I want to build my KF DVD collection.

Martial Media, Culture and Other Arts Martial Media and Popular Culture
1

Hello,

I am wanting a list of the top 10 classic era of the 70’s Chinese production Kung Fu Martial Arts movies, that are available in a quality DVD release in NTSC region 1 or 0 on an American DVD label, that is able to but at stores.

So, what’s a list of the top 10 Kung Fu Martial Arts movies of a Chinese Production of the classic 70’s era, that is available on DVD in a quality release, preferable WS if available in the USA? Please list year of the movie, notable star and /or director, producer, and the DVD label.

Thanks,
I want to build a quality collection and not just buy a bunch of cheap stuff and multi movie packs. I’m not a genre expert, so I’m not sure what to best look for, like directors, producers, stars, etc? I don’t know what US DVD labels are best for this genre. I just want to make a quality collection. I want to start with the 10 best of the 70’s. And then work at the 80’s.

The Chosen One

2

Here’s a few that I have: I recommend all of them.

  1. Snake and Crane arts of Shaolin: Jackie Chan before he got into comedy (My favorite Jacie Chan movie)
  2. Shaolin Master Killer: Gordon Liu
  3. Master of the Flying Guillotine: Classic martial arts tournament
  4. Drunken Master: Jackie Chan
  5. 5 Deadly Venoms: Another Classic

I forgot:
Enter the Dragon
Return of the Dragon
The Chinese Connection

3

Obviously I don’t know what’s available in US stores, but I’ll add
Hand of Death (1976) Tan Tao Liang, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Dir John Woo
Magnificient Butcher (1979) Sammo Hung, Kwan Tak Hing, Dir Yuen Woo Ping
Snake in Eagle’s Shadow (1978) Jackie Chan, Hwang Jang Lee, Dir Yuen Woo Ping

4

Find the 50 movie pack. I found it used for $7.99. Pretty good deal. And when you get it, the first ones you should watch are Shadow Ninja, Heroes of Shaolin, Shaolin Invincibles, and Chase Step By Step. There is also a movie where a 3 foot man stars in a Bond spoof.

Here is some of my favorite movies and the versions to get.

‘Legend of a Fighter’-Hong Kong Legends version is OK(region 3). Get this movie anyway you can. For region 1 or 0, you will only find bootlegs.

‘Seven Grandmasters’-Tokyo Shock

‘Shaolin vs. Lama’-get it anyway you can. I have this on VHS but I don’t think there are any really good versions.

‘36th Chamber of Shaolin’-wait for Dragon Dynasty to release this in April.

‘Chinese Super Ninjas’-Ground Zero or Red Sun. Bootlegs are the only way I know you can get this. Celestial WILL be remastering it though, some day.

‘Shanghai 13’-Bonzai or original Ocean Shores VHS. I don’t know if this will ever be remastered.

‘Young Master’-Fortune Star/Fox. Also, all of these Fortune Star Fox DVD’s are SUPER cheap. They all have good picture quality too.

‘Dirty Ho’- Red Sun version is remastered.

‘Shaolin Mantis’-Red Sun or Groundzero. I have not seen the Red Sun version so I cannot say if it is remastered.

‘Ninja in the Dragon’s Den’-Hong Kong Legends version is good. If you want it region 0 or 1 then get the Red Sun version.

‘Knockabout’-Fortune Star/Fox.

‘Rebellious Reign’-no widescreen version available ANYWHERE. Video Asia version is fine.

‘Chinese Connection’-get the Bruce Lee Collection from 20th Century Fox(it is sort of a thin blue case).

‘Shaolin Intruders’-wait for Image Entertainment to release this.

‘Killer Constable’-you can get this in a Brentoowd 10-pack under the title of Lightning Kung Fu, or you can get the uncut version from Red Sun.

5

Legend of a Fighter and Young Master are both eighties :rolleyes:

6

They are pretty similar to movies made in the 70’s:rolleyes:

7

Indeed they are. In fact Young Master is a watershed movie, in that it has elements of the classical seventies style flick and what would become the eighties style. Jackie drew on his experiences making films in the US to create a more fluid and realistic tempo for fight scenes.

