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It’s a Retro Kickass Wuxia A Go-Go with Shaw Brothers Classics Volumes 2 & 3 in Review.

Ed Sum
Shaw Brothers Classics Vol 4 Box
Volume 4 available to preorder on Amazon USA

The Shaw Brothers Studios are well known for being able to pump out kung fu movies faster than I can say Hi-Yah! And early this year, Shout! Studios has been releasing the best of them to celebrate this company’s legacy! Although their founding and 100th anniversary is two years away, I’m glad fans worldwide are getting something to whet appetites sooner than later. There are three volumes of the Shaw Brothers Classics one can now buy, and with a fourth along the way, I definitely want to own them all!

I’m liking this release over Shawscope, an unwieldy set which I think is tough to store because it’s a book! What the cube offers can easily be filed side by side with regular blu-rays on the shelf. The main reason I’m excited for this set is because of the new material that’s included–audio commentaries and short documentaries–do a great job to explain why that selected film or performer matters! Also, for a few titles, an English and Cantonese dub is also offered.

As for the packaging, not only do we get reproductions of the original posters in the case, but also, I’m not as concerned whether the films are using past remasters or this American side distributor has done further work.

And when this distributor sent me volumes two and three–at my request–to look at, my Christmas is made! Depending on where they are ordered from, these volumes are reasonably priced. And after checking out a small batch of these classic films, I’m definitely wanting to buy the next one, which is coming out this week! I grew up watching their films as they became available at my local video rental store in Chinatown; sure, they were bootlegs, what wasn’t back then? While they weren’t subtitled, I made do with what I could understand and simply marvel at what is–the choreography and trampoline stunts that defined a good bulk of their wuxia movies.

On the list of this studio’s best-known works, there’s The Magnificent Concubine, The Love Eterne, and One-Armed Swordsman. They showed off the prowess and charm that The Venom Mob is famous for; before Bruce Lee, there was Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng, Philip Kwok, Sun Chien, Lo Mang, and Wai Pak. Back then, Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung were background actors, and they didn’t rise into prominence until much later. Apparently, they had bit parts when the Peking Opera School was hired to be part of the Shaw Brothers’ studio system. Now that I have this collection, I’m going to try to spot them!

In what I’ve watched so far in this collection of Shaw Brothers Classics, the restoration of these films is spotless. There’s barely a rainbow line that’s typical for the VHS releases. There’s the odd soft degradation in random moments, but the digital noise reduction work is overall very good. The fact most of these works are nearly spotless speaks volumes. 

Volume 2 available to preorder on Amazon USA

In the first release, the best works from the mid 60s up to 1970 are offered. And the next two are dedicated to everything from the 70s! The fourth is focussed on the 80s. Readers wanting a list can find it on page 2 of this ultra-review.

Although I doubt a fifth will be put together, that’s because the studio came to a full stop by 1988. In the book China Forever: The Shaw Brothers and Diasporic Cinema, (Amazon link) author Lily Kong wrote, “[The] Video piracy of the mid-1980s forced further strategies and reorganisation. By 1988, they reorganised the company under the umbrella of the Shaw Organisation PTE. Ltd …. It has nevertheless not abandoned its film business; today, Shaw is the leading distributor of worldwide independent films in Singapore.”

To find out where they exist in today’s market will be explored in volume four. But to know their history, one should either pick up this book or simply own every volume. Since I like to listen to lectures to get my education, the material is easier to digest. While what’s presented on disc doesn’t compress a semester’s worth of study, sometimes all fans want is everything in a nutshell.

For example, in Shaw Brothers Classics, Volume One, we have, “From A Western Perspective – An Interview About The Transnational Appeal of The Shaw Brothers With Academic Leon Hunt, Author of Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee To Crouching Tiger (Amazon link)” to introduce newcomers to this world.

Volume 3 available to preorder on Amazon USA

In the third, there’s “An Iron Will – Meredith Lewis, Author of Ask For The Moon: Innovation At Shaw Brothers Studio, (Amazon link)” which I found to be an excellent look back at the rise and fall of this studio’s movies. This documentary packs a lot in the 77-minute run time!

And when my order of the fourth volume arrives, I’m looking forward to seeing what “A New Generation of Gore” is all about. This interview with author Leon Hunt of Kung Fu Cult Masters (Amazon link) fame is sure to be just as revealing.

Although I haven’t seen every film yet (I’ve viewed five so far) my favourites so far include Soul of the Sword and Lady of Steel. The former is a revenge type scenario about a nameless swordsman (Ti Lung) who wants to kill Lu Tien Kang (Ku Feng), the current King of Swords, because of an atrocious act this man did a long time ago. Also, the featurette, “The Soul of the Grindhouse” narrated by film critic Ric Meyers nicely explains how Hong Kong action cinema got embraced by Western audiences.

As for the latter, I found Ian Jane’s audio commentary about Cheng Pei-pei‘s rise to fame to be more than a love letter. He explained what she went through when working with this studio. Everything one would expect about rising stars and paparazzi applies in the Hong Kong world of cinema.

Also, not everyone is aware of who was the previous Queen of Kung Fu! While most people know Michelle Yeoh wears the crown today, back then, it was Pei-Pei! With this release, I learned something new, and I’m sure the other commentaries included shed light on the differences from movies made in Mainland China to that of Hong Kong; this subtext will have me definitely spending time with every disc!

With the Shaw Brothers Classics, it’s easy to see the evolution of how the studio likes to make their films. They used to produce strictly drama, but eventually moved away from it. With their later films, they ranged from being gory to semi-historical to humorous–and eventually turning into spaghetti westerns. I’m also betting the early movies style that Jackie Chan appeared in (but did not direct) were influenced by this studio. And as for what are my most favourite movies, a follow-up article will be written offering my top ten hits after I’ve seen them all!

Shaw Brothers Classics
The Love Eterne Original Trailer

Shaw Brothers Classics Set List

Volume One

Volume Two

Volume Three

Volume Four



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