Overview: Before Hong Kong’s mightiest film studio mastered the art of the kung fu film, Shaw Brothers hit box office gold with a very different kind of martial arts cinema, one that channeled the blood-soaked widescreen violence of Japanese samurai epics and Italian spaghetti westerns into a uniquely Chinese form: the wuxia pian.

With their enthralling tales drawn from historical myth and legend of sword-wielding (and often gravity-defying) noble heroes, the wuxia films housed in this next instalment of Arrow Video’s best-selling Shawscope series demonstrate the sweeping stylistic evolution of the genre, from the righteous stoicism of the late-60s Mandarin period, right through to the wild-and-weird anarchism of the early-80s Cantonese explosion.

The iconic One-Armed Swordsman trilogy, directed between 1967 and 1971 by wuxia cinema godfather Chang Cheh, made household names of stars "Jimmy" Wang Yu and David Chiang and set the gory template for many of the films to come. Contrary to Chang’s tales of loyal brotherhood, many wuxia films focused on female protagonists, three very different examples of which we see next: Ho Meng-hua’s Lady Hermit, with the great Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink with Me) as a virtuous swordswoman called upon to stop a vicious warlord; Chor Yuen’s scandalous Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan in which the titular lady of the night masters every deadly skill she can to get revenge on those who enslaved her; and Cheng Kang’s all-star epic The 14 Amazons, in which Shaws’ finest starlets play the real-life women of the Yang dynasty, avenging their fallen menfolk in battle.

Next, Chor Yuen adapted several beloved novels by consummate wuxia storyteller Gu Long to the big screen, four of which are collected here: The Magic Blade, Clans of Intrigue, Jade Tiger and The Sentimental Swordsman, all starring the redoubtable Ti Lung. As kung fu overtook wuxia at the box office, the genre evolved into unexpected new directions, with its chivalrous knights-errant replaced by conflicted antiheroes, as seen in Sun Chung’s breathlessly exciting The Avenging Eagle and Boxer’s Omen goremeister Kuei Chih-hung’s fatalistic masterpiece Killer Constable. Finally, just when it seemed the wuxia film had nowhere left to turn, Eighties excess reigned supreme in the special-effects-soaked, fourth-wall-breaking fantastical delights of Taylor Wong’s Buddha’s Palm and Lu Chun-ku’s Bastard Swordsman.

Back with all-new exclusive restorations and hours of insightful bonus material, if you thought the previous two Shawscope sets showed the Shaw Brothers studio at its strongest, you ain’t seen nothing yet!

Blu-ray Verdict: This third collection by Arrow Video opens on the much beloved THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967), in which a noble swordsman, whose arm had been chopped off, returns to his former teacher to defend him from a villainous gang of rival swordsmen.

In the martial arts department, this Chang Che movie is definitely less over-the-top than a lot of other Shaw Brothers productions. Swordsman instead opts to go a different route and focuses on its main character’s (spiritual) journey to become a whole person again. It’s less pulpy fun and more calculated drama and, boy, does it work extremely well within this newly acquired format.

Next in the trilogy is RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1969). After defeating The Long-Armed Devil and his armies, our nubbed hero has been living in retirement as a farmer, but circumstances causes him to come out of retirement and take on The Eight Kings, each warrior with their own unique fighting style. The time has come for the one armed swordsman to return.

The sequel swaps out the bulk of the original’s rousing individual spirituality in favor of a legacy built on the backs of those who have come behind you (A One-Armed Arm-y, if you will).

But more than makes up for it on the strength of its veritable merry-go-round of sprawling fight set pieces. With Chang Cheh seemingly taking on the role of juggler from the sky. From where each limb-littered habitat can add more impossible elements to the mix while forever keeping tabs from the all-watching eye up above.

Plus, a pleasantly surprising deal of splatter to boot, more holes being poked through bods than the smelliest of smelly cheese factories. To turn the bluest of seas red with what remains. Spoiler Alert: A man commits murder from behind, by stabbing all the way through his full-on back. Dedication to your art, or what?