8

Correct. The problem with that is Jackie came up with a new type of choreography in Police Story 1 and hasn’t changed it ever since. I liked it when action choreographers directed him. But, I guess Jackie did pretty well for himself over the years:p

And Kungpowmaster-let me know if you have any questions on any movies. I am always glad to help.

9

Last Hurrah For Chivalry (1978) Director: John Woo. Stars: Damien Lau, Wei Pai, Li Hai-Sheng, Feng Ke-Ahn, Chien Yueh-Sheng, etc. This one is an excellent combination of a wuxia swordplay-type film and a kung fu movie. My favorite Chinese swordsman film. Tai Seng release.

Warriors Two (1978) Director: Sammo Hung. Stars: Casanova Wong, Sammo Hung, Leung Ka-Yan, Feng Ke-Ahn, Li Hai-Sheng, “Tiger” Yang, Chien Yueh-Sheng. 20th-Century Fox DVD release. Watching the 20th-Century Fox kung fu releases, watching then in the original Cantonese-language version is best.

Iron-Fisted Monk (1977) Director: Sammo Hung. Stars: Sammo Hung, Chan Sing, Feng Ke-Ahn, Eric Tsang, Casanova Wong, Shek Tin, Wang Hsieh. 20th-Century Fox DVD release. Be aware, there is a rape scene in this film which some may find disturbing.

The Leg Fighter (1979) Director: Lee Tso-Nan. Stars: Hsia Kuang-Li, Tan Tao-Liang, Peng Kang, Sun Jung-Chi, Chin Lung, Wang Hsieh. Tai Seng release.

Struggle Through Death (1979) Director: Chang Hsin-Yi. Stars: John Liu, Wei Ping-Ao, Chin Lung. Pagoda Films.

Incredible Kung Fu Mission (1979) Director: Chang Hsin-Yi. Stars: John Liu, Chin Lung, Ting Hua-Chung, Alexander Lo Rei, Hsu Chung-Hsin (Alan Hsu), Robert Tai.
Pagoda Films.

Eagle’s Claw (1978) Director: Lee Tso-Nan. Stars: Chi Kuan-Chun, Wang Tao, Chang Yi. Tai Seng release.

Born Invincible (1978) Director: Joseph Kuo. Stars: Mark Long, Jack Long, Carter Wong, Lo Lieh, Alan Hsu, Yuan Hsin-Yi. The only version I’ve seen is unfortunately released by Xenon Group. This film is notable to me, because IMO it’s the one movie where Carter Wong puts in a good physical performance, and as the villain at that.

The Hot, The Cool, and the Vicious (1977) Director: Lee Tso-Nan. Stars: Tan Tao-Liang, Wang Tao, Tommy Lee. Tai Seng release.

The Descendant of Wing Chun (1978) Director: Wang Ha. Stars: Hsu Shao-Chiang (Norman Tsui), Huang Chin-Shen (Melvin Wong), Feng Ke-Ahn, Li Hai-Sheng. Tai Seng release. You might recognize some scenes of this movie being shown in Bulletproof Monk.

There’s lots more, but I’d have to pull everything out to check.

10

[QUOTE=Jimbo;742398]
The Descendant of Wing Chun (1978) Director: Wang Ha. Stars: Hsu Shao-Chiang (Norman Tsui), Huang Chin-Shen (Melvin Wong), Feng Ke-Ahn, Li Hai-Sheng. Tai Seng release. You might recognize some scenes of this movie being shown in Bulletproof Monk.
[/QUOTE]
Oooh, I have this one too. Excellent flick.

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Thank you all for your lists and recommendations, esp to Jimbo who was most specific to what I was looking for.

My current Martial Arts movie collection is mostly VHS I bought years ago, and some bargain DVDs I picked up for a dollar.

