Now here’s some news to get excited about! Arrow Video has announced the release of a Limited Edition Blu-ray box set of films by the legendary Shaw brothers, Run Run and Runme, pioneers of revolutionary Hong Kong action films of the 1970s.
This inaugural collection – Shawscope Volume One – by Arrow Video, presents twelve jewels from the Shaw crown, kicking of with the trailblazing kung-fu classic King Boxer, aka Five Fingers of Death; the blood-soaked brutality of The Boxer from Shantung; Five Shaolin Masters and its prequel Shaolin Temple; one of the most insanely unmissable monster movies of all time, Mighty Peking Man; and unsurpassed action epics Challenge of the Masters, Executioners from Shaolin, Chinatown Kid, The Five Venoms, and Crippled Avengers; as well as the jaw-dropping, high-kicking masterworks Heroes of the East and Dirty Ho.
From kickass kung fu killers to crazy kaiju knockoffs to culture clash comedies, this carefully curated and gorgeously presented selection of all-time Shaw Brothers classics is both an ideal starting point for newcomers and a treat for hardcore fans alike. Featuring brand new restorations, a host of special new extras and a 60 page book, this is not your usual run of the mill collection – make Shaw you don’t miss it!
The collection kicks off in 1972 with Korean director Jeong Chang-hwa’s King Boxer, the film that established kung fu cinema as an international box office powerhouse when it hit Stateside cinemas under the title Five Fingers of Death. From there we see Chang Cheh (arguably Shaw’s most prolific director) helm the blood-soaked brutality of The Boxer from Shantung and two self-produced films in his ‘Shaolin Cycle’ series, Five Shaolin Masters and its prequel Shaolin Temple, before taking a detour into Ho Meng Hua’s King Kong-inspired Mighty Peking Man, one of the most unmissably insane giant monster films ever made. Chang’s action choreographer Lau Kar-leung then becomes a director in his own right, propelling his adoptive brother Gordon Liu to stardom in Challenge of the Masters and Executioners from Shaolin. Not to be outdone, Chang introduces some of Shaw’s most famous faces to the screen, including Alexander Fu Sheng fighting on the streets of San Francisco in Chinatown Kid and, of course, the mighty Venom Mob in The Five Venoms and Crippled Avengers. Finally, Lau and Liu successfully meld high kicks with humor in two of their masterworks, Heroes of the East and Dirty Ho, both co-starring fan favourite Hsiao Hou.
LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY COLLECTION CONTENTS
? High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of King Boxer, The Boxer from Shantung, Five Shaolin Masters, Shaolin Temple, Mighty Peking Man, Challenge of the Masters, Executioners from Shaolin, Chinatown Kid, The Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers, Heroes of the East and Dirty Ho
? Brand new 2K restorations by Arrow Films from the original camera negatives of King Boxer, The Boxer from Shantung, Challenge of the Masters, The Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers and Dirty Ho
? Brand new 2K master of the longer international cut of Chinatown Kid from original film elements
? Original uncompressed Mandarin, Cantonese (where applicable) and English mono audio
? Newly translated English subtitles for each film
? Hours of bonus features including brand new commentaries and critic appreciations on selected films, new and archive interviews with cast and crew, alternate credit sequences, trailer and image galleries for each film and more to be announced!
? 60 page book featuring new writing by David Desser, Simon Abrams and Terrence J. Brady, with cast and crew info for each film plus trivia and soundtrack info
? New artwork for each film by artists including Matthew Griffin, Chris Malbon, Jacob Phillips, Ilan Sheady, Tony Stella, Darren Wheeling and Jolyon Yates
Retail Price: £149.99/18 certificate/1272 mins/Lang: Mandarin, Cantonese, English/English subs/Colour/8 discs
You can pre-order the limited edition SHAWSCOPE VOLUME ONE boxset now from Zavvi, Amazon, HMV and on Arrow’s website with the set due for release on 6th December 2021.
COMING IN 2022…
SHAWSCOPE VOLUME TWO, AND MORE!
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