And what’s one arm anyway? To a host of dudes, just waiting to be left with a torso?

The final film in the trilogy is THE NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1971) and tells the story of when our beloved main character crosses paths with a beautiful girl in need, Pao Chiao. Even against impossible odds, he will prove a great warrior.

The New One-Armed Swordsman is not a sequel to the first two movies but acts more as a reboot of the series telling a completely new and fresh origin story of the One-Armed fighter. Gone is Jimmy Wang Yu who at that time had left Shaw Brother to focus on directing and starring in movies in Taiwan.

I always like the guy and his distinct stoic screen-presence. But his two successor, Ti Lung as a playful dashing fighter and David Chiang as the title giving One-Armed Swordsman are certainly nothing to sneer at.

On the contrary, these two very handsome young men are among my favorite Shaw Brothers stars. Ti Lung in particular is just awesome in every scene. The camera just loves that guy. And David Chiang proves that he is more than capable of leading a movie of this size.

The movie is not as action-packed as the second One-Armed Swordsman film. Like in the original, the focus is more on the characters. But when there is action it is absolutely spectacular and presents some of the best fights ever featured in a movie about a One-Armed Swordsman (in my humble opinion).

Along next is THE LADY HERMIT (1971). Martial arts star Cheng Pei pei and versatile director Ho Meng hua were a great team, who elevated this tale of a virtuous swordswoman’s revenge on the Black Demon who injured her to one of the best of both their careers.

Absolutely awesome. The female Chinese knight action I crave. Not just one bad ass warrior woman here, but two. The great Cheng Pei-pei as a wounded kung fu master in hiding, and Shih Szu, the actress groomed by the Shaw Brothers to be Cheng Pei-pei’s successor as the next great female action star, playing her pupil in her very first movie role ever. Together they absolutely cook the Black Dragon Clan.

The photography and lighting are stunning. The lead DP is Danny Lee Yau-Tong, who also shot the under seen but amazing DUEL TO THE DEATH. There are wonderful orange red sunset and bruise blue sunrise shots as the backdrop of several sequences. The sprawling location work and medieval Chinese sets are great.

The music is swelling and dense and lush. The body count is staggering and the blood is Shaw Scope red. Pei-pei, stern gazed, is like a dervish of death in her flowing white ghostly robes. Szu is quick as a mouse, savage as a tiger, and bratty as Charli xcx.

Then comes INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN (1972) has always been billed as the very first Chinese sex film available to the general public!

18-year-old Ainu is kidnapped and sold to a brothel. Her good looks and wild personality make her very popular with the lustful clients, but also draw the lesbian attentions of brothel madam Chun Yi. Chun Yi teaches Ai nu the ways of lust and the ways of kung fu, and Ai nu becomes more and more similar to her captor. But rage at her treatment is still burning inside her.

This is another wu xia film from ace director Chor Yuen, but this time the exploitation angle often present in his films is brought right into centre stage. Chor Yuen seems to have been fascinated by lesbians, but this is the only film of his that I’ve seen where he gives them the starring roles.

Both Lily Ho and Betty Tei Pei give sterling performances as the beautiful but vicious martial arts hookers, and they’re joined by a cast of Shaw’s starlets in the nude to create a pre-Cat III film that balances action, intrigue and eroticism surprisingly well.

Then we get brought forth THE 14 AMAZONS (1972) where the cast of the film is a veritable who’s who of golden age of Shaw Brothers swordplay adventures and was not only a major box office hit but has fast become one of the most renowned films of his genre in China’s cinematic history.

Female centric bloody and epic swordplay adventure from Shaw Brothers. There are a few to many characters for me to keep track of who is who, but it doesn’t really matter that much. I focused on the action, the adventure and the revenge plot and all the bloody set-pieces.

It’s a pretty great and undervalued film, but I am left with one crucial question. Whose idea was it to cast the beautiful and 26 year old Lily Ho as a young boy? Casting fail! I mean, if I’m the director I would want Lily Ho in my movie at any price. But there must have been a better part for her than that. Otherwise a great film and definitely worth seeing.