What I have right now is:

VHS:
The Sleeping Fist(Trans World). Good but too much pee.
Thundering Mantis(Trans World). Excellent, I thought.
The Victim(Tai Seng). Not bad, but that ending? Did he die or not? And I noticed some of the music in this was used in Kung Pow.

Is this bearded guy Sammo Hung? Is he the star of all 3 of these? I only have The Victim with me at hand. Anyway, I like him a lot.

VHS cont.
Eagle’s Claw(Tai Seng). Excellent. I just watched this and the above 3 recently.

Jackie Chan Movie Marathon 2 Tape Set(Simitar):

  1. Spiritual Kung Fu.
  2. Snake & Crane Arts of Shaolin.
  3. Fearless Hyena.
  4. Fearless Hyena II.
    I haven’t seen these in years, I need to rewatch them, I don’t remember them at all, I may not have even watched them.

Shaolin 2 Tape Set(Simitar):

  1. Shaolin Deadly Kicks(Tan-Tao Kiang).
  2. Killer of Snakes, Fox of Shaolin(Carter Wong).

Shaolin Masters 2 Tape Set(Simitar):

  1. Heroes of Shaolin(Chen Xing).
  2. The Four Shaolin Challengers(Bruce Leung).

Same with these as the Jackie Chan set. I’m gonna watch one movie a night.

On DVD:
Bruce Lee Double Feature(Disc Plaza, bargain $1.)
Fist of Fury and Chinese Connection.
These are in widescreen, not excellent shape, but seem uncut as nudity is in it.

Jackie Chan Double Feature(Disc Plaza, bargain $1.)
The Young Master and New Fists of Fury.
These also are in widescreen, Young Master looks good, the other movie’s picture looks almost unwatchable it’s so bad. I haven’t watched these yet.

Martial Arts Action Pack(Hanover House, bargain $1.)

  1. Fist of Fear, Touch of Death.
  2. Screaming Ninja.
  3. Rage of the Master.
  4. Snake Crane Secret.

I think I’ve watched some of these but I don’t remember what.

Also I was looking on Amazon at the bargain sets and I bought a few,

Martial Arts Masters(St. Clair Vision).
Fists of Fire, Sword of Death(Brentwood).
Legends of Kung Fu(Brentwood).

They were cheap, and I only had 2 of the movies already, though with these sets one can have duplicate movies if you have more than one.

Chosen One

12

Hey Jimbo-Descendant of Wing CHun, is that the one with Lee Hoi San as this villain who gets broken out of jail? I think there was a fat guy who got taught by an old master. i really can’t remember, but I hated that movie. Not as muvh as Struggle Through Death though. Maybe we are not thinking of the same movies but we will haev to disagree. Struggle Through Death though, I would have to put that as CHin LUng’s worst movie. John Liu is the only thing that made me sit through the whole thing.

Also, Eagle’s Claw is OK, but I would also add Challenge of death. Another great Lee Tso Nan movie right on par with The Hot, the Cool, the Vicious. And then to see Tommy Lee’s best performance, check out Seven Steps of Kung Fu.

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Jethro:
I should have said Struggle Through Death because of John Liu. Mostly I picked it because it’s a '70s film, and the version put out by Pagoda is very well-mastered. The majority of the movie seemed to be inspired by Roots, where Kunta Kinte tries to escape and gets his leg broken. John Liu doesn’t get to show a lot, but what he shows is nicely done.

Yep, I guess we disagree on Descendent of Wing Chun. I do like the movie, not one of my top ten, however. We do agree about Challenge of Death; I esp. like the Chang Yi character in that as the spider master.

Kungpowmaster:
Glad to help. Keep in mind I didn’t list very many because not many of my favorites had been released in real high-quality remaster. Although it’s not a '70s film, today I splurged and got Instructors of Death (actual title, Martial Club). This is put out by Red Sun, and is nicely re-mastered. Directed by Liu Chia-Liang (Lau Kar-Leung). Stars Gordon Liu, Wang Lung-Wei, Wei Ying-Hung (Karina Wai), Mai Te-Lao, Chu Tieh-Ho, Ku Feng, Tang Wei-Cheng, Hsiao Hou. 1981 Shaw Brothers production. One of the best, but beware: This movie is only for kung-fu fanatics. Non-kung fu people will probably hate it, as it’s a PURE Chinese martial arts movie, dealing a lot with martial etiquette and stylistic variations. As always with Lau Kar-Leung’s movies, a lot of complex hand/stance patterns and weapons fights; the final north/south alley fight is worth the cost of the DVD. One of my top five.

