoking a great intensity of emotions along the way: suffering, resignation and loneliness. Loh was lauded as the "Queen of Tragedy" after her heart-wrenching portrayal in this film. Winner of two Golden Harvest Awards – for best screenplay and best black-and-white cinematography – at the 8th Asian Film Festival in 1961.
3 friends want to become warriors. Ramli, Aziz and Sudin wanted to learn Silat from an expert, Pendekar Mustar. Mustar's daughter, Ros the village teacher, initially thought that they were crooks but soon realized that she was wrong and even fell for Ramli. The second instalment of the 'Bujang Lapok' series, this film chronicles the misadventures of the three bachelors as they learn self defence. Along the way, they discover their mutual attraction for their teacher's daughter and their illiteracy.
A married couple, Kantan and Tanjung have been married for quite sometime but they still do not have a kid. At last Tanjung got pregnant but she gave great inconvenience to her husband, Kantan. For example, she longs for food that are really hard to find. But Kantan do not lose hope and are very patient towards her. After a while they are blessed with a pretty daughter. They got richer but they stayed humble.
This is a musical about a young emperor who is lured via stories told to a place called Kiang-Nan by his royal tutor. The empress mother has the tutor go to Kiang-Nan to bring him back.
Hassan (P. Ramlee) is 10 when his father died. His mother had died when he was younger. His late father's boss feels sorry for Hassan and adopts him. However, Hassan's foster father's own child, Aziz (Jins Shamsudin) is jealous of Hassan and hates him. When both of them have fully grown up, Aziz and Buang (Salleh Kamil) always bully Hassan. At the same time, Salmah (Saadiah) has developed a crush towards Hassan, fuelling Aziz's fury. When the Second World War is approaching, the Royal Malay Regiment begins recruiting young soldiers.
A young man has fallen in love with a vampire, where he is insanely head over heels for her due to her undenying beauty. He has decided to nail behind her neck so her beauty remains forever and never change into a vampire again. They both got married and lived happily with their newborn named Mutiara. As the years passed by she inherited her mother's beauty not knowing her mother's pass history. She then fell in love with the Penghulu's son Guntur. But at the same time a man who is just known as Doktor is also fond of Mutiara. One day as Mutiara was combing her mother's hair she came across the nail in her head and pulled it out. To her surprise her mother turned into a vampire and ran away. On her wedding day with Guntur, Doktor had ordered the Gergasi to kidnapped her away. Will she ever be saved?
The first of four 'Bujang Lapok' ('Worn Out Bachelor') movies, this first one chronicles the loves and lives of three bachelors living in '50s Singapore.
A deformed hunchback is given a second chance at life, but then he breaks the rules of his benefactor and is transformed into a horrific monster.
In eighth century China, the Emperor is grieving over the death of his wife. The Yang family wants to provide the Emperor with a consort so that they may consolidate their influence over the court. General An Lushan finds a distant relative working in their kitchen whom they groom to present to the Emperor. The Emperor falls in love with her and she becomes the Princess Yang Kwei-fei. The Yangs are then appointed important ministers, though An Lushan is not given the court position he covets. The ministers misuse their power so much that there is a popular revolt against all the Yangs, fueled by An Lushan.