Then comes THE MAGIC BLADE (1976) where Chinese sword masters pair up to fight off yet another villain for the deadly Peacock Dart.

Spaghetti Western meets Wuxia directed by Chor Yuen and based on a novel by Gu Long. Classic stuff and in my opinion one of the directors best movies. I dig the visuals and the dark atmosphere here. The cast is great, the action very well-choreographed and executed, there’s a bit of sexiness and nudity and Ti Lung’s sword is dope as all f**k.

Even the story, centered around a mysterious Martial-Arts weapon called Peacock Dart, is somewhat easy to follow and at the end has more depth than I expected. That is not always the case with Chor Yuen’s “Clan” movies but it is refreshing.

It’s not often that I get to talk about camera work and editing in correlation to fight choreography, but here we are. By pivoting away from the tight frames with snappy quick-cuts we’ve all come to expect from action films to long takes of varying angles, The Magic Blade showcases the talent of its cast and crew.

Along next is CLANS OF INTRIGUE (1977). After three Clan leaders are assassinated, Kung Nan-Yen accuses Master Thief Chiu Liu-Hsiang as being the only man capable of the murders, but generously allows him one month to clear his name.

Edgar Wallace plot shenanigans meet Chor Yuen Wuxia visual opulence. The plot here is really not easy to follow and has more twists and turns than an Agatha Christie novel. But that is typical for a Gu Long adaptation by Chor Yuen.

The reason this is still a great watch and in my opinion even one of the best adaptations from the director, are the colorful, dreamy and truly amazing looking sets, the great cast and the solid swordplay action. And one can even have some fun with the investigative plot if you are able to follow it.

Up next is JADE TIGER (1977) where Zhao Wuji embarks on an very tragic adventure with full of intrigues to avenge his father, who is beheaded by a traitor working for Tang, on the eve of son’s marriage.

Jade Tiger is a pretty good but unusually dark Wuxia from genre expert Chor Yuen. The theme of the movie is about the circle of violence and how revenge, no matter how justified, rarely leads to a happy ending. It is a dark but refreshing take on the genre. But the movie also does not dwell on it and offers plenty of exciting action to keep things entertaining. What also helps is the great cast.

Ti Lung, Yueh Hua, Lo Lieh, Ku Feng, Lily Li, Shih Szu and a very young Derek Yee are all part of the ensemble. The sets and costumes are at Shaw’s usual high standard, the action is well-choreographed and the story, while fairly complex, is somewhat understandable. At least most of the time. All this makes for an enjoyable Chor Yuen Wuxia. Not his best or most colorful work but absolutely worth checking out for fans of him and the genre.

Along next is THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN (1977). 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 savior. 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.

An exceptionally well-written wu xia film, one in which the characters are motivated by psychology rather than fulfilling roles as mere mythological character types, where the tsunami of exposition that swamps so many other films in the genre is distilled into action with the expeditious use of a MacGuffin (a mysterious red package that changes hands repeatedly throughout the first 30 minutes of the film, introducing all the major characters and establishing the ruthless and unstable nature of the film’s world) and where the central character is acted rather than performed, with star Ti Lung’s melancholy hero, haunted by his past, yet patient and honorable grounding the film in a realistic figure.

With this film, as well as Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, another film grounded in character rather than myth, the action is more direct: framed but not hidden. More graphic novel than comic book. The tension between the visually artificial and the psychologically real, between the surface and the depth.

The comes THE AVENGING EAGLE (1978). 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.

The Avenging Eagle is a true insider tip in the Shaw Brothers canon. A very little known movie but a personal favorite of mine. A solid story, two charismatic stars and plenty of great fights with a lot of weapon variety. Director Sun Chung made some standout movies while he was at Shaw’s and this is probably his best one. I am very glad the movie finally got a Blu-ray release within this magnificent third installment of the Shawscope series, as it fully deserves the new exposure.