As far as Kung Pow using music from The Victim, I haven’t seen Kung Pow in a long time so don’t remember. However, as you know, kung fu movies tended to use the same music bits in the same periods. They often also stole music from Spaghetti Westerns, American and Japanese movies, too. For example, movies filmed in 1977-1979 often swiped the similar bits of music; same with other years/periods. Shaw Brothers movies had their own soundtrack music that seemed distinctive to their own movies.

As far as The Victim, the bearded guy is Leung Kar-Yan (Liang Chia-Jen). Sammo Hung is the fat guy. And I don’t know what the ending meant, either, because Leung is kneeling at 2 graves. Probably just wanted to mess with the audience’s mind. Sammo ended at least two other movies oddly; in Warriors Two, it ends with a freeze-frame of him tripping Casanova Wong, and Knockabout ends kind of similarly.

Besides Celestial Pictures, Red Sun is now releasing lots of old-school Shaw Brothers movies.

14

Just so you know, when a DVD is put out by Red Sun and it is remastered, that means they stole the print from Celestial. Buying their DVD’s helps to make it so we will never see legitimate releases. I couldn’t believe it when I went to Sun Coast Movies and saw they got abotu 50 Red Sun titles in. And since they are all region and very cheap, they are a decent deal. It was pretty disturbing to see Red SUn’s 7 Blows of the Dragon and Image’s Water Margin sitting on the same shelf. Just remember that buying their DVD’s really ruins things for fans of these movies.

Also, burn the Red Sun DVD’s very quickly. They are pieces of crap and break down within a month on most DVD players.

15

Hmmm…thanks for the heads-up, Jethro. I was not aware of that.

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Just an FYI. I used to give them tons of money.

Look for Wang Yu’s ‘The Sword’ to come out soon from crash Cinema. I don’t know if you are into old school swordplays but Fusian has a ton of good movies coming out including Joseph Kuo’s King of Kings which I have heard is very good. Dragon Dynasty will be coming out with Shaw titles in the next month or 2 so that way you know there will be an English dub. My Young Auntie, One Armed Swordsman, 36th Chamber, and King Boxer are the first that will come out. And then you have Image which has AWESOME picture quality. So keep in mind, there is plenty of stuff to check out if you can’t wait for the classic Shaws to come on DVD. On top of all the problems Red Sun DVD’s have, and there are too many to name, the picture quality isn’t near as sharp if you compare it to the IVL DVD’s or Image.

Red Sun/Bonzai/Panmedia=same company
Probably a few other names as well. There are many bootleg companies. Xenon, GZ, Video Asia… But Red Sun goes out of their way to ruin legitimate releases by being completely heartless.

17

My Young Auntie has a lot of great kung fu, esp. by Lau Kar-Leung. There is a lot of stupid comedy stuff due to the period it was filmed in (1981), but it’s still a very good one.

I’m still waiting for someone to release Heroes Two, Shaolin Martial Arts, etc.

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Heroes 2 you can get the IVL region 3 version which has Mandarin dub, or you can settle for the Red Sun English dub.

They are going to bring out the most popular movies first like Human Lanterns and 36th Chamber, but they should get to all of our favorites.

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Jethro:
Things are lookin’ up. I’ve been waiting for decades for Shaws to release a lot of these films. I’ll wait for the regular release of Heroes Two.

I remember Human Lanterns from a long time ago. I was always a bit surprised at how popular it was, though it had Lo Lieh in a pretty good role.

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Very good news on Human Lanterns. i have heard image will have the most uncut version yet. i can’t wait to see that movie.