New on Blu-ray: SHAWSCOPE VOLUME TWO - 14-Movie Collection (1978-1993)

Product Description: Picking up where Volume One left off, this sophomore collection of Hong Kong cinema classics draws together many of the best films from the final years of the Shaw Brothers studio, proving that while the end was nigh, these merchants of martial arts mayhem weren’t going to go out without a fight! Armed with stunning special features and ravishing new restorations, this boxset is even bigger and bolder than the last one.

We begin with kung fu master Lau Kar-leung’s instant classic The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, in which his adoptive brother Gordon Liu achieved overnight stardom as the young man who unexpectedly finds spiritual enlightenment on the path to vengeance; Lau and Liu followed the original with two comically inventive sequels, Return to the 36th Chamber and Disciples of the 36th Chamber, both included here. Already established as a genius at blending dazzling action with physical comedy, Lau himself plays the lead role in the hilarious Mad Monkey Kung Fu, coupled here with Lo Mar’s underrated Five Superfighters. Next, we once again meet Chang Cheh’s basher boy band the Venom Mob in no less than four of their best-loved team-ups: Invincible Shaolin, The Kid with the Golden Arm, Magnificent Ruffians and culminating in the all-star Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, co-starring Ti Lung and Fu Sheng.

After Lau brings us perhaps his best high-kicking comedy with My Young Auntie, a playful star vehicle for his real-life muse Kara Hui, we see Shaw Brothers fully embracing Eighties excess in our strangest double feature yet: Wong Jing’s breathtakingly wild shoot-‘em-up Mercenaries from Hong Kong, and Kuei Chih-hung’s spectacularly unhinged black magic meltdown The Boxer’s Omen. Last but certainly not least, Lau Kar-leung directs the last major Shaw production, Martial Arts of Shaolin, filmed in mainland China with a hot new talent named Jet Li in the lead role; it is paired in this set with The Bare-Footed Kid, a reverent remake of a Chang Cheh classic with Johnnie To (Running Out of Time) in the director’s chair and Lau back on fight choreography duties, in arguably the ultimate filmed tribute to Shaws’ everlasting cinematic legacy.

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Director: Lau Kar-leung, Lo Mar, Chang Cheh, Wong Jing, Kuei Chih-hung

Starring: Gordon Liu, Jet Li, Hsiao Hou, Kara Hui, Ti Lung

Genre: Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror

Runtime: 1415 min

Rating: Not Rated

Language: Mandarin, Cantonese

Studio: Arrow

Home Video Release Date: December 6, 2022

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VIDEO

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Blu-ray

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Resolution: 1080p
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1, 2.39:1, 2.38:1, 2.36:1, 2.35:1, 1.87:1, 1.85:1
Region: Region A/1

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Dubbed:

Blu-ray: English

Audio Formats:

