Just as the kung fu film seemed to be losing steam as the 1970s came to a close, a new generation of martial arts stars rose to the top of Hong Kong cinema. Amongst them were Yuen Biao, Jackie Chan and the irrepressible Sammo Hung, who found fame as the director and star of The Iron-Fisted Monk, The Magnificent Butcher and Encounter of the Spooky Kind. Presented here are three films spanning Hung's career, from a supporting role in The Manchu Boxer to stardom in Paper Marriage and Shanghai, Shanghai. In Wu Ma's The Manchu Boxer, Hung (who doubles up as the film's fight choreographer) plays the villainous foil to a roaming martial artist who enters a boxing tournament to defeat a gang of bandits. Then, in the action comedy Paper Marriage, Hung stars as a down-on-his-luck Chinese boxer living in the United States who is paid to marry an immigrant from Hong Kong (Maggie Cheung). She wants to gain American citizenship, but he just wants to keep the loan sharks off his back. Finally, in Shanghai, Shanghai, a young man (Yuen Biao) goes looking for his brother, a police officer, in the big city - and also finds himself embroiled with a ruthless gangster played by Hung. From traditional kung fu to romantic comedy to a tale of cops and crooks with shades of the "heroic bloodshed" films so popular in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Manchu Boxer, Paper Marriage and Shanghai, Shanghai exhibit Sammo Hung's enormous range and chart his rise from supporting player to top-billed star. Eureka Classics is proud to present all three films for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK.
- Region Code:
- Region A,B
- Duration:
- 277 minutes
- Original Language:
- Cantonese
- Extras:
- Language(s): Cantonese, English, Subtitles: English, Interactive Menu, Screen ratio 1 - 1.85:1, Screen ratio 2 - 2.35:1, Mono, Booklet, Bonus Footage, Commentary: 'The Manchu Boxer': Frank Djeng (East Asian cinema expert) and Michael Worth (martial artist/film-maker); 'Paper Marriage': Arne Venema and Dominie Ting (genre cinema experts); 'Shanghai, Shanghai': Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto (producer/writer)., Interviews: Alfred Cheung (director)., Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Sam Gilbey; Limited edition exclusive bonus disc featuring brand new 2K restorations of the extended international versions of 'The Manchu Boxer' and 'Shanghai, Shanghai'; 2K restorations of the original Hong Kong theatrical cuts of all three films., Trailers