There is a great screenplay at work here with characters and their motivations feeling more complexed and believable than a lot of other Kung Fu films. There is also a supreme confidence in the choreography. Where a lot of other films of the time undercrank or speed up action, this one isn’t afraid of the ultra slo mo or even freeze frames.

For fans of enemies-to-friends stories, fans of Ti Lung and Alexander Fu Sheng (both put on fantastic performances), and anyone into revenge stories. Solid wu xia for a Friday morning and a perfect way to spend 86 minutes if you’re craving a kung-fu kick.

Along next is KILLER CONSTABLE (1980). Righteous constable Leng Tian-Ying has a fearsome reputation of killing criminals without remorse. But after being assigned to track a gang that robbed the imperial treasury, he comes to find that his reputation is being used against him.

My God, this is such a cruel masterpiece by the great Kuei Chih-Hung, who said of his one and only wuxia film, “I simply wanted to depict how insignificant commoners are and how, under totalitarian rule, they turn out to be the victims.” No heroes here. A poem of fire and steel and mud and rain and heavy shadows and blinding hot sun and bright red blood spraying like from a hose!

Complete with some very solid and bloody action scenes, particularly the final fight, even though the plot itself is a bit convoluted and hard to follow, not to mention the revelation that one of the antagonists has a blind daughter (which just ends up being sad), I have an overwhelming amount of love for this movie.

Then we get BUDDHA’S PALM (1982), which is actually a technique by which an ordinary hand is transformed into a formidable force. Ku, a blind recluse living in a cave, knows its secret, which proves to be as much a blessing as a curse as it attracts all manner of mayhem.

The brush of Buddha’s touch, scorching enough to set anyone ablaze brave or crazed enough to attempt such an unfathomable feat. The cackles of the grandmasters echo throughout the valley, alerting any and all who believe themselves to be on par or superior to them of their arrival.

Yet another excellent example of unrelenting kineticism incarnate, the intangible imagination of that ever prolific clan of absolutely mad movie lads plastered and smeared all across a cinematic canvas, the only rhyme or reason to grasp onto within its ethereal euphoria is that of is that of a Dameng the dragon.

It’s films like this that continue to conceive me in further prolonging my departure from this world in a futile effort to uncover more just like it (hence my outpouring of love for these box-set’s).

The final movie is BASTARD SWORDSMAN (1983). Hsu Shao-chiang stars as a veritable Spider-Swordsman - master of the Silkworm Style - in this eye-filling, mind-bending martial arts phantasmagorical which truly warrants the description: unforgettable.

This film is one big, fantastic kung fu soap opera from the director of Holy Flame of the Martial World, and just a small step down from that movie, I would say.

I knew I was in for a good time when they started talking about what level of silkworm style they had attained, but even I didn’t expect actual cocoons to be spun!

I can guarantee that not a single second of this eye popping batshit insane wu xia from Shaw Brothers is boring. It moves at a bullet’s pace and is filled to the brim with some of the most spectacular and creative kung fu you’ll EVER see in your life!

LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY COLLECTION CONTENTS:
High Definition (1080p) presentations of all fourteen films, including thirteen new 2K restorations by Arrow Films
Illustrated 60-page collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by David West, Jonathan Clements and Dylan Cheung, plus cast and crew listings and notes on each film by Ian Jane
New artwork by Chris Malbon, Kung Fu Bob O’Brien, Tom Ralston, Ilan Sheady, Tony Stella and Jolyon Yates
Hours of illuminating bonus features, including feature commentaries and several cast-and-crew interviews from the Frédéric Ambroisine Video Archive Exclusive CD of music from the De Wolfe Music Library as heard in several Shaw Brothers classics