Blu-ray: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono

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Blu-ray: English SDH

SPECIAL FEATURES & EXTRAS

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High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all fourteen films, including nine new 2K restorations by Arrow Films
Illustrated 60-page collectors’ book featuring new writing by David Desser, Jonathan Clements, Lovely Jon and David West, plus cast and crew listings and notes on each film by Simon Abrams
New artwork by Mike Lee-Graham, Chris Malbon, Kagan McLeod, Colin Murdoch, “Kung Fu” Bob O’Brien, Lucas Peverill, Ilan Sheady, Tony Stella, Darren Wheeling and Jolyon Yates
Hours of never-before-seen bonus features including several cast and crew interviews from the Frédéric Ambroisine Video Archive
Two CDs of music from the De Wolfe Music library as heard in several of the films, exclusive to this collection
DISC ONE – THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN
Brand new 4K restoration by Celestial Pictures and L’Immagine Ritrovata
Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin, Cantonese and English original mono audio
Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
Brand new feature commentary by critic Travis Crawford
Brand new select-scene commentary by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
Interview with star Gordon Liu, filmed in 2003
Interview with cinematographer Arthur Wong, filmed in 2006
Shaolin: Birthplace of a Hero and Elegant Trails, two archive featurettes with Gordon Liu produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003
Tiger Style: The Musical Impact of Martial Arts Cinema, a newly filmed overview of Shaw Brothers’ influence on hip hop and other music genres, featuring music historian Lovely Jon
Cinema Hong Kong: Swordfighting, the second instalment in a three-part documentary produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003 and featuring interviews with Gordon Liu, Lau Kar-leung, Cheng Pei-pei, John Woo, Sammo Hung, Kara Hui, David Chiang and others
Alternate opening credits from the American version titled Master Killer
Hong Kong and German theatrical trailers, plus US TV spot
Image gallery
DISC TWO – RETURN TO THE 36TH CHAMBER / DISCIPLES OF THE 36TH CHAMBER
Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Interview with star Gordon Liu, filmed in 2003
Citizen Shaw, a French TV documentary from 1980 directed by Maurice Frydland, in which Sir Run Run Shaw gives an all-access tour of the Shaw Brothers backlot (including behind-the-scenes footage from Return to the 36th Chamber), remastered in high definition
Hero on the Scaffolding, an archive featurette produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003
Alternate opening credits sequences for both films
Hong Kong theatrical trailers for both films
Image galleries for both films
DISC THREE – MAD MONKEY KUNG FU / FIVE SUPERFIGHTERS
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono for both films
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Brand new commentary for Mad Monkey Kung Fu by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng and Michael Worth
Newly filmed appreciation of Mad Monkey Kung Fu by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
Interview with actor Hsiao Hou, filmed in 2004
Shaw in the USA, a brand new featurette on how Shaw Brothers broke America featuring Grady Hendrix and Chris Poggiali, authors of These Fists Break Bricks
Hong Kong and US theatrical trailers for Mad Monkey Kung Fu
Hong Kong theatrical trailer and UK VHS promo for Five Superfighters
Image galleries for both films
DISC FOUR – INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN / THE KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films, plus Cantonese mono for Invincible Shaolin
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Interview with action director Robert Tai, filmed in 2003
Poison Clan Rocks The World, a brand new visual essay on the Venom Mob written and narrated by author Terrence J. Brady
Alternate "continuity" cut of The Kid With The Golden Arm, presented via seamless branching
Alternate and textless title sequences for The Kid with the Golden Arm
Hong Kong theatrical trailer for Invincible Shaolin
Hong Kong theatrical trailer (audio only) and US TV spot for The Kid with the Golden Arm
Image galleries for both films
DISC FIVE – MAGNIFICENT RUFFIANS / TEN TIGERS OF KWANGTUNG
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films, plus Cantonese mono for Ten Tigers of Kwangtung
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Brand new audio commentary on Ten Tigers of Kwangtung by filmmaker Brandon Bentley
Interview with star Chin Siu-ho, filmed in 2003
Rivers and Lakes, a brand new video essay on Shaw Brothers’ depiction of Chinese myth and history, written and narrated by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of China
Hong Kong (audio only) and German theatrical trailers for Magnificent Ruffians
Hong Kong trailers (Mandarin and Cantonese audio options) and US TV spot for Ten Tigers of Kwangtung
Image galleries for both films
DISC SIX – MY YOUNG AUNTIE
Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio
Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
Brand new select-scene commentary by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
Interview with star Kara Hui, filmed in 2003
Cinema Hong Kong: The Beauties of the Shaw Studios, the final instalment in the three-part documentary produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003
Alternate standard-definition VHS version
Hong Kong theatrical trailer
Image gallery
DISC SEVEN – MERCENARIES FROM HONG KONG / THE BOXER'S OMEN
Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films
Uncompressed Cantonese and Mandarin original mono audio for both films plus English mono for Mercenaries from Hong Kong
Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub
Brand new commentary on The Boxer’s Omen by critic Travis Crawford
Newly filmed appreciation of filmmaker Kuei Chih-hung by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
Additional footage from Mandarin VHS version of The Boxer's Omen
Interview with Mercenaries from Hong Kong action director Tong Kai, filmed in 2009
Hong Kong theatrical trailers for both films
Image galleries for both films
DISC EIGHT – MARTIAL ARTS OF SHAOLIN / THE BARE-FOOTED KID
Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films
Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
Brand new commentary on Martial Arts of Shaolin by Jonathan Clements
Brand new commentary on The Bare-Footed Kid by Frank Djeng of the NY Asian Film Festival
Newly filmed appreciations of both films by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
Interview with Martial Arts of Shaolin screenwriter Sze Yeung-ping, filmed in 2004
Alternate standard-definition version of Martial Arts of Shaolin
Hong Kong and Japanese theatrical trailers for Martial Arts of Shaolin, plus trailers for the preceding Shaolin Temple films starring Jet Li
Hong Kong theatrical trailer and UK VHS promo for The Bare-Footed Kid
Image galleries for both films
DISC NINE – MUSIC FROM THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, FIVE SUPERFIGHTERS, INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN AND THE KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (CD)
DISC TEN – MUSIC FROM RETURN TO THE 36TH CHAMBER, MAGNIFICENT RUFFIANS, TEN TIGERS OF KWANGTUNG, MY YOUNG AUNTIE, MERCENARIES FROM HONG KONG AND DISCIPLES OF THE 36TH CHAMBER (CD)

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Recent DVD/Blu-ray Releases :

Friday, December 9, 2022

New on Blu-ray: SHAWSCOPE VOLUME TWO - 14-Movie Collection (1978-1993)

MOVIE DETAILS

AVAILABLE FORMATS (click links to order from Amazon):

VIDEO

AUDIO

SUBTITLES

SPECIAL FEATURES & EXTRAS

TRAILER AND CLIPS

PICTURES

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