Yue Wong
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
There have been many kung-fu movies set in the famed Shaolin Temple, but none have captured the monastery’s martial arts world quite like "The 36th Chamber Of Shaolin". Liu Chia-liang, a legendary director of the genre, made a star of his brother Gordon Liu Chia-hui in this look at anti-Ching Dynasty rebels and their revolt against the Manchus. Gordon Liu Chia-hui attains the ultimate knowledge of kung-fu by arduously mastering one chamber after another, eventually reaching the fabled 36th chamber. Armed with this knowledge, the monks engage in some of the most exciting battles ever staged in the history of martial arts movies. The film was Shaw Brothers’ number one hit of 1978, and won the Best Martial Arts Award at the 24th Asian Film Festival.
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Dirty Ho
Master martial arts moviemaker Liu Chia-liang wanted to make a movie about Chinese royalty’s relation to the common people. He accomplished it with one of the greatest kung-fu adventures ever made, incorporating at least three of the most brilliantly conceived and executed fight sequences ever caught on film. Wang Yu is the streetwise title character while the director’s adopted brother, Gordon Liu Chia-hui, plays an incognito prince who uses Ho as a dupe to try avoiding court intrigue. But any description of the plot cannot communicate the beauty and ingeniousness of Liu’s invention and vision. Combining laughs and thrills, the monumental director adds to his legend with a film that only gets more impressive with each successive viewing.
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Executioners From Shaolin
Film lovers and critics went out of their way to praise this Liu Chia-liang version of the Shaolin destruction and revenge epic. Many called it the preeminent kung-fu director’s best and certainly his greatest on the theme of history, martial arts, and family. Little wonder, since, beyond the Shaolin story, it also shows how Liu’s own family style of kung-fu, Hung Fist, was created. There are unforgettable sequences throughout, highlighted by Hung Hsi-kuan (the mighty Chen Kuan-tai) and Fang Yung-chun’s (the wonderful Lily Li) wedding night … where the lovers inexorably test their Tiger and Crane kung-fu styles in a symbolic treatment of a couple’s power struggles. Almost equally unforgettable are the training sequences and a full three titanic confrontations with the White-Browed Hermit (the impressive Lo Lieh), betrayer of the Temple. The critics were right: Liu has out-done himself…as usual!
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Challenge of the Masters
Unarguably the greatest character in kung-fu film history is Huang Fei-hong. Arguably the greatest director of pure kung-fu films is Liu Chia-liang. Putting the two together was natural, since Liu started his career working on the classic Huang, and his family was trained by students of the real Huang Fei-hong! So after his first film as director, "The Spiritual Boxer", was a huge hit, Liu decided to make the greatest tale of Huang and his “sifu” (teacher) ever filmed. He made a star of his adoptive brother, Gordon Liu Chia-hui, in the leading role, and filled the cast with family members, friends, students, and the best Shaw Brothers had to offer. He even played the villain himself. The result was more Liu magic, with an honorable message of righteousness that rings true through the decades.
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Kid from Kwangtung
A young rascal caught between an anti-Ching Confederation and violent, vengeful Ching troops. But when he discovers that the good guys are led by master martial, Jen Shih-kuan and the bad guys are led by the incredible Huang Cheng-li.
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Lion vs. Lion
It captures the most impressive sequences of lion dancing on film. Besides being loaded with enjoyable martial arts chicanery, film historians can revel because it's also the first film that clearly demonstrates the intricacies and differences between the traditional Northern and Southern lion dancing techniques. In this film, "Five Venoms" star Lo Mang, who was discovered by Chang Cheh, teams up with Liu Chia-liang protege Wong Yu, as they inadvertently turn from vagabond kung-fu school operators into anti-Ching, patriotic fighters.
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The Kung-fu Instructor
"The Kung-fu Instructor" is martial arts film director Sun Chung's loose homage to Akira Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" where unlike Toshiro Mifune's "Sanjuro" character being a snarling, bastard, drunk swordsman looking for a drink, popular actor Ti Lung's Huang Yang role, is an upright, righteous, weapon instructor looking to keep his limbs. Huang is a famous martial artist trapped into teaching kung-fu to the wrong clan while the opposing "good" clan tries to save him so he can instruct their members. Besides kung-fu comedienne Wang Yu starring in one of his few serious roles, Sun became the first Shaw Brothers’ director to use a Steadicam which gives the film's action and editing style a unique brand of tension and rhythm. The pole fights are also out of this world.
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The Shadow Boxing
When reputable fight choreographer Liu Chia-Liang debuted as a director with The Spiritual Boxer, it not only established him as a superb director, but it also encouraged other martial arts instructors to turn to directing. Plus, it was the first film to introduce comedy into kung-fu so it made sense for Liu to return to that foundation with the same bumbling idiot Wang Yu still not quite getting it when it comes to the affair of ghost control in The Shadow Boxing. Liu also brings in both of his brothers Liu Chia-Yung and Liu Chia-Hui, which guaranteed that the fights would be an extra notch above magnificent, further ensuring that the audience had never seen anything like it before. The Shadow Boxing was twice as successful as The Spiritual Boxer.
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Rendezvous with Death
This tale of a swordsman’s treacherous journey is considered one of director Sun Chung’s very best martial arts movies. It’s not so much the plot that makes it great, but what Sun does with it, inspiring the cast and crew to create some of their finest work.
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Wits of the Brats
International favorite Alexander Fu Sheng both co-directs and co-stars with his brother Chang Chan-peng in an all-out, all-star, non-stop action comedy. It also features legendary director Liu Chia-liang’s brother, Liu Chia-yung (a famous director in his own right).
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The Proud Youth
Sun Chung started exploring the kung-fu genre with this fascinating tale which mixes music and martial arts. It’s a tale of conflicting clans and a mysterious song called 'The Proud One' which leads to slowly blossoming love as well as sudden death.
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The Spiritual Boxer
A con artist uses Kung Fu to swindle villagers for money by pretending to be possessed by angry gods. However, when the villagers are later threatened by bandits he must use the same skills for good.
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