Shaw Brothers Classics
Vol. 1-3 Collections
review by Bobby Blakey
I love all things martial arts and grew up with the iconic Kung-Fu Theater on TV that often times featured films from The Shaw Brothers. Fans of the famed movie studio will no doubt lose their minds for the all-new Shaw Brothers Classics Collections from Shout Factory.
For those that don’t know, the studio officially originated in 1958 as the successor to the Tianyi Film Company. Under the leadership of Run Run Shaw, the company popularized kung fu films and launched many careers of some of Hong Kong's biggest stars. The studio's films have had a lasting impact, going on to influence the likes of Quentin Tarantino and the Wu-Tang Clan. Shout Factory looks to shine a much-deserved light on the Godfathers of Hong Kong Cinema with 3 massive collections.
All of these collections are awesome, offering up some classic films from their archive. While not every film is great they all have one thing in common and that is the perfection of the martial arts action. Every one of these films bring the
expected Kung Fu spectacle that more than makes up for some of the weaker stories.
All of these films have been out in the world since the late sixties so there have been a plethora of reviews of them all at some point. Being a martial artist myself these movies have been apart of my life for as long as I can remember and all resonate in some way. Sure there are cheesy elements to some of them, but the continuous attention to detail in the look and feel of the periods along with the intricacies of the fighting is like nothing else.
Most of the fighting across the entire filmography of the Shaw Brothers brand were not the same high intensity of today’s films, but the balance and grace are amazing. There is a beauty to these sequences and grace that is often lost these days
with each fight sequence like a beautiful yet violent dance to perfection. I love every moment of the them these collections are amazing.
Shaw Brothers Classics Vol. 1 brings together 11 films from the filmography of the biggest studio to ever do it including The Flying Dagger, The Golden Sword, The Invincible Fist, Dragon Swamp, The Sword of Swords, Killer Dart, The Jade Raksha,
The Bells of Death, The Thundering Sword, The Golden Swallow and The Assassin.
Volume 2 offers up one of my personal favorites The Flying Guillotine, The Dragon Missile, The Bride From Hell, Heroes Two, Man of Iron, The Water Margin, The Delightful Forest, The Devil’s Mirror, The Crimson Charm, The Shadow Whip, Lady of Steel and Brothers Five.
Volume 3 brings more classics including Shaolin Abbot, Shaolin Resuers, The Deadly Breaking Sword, Can of the White Lotus, Life Gamble, Soul of the Sword, The Vengeful Beauty, Death Duel (another favorite), The Shaolin Avengers, The web of Death and Killer Clans.
All of these sets offer up both old and new bonus content including new commentaries trailers, interviews, featurettes and so much more. As cool as these sets are it’s the films that are the true gems. Some of them are obviously stronger than others, but every single one of these films stands the test of time and sit on a
pedestal as some of the greatest martial arts films of all time, from the greatest production company to ever to it. The Shaw Brothers.
For more information or to grab your copies of all three of these volumes, available now, head over to www.shoutfactory.com