DISC ONE - ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN
Brand new 4K restoration by Celestial Pictures and L’Immagine Ritrovata Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio
Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
Brand new commentary by David West, author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film
Newly filmed appreciation of the One-Armed Swordsman series by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
Interview with actor Wang Yu, filmed in 2001
Interview with actor Chiao Chiao, filmed in 2005
Interview with actor Ku Feng, filmed in 2004
Appreciation of director Chang Cheh’s work by film historian Sam Ho, filmed in 2003
Interview with Daniel Lee, director of the remake What Price Survival, filmed in 2004
One-Armed Side Hustles, a brand new video essay by Brandon Bentley on Wang Yu’s career playing amputee protagonists
Theatrical trailers, and trailers for other films by Chang Cheh

DISC TWO - RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN / THE NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Brand new commentary on Return of the One-Armed Swordsman by critic Samm Deighan
Brand new commentary on The New One-Armed Swordsman by martial arts cinema expert Brian Bankston
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC THREE - THE LADY HERMIT / INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Brand new commentary on The Lady Hermit by critic James Mudge
Two brand new commentaries on Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, one by film critic and historian Tony Rayns, one by critic Samm Deighan
Alternate English export credits for Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC FOUR - THE 14 AMAZONS
Brand new 2K restoration from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio
Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
Brand new commentary by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of China
Interview with stuntwoman Sharon Yeung, filmed in 2004
Interview with film historian Bede Chang, filmed in 2005
Interview with film critic Law Kar, filmed in 2005
Theatrical trailers

DISC FIVE - THE MAGIC BLADE / CLANS OF INTRIGUE
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio for The Magic Blade
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and Cantonese mono audio for Clans of Intrigue
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub on The Magic Blade
Brand new commentary on The Magic Blade by critic Samm Deighan
Brand new commentary on Clans of Intrigue by critic James Mudge
Alternate version of Clans of Intrigue via seamless branching, featuring four extended scenes previously censored for explicit material
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC SIX - JADE TIGER / THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin mono audio for Jade Tiger
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and Cantonese mono audio for The Sentimental Swordsman
Newly translated English subtitles for both films
Brand new commentary on Jade Tiger by critic Ian Jane
Brand new commentary on The Sentimental Swordsman by David West, author of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction to the Martial Arts Film
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC SEVEN - THE AVENGING EAGLE / KILLER CONSTABLE
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English mono audio for both films, plus Cantonese mono for The Avenging Eagle
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Brand new commentary on The Avenging Eagle by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng
Three brand new commentaries on Killer Constable: one by film critic and historian Tony Rayns; one by Frank Djeng; one by martial arts cinema expert Brian Bankston
Additional and alternate scenes from the South Korean version of Killer Constable (in standard-definition)
Alternate English-language title sequences for both films
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC EIGHT - BUDDHA’S PALM / BASTARD SWORDSMAN
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Newly restored uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English mono audio for Buddha’s Palm
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin mono audio for Bastard Swordsman
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub on Buddha’s Palm
Brand new commentary on Buddha’s Palm by critic and translator Dylan Cheung
Brand new commentary on Bastard Swordsman by martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng
Alternate English title sequence for Buddha’s Palm, as Raiders of the Magic Palm
Theatrical trailers for both films

DISC NINE - BONUS FEATURES
High Definition (with standard-definition VHS inserts) presentation of the rare Korean version of Killer Constable with newly-translated English subtitles, featuring over half an hour of exclusive alternate footage never released outside South Korea before
Newly filmed appreciation of director Chor Yuen by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
Interview with stuntwoman Sharon Yeung on Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, filmed in 2005
Appreciation of Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan from 2003 by academic Sze Man-hung, musician Kwan King-chung, and filmmaker Clarence Fok (Naked Killer)
Interview with actor Ti Lung, recorded in 2004
Archive interviews with director Chor Yuen, actors Yuen Wah and Li Ching on The Magic Blade
Appreciation of Chor Yuen’s career by film historian Sam Ho, filmed in 2003
Interview with screenwriter Sze-to On on The Magic Blade, filmed in 2003
Interview with actor Ku Feng on The Avenging Eagle, filmed in 2004
Interview with actor Eddy Ko on The Avenging Eagle, filmed in 2004

DISC TEN - MORE MUSIC FROM SHAW BROTHERS CLASSICS (CD)

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