Distinguished by his penchant for bloodshed and a thematic concentration on the bonds of brotherhood and masculine sacrifice, Chang Cheh is one of the most prolific and accomplished directors ever to emerge from the Hong Kong film industry. Often hailed as the "Godfather of Hong Kong cinema," he enjoyed a career spanning six decades and worked in a multitude of genres, from Chinese opera to kung fu films via wuxia pian, historical epics and tales of the supernatural. Presented here are ten films that reveal the range and versatility of Chang's career as a filmmaker. Traditional wuxia pian is represented by King Eagle, Trail of the Broken Blade and Wandering Swordsman; choreographed by Lau Kar-leung, Men from the Monastery and Shaolin Martial Arts are both drawn from Chang's Shaolin cycle, included here alongside New Shaolin Boxers; Iron Bodyguard, released at the dawn of the kung fu era, is representative of changing trends in Hong Kong cinema; and some of Chang's more esoteric work is represented by the opera film The Fantastic Magic Baby and the supernatural fantasy The Weird Man. Also included is the anthology film Trilogy of Swordsmanship, to which Chang contributed a segment alongside his contemporaries Yueh Feng and Cheng Kang. All produced during Chang Cheh's tenure at Shaw Brothers, these ten films are a testament to the director's distinct aesthetic style and his recurring thematic preoccupations. Eureka Classics is proud to present this selection of Chang's work for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK.
- Region Code:
- Region A,B
- Duration:
- 1013 minutes
- Original Language:
- Mandarin
- Extras:
- Language(s): Mandarin, English dubs: 'Men from the Monastery', 'Shaolin Martial Arts', 'Iron Bodyguard', 'The Weird Man', 'Trail of the Broken Blade', 'New Shaolin Boxers', Subtitles: English, Interactive Menu, Screen ratio 1 - 2.35:1, Booklet, Commentary: 'Men from the Monastery'/'The Trail of the Broken Blade'/'The Weird Man': David West (critic); 'King Eagle'/'The Wandering Swordsman'/'Trilogy of Swordsmanship'/'The Fantastic Magic Baby': Mike Leeder and Arne Venema (action cinema experts); 'Shaolin Martial Arts'/'Iron Bodyguard'/'New Shaolin Boxers': Frank Djeng (East Asian film expert) and Michael Worth (martial artist/film-maker); 'The Fantastic Magic Baby': Frank Djeng., Interviews: Wayne Wong (Hong Kong cinema scholar)., Limited edition hardbound slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling; Two video essays by Jonathan Clements (author).
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