Member DrNgor Posted February 24 Member Share Posted February 24 Spirit of the Raped (Hong Kong, 1976: Kuei Chih-Hung) - Lesser-known supernatural revenge horror from Shaw Brothers whose title is probably a little overstated. There is one attempted rape via aphrodesiac and a possible one alluded to via a throwaway line of dialog. On the the put-upon heroine, Liu Miaoli (Liu Wu-Chi, Legends of Lust and 14 Amazons), does get robbed quite a bit. I almost wonder if "raped" in this context was supposed to be "robbed," much like "rape" in Rape of the Sword was more akin to "theft." After all, the Latin root for "rape", "raptum," means "to snatch or grab." In any case, Spirit of the Robbed would make a little more sense. Anyway, Liu Miaoli has recently married Chen Liang (Lin Wei-Tu, The Master of Kung Fu and Legends of Lust). Unfortunately, while still on their honeymoon period, the bus they're taking is assaulted by three crooks: Tung Lin, Wong Yu and Wong Chung. Wong Chung stabs Chen Liang to death after the latter tries to hide his money, leaving Liu Miaoli a widow. She receives a lot of donations from friends, family and neighbors, but ends up getting swindled and (stealthily) strong-armed by a conman (Wang Hsieh). She then gets mugged by a pimp (Tin Ching, of The Delightful Forest and Intrigue in Nylons) in a complicated plot to force her into prostitution. Liu Miaoli manages to escape. By now, she's so traumatized by the wickedness of Man that she buys a red dress and jumps from a cliff to her death. According to Chinese legend, if a person commits suicide with red clothes, her vengeful ghost will return to haunt her enemies... And you better believe that all the miscreants will get what's coming to them. The conman is first, who starts suffering from hallucinations of gouged-out eyes and nightmares of something trying to dig his own eyes out. He ends up in a mental institution, but Liu Miaoli isn't done with him yet... Then she goes for the pimp and his girlfriend (Lau Wai-Ling, who played the Japanese clandestine doctor in The Oily Maniac). The latter's belly becomes swollen with green goo and her face is covered with boils. The former has a fatal date with a Bar Lizard. And then it's time for the robbers from the bus... Spirit of the Raped is an extremely cynical and misantropic little movie, arguably moreso than The Oily Maniac. This film is filled with some of the scummiest people this side of Jigoku. That all said, the main problem is that the movie doesn't really have a main character after the first third. The second and third acts are very episodic, each of them focusing on a different (set of) victim(s). You're obviously rooting for these people to meet their (much deserved) ends, but there's no suspense because nobody you care about is in danger. There is quite a bit of gore, which isn't the most realistic, but it's still better than the CGI nonsense of that recent Renfield movie. There are decapitations, possessed people lapping up slime, near-disembowelings, and even someone growing an entire head from a tumor on their neck (and this came out before The Manitou). The nudity is notably less than in most other Shaw horror films I've seen. As an exploitation movie and moral tale, it works. But as a movie that follows established storytelling norms, it leaves a bit to be desired. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted March 2 Member Share Posted March 2 Corpse Mania (Hong Kong, 1981: Kuei Chih-Hung) - A mysterious stranger moves into a large house in Guangzhou, accompanied by a female companion who appears to be sick. A few days later, the local busybodies start complaining of a horrible stench on the street. Finally, the smell becomes so awful that the police enter the house and find the rotting, maggot-filled corpse of a naked girl. An autopsy performed on the girl reveals that she had been violated after her death. So, there's a necrophiliac on the loose. Police Chief Zhang (Wang Yong) is in charge of the investigation. He learns of a similar case that happened in Foshan a few years before and heads there for more information. Upon meeting their chief constable, Chief Lu (Walter Tso), he learns the story of Li Zhengyuan (Eric Chan). Li was a mysterious heir to a lot of money and a reasonably constant visitor of the local bordello, ran by Madam Lan (Tanny Tien Ni). One day, Li offers to buy the liberty of one of the establishment's most popular girls, who appears to be losing a fight to tuberculosis. A few days later, the wine delivery boy, Lin Bin (Lau Siu-Kwan), sneaks into the Li Manor. There, he witnesses Zhengyuan having sexual relations with the corpse of his new bride. The authorities are informed and Li Zhengyuan is sent to an insane assylum. The case in Guangzhou bears all the hallmarks of the Foshan case, not to mention the fact that Li Zhengyuan had left the assylum just a few months earlier. A couple of days later, a policeman is murdered at the abandoned Li Estate. The constable's final words are "Li Zhengyuan." Moreover, the decaying body of another one of Madam Lan's prostitutes is discovered on premises. We also learn that the dead body in Guangzhou belonged to one of Madam Lan's girls as well. So, is Li Zhengyuan not only back, but with a vengeance this time around? Corpse Mania is something of a crime thriller/police procedural with horrific elements. There are a number of scenes where the camera focuses lovingly on the corpses of naked women, who are completely covered in maggots. The necrophilia is depicted in one scene, which involves Eric Chan massaging the dead body of a girl with a furry glove (I will never look at the massage scene in Thunderball the same again) and then thrusting on top of her (although filled close up enough that it isn't explicit). The second half has a series of brutal murders as the killer closes down on his intended victims as the police try to close down on him. It isn't as outright gory or salacious as most of Kuei Chih-Hung's other films, and has a few interesting twists at the end, too. Worth a view (if you have a strong stomach). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted March 4 Member Share Posted March 4 I watched The fake ghost catchers 1982 this evening for the first time. I had some laughs, and it's an entertaining movie, but I think that I prefer The treasure hunters with a similar kind of movie. Xiao Hou, Fu Sheng and and his brother did a very good job, and the fights are very good. With a dose of Wang Lung Wei on top of that, and you have an enjoyable movie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted March 6 Member Share Posted March 6 I just finished watching Vengeance of a snow girl 1971. I had forgotten how good this movie was, and I only remembered the last scene. What a great movie, great plot, beautiful scenery, good fights and several of my favorite actors/actresses here : my first favorite Yueh Hua, the beautiful Li Ching, Tien Feng, Ku Feng, Chang Chung, and, in an unusual bad girl character, my other favorite actress Chiao Chiao. The development of Li Ching's character and her relation with Yueh Hua is very well shown. Sammo is here too as one of Ku Feng's men, and Li Kun in a rare fighting role is here too. I recommend this movie to those who never had the luck to watch it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ChillyChong Posted March 7 Member Share Posted March 7 12 hours ago, ShawAngela said: I just finished watching Vengeance of a snow girl 1971. yes, it is superb one. One of my favs, been some years since saw it last time. Great story which goes tiny bit into fairytale direction but serves to not-so-happy-ending well. Wilson Tong is around too! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted March 7 Member Share Posted March 7 I just finished to watch Susanna 1967. I knew that it would be a very touching movie, so, I delayed watching it for years, but finally decided to watch it today. Well, as expected, I cried at the end... Li Ching, Zhang Yan, Chang Chung Wen and Kuan Shan are all great and perform their characters very well. There are three beautiful songs and the movie is full of emotion. There are still some movies that I think will make me cry and that I still haven't watched though I bought them many years ago, such as The story of my son and Rear Entrance. I'm not sure to be ready to watch them soon after this evening... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted March 10 Member Share Posted March 10 I just finished to watch Wits of the brats 1984. This is a nice comedy where Fu Sheng's brother is the main character. I laughed a lot at some scenes, and there are some good fight scenes, the main one being the ending fight with Wang Lung Wei against Chang Chan Peng, Wong Yue, Nat Chan and Lin Hui Huang. The scene between Wong Yue and Lee Hoi San is very funny. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted March 24 Member Share Posted March 24 Yesterday, I watched Four riders 1972. I enjoyed it as much as the first time I saw it. Chen Kuan Tai, Ti Lung, Wang Chung and David Chiang "pair" as well as in The savage five. David Chiang's fights were very good, and he made a very sweet pair with Lily Li. Yasuaki Kurata and Tina Chin Fei play the couple of villains working for the boss Andre Marquis. And Ching Li, once again, plays Chen Kuan Tai's love interest, but has a very short role here. The fights are very good, and, once again, I hated the ending, with the policemen who fires everywhere without even trying to get an explanation of what is going on, just because they saw a gun in Ti Lung's hand... What a stupid bunch, lead by Lu Ti, I I'm not mistaken. I spotted Fu Sheng and Fung Hak On in short roles, as well as Wang Kuan Yu as one of Yasuaki Kurata's men. Nice movie. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted March 24 Member Share Posted March 24 I just finished to watch New Shaolin Boxers 1976. Once again, I enjoyed it, and once again, I hated Fu SHeng's fate and Wang Lung Wei's treachery in their fight. I had forgotten that Shan Mao and Chen Hui Lou played in this movie, both as Fu Sheng's masters. I took a look at Shan Mao's filmography (yes, once again), and I was surprised to see that among the 122 movies he played in, there were only 13 Shaws' movies. And among his 120 movies, Chen Hui Lou only played in 4 Shaws' movies. Such great actors who should have in more movies from this studio in my opinion... I saw that Lu Feng, Ricky Chen TIen Chi and Chiang Sheng were also in this movie, but I didn't spotted them. I only recognized Kuo Chui and Wang Li in the movie. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ChillyChong Posted March 31 Member Share Posted March 31 On 3/24/2024 at 11:09 PM, ShawAngela said: I just finished to watch New Shaolin Boxers 1976. Good movie. I think ending fit to tone of movie perfectly and one can rarely expect bad guy fights fair. Not taking anything away from Fu Sheng but Shan Mao and Wang Lung Wei seems to be on different level, on their fight they move with such swiftness. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted April 5 Member Share Posted April 5 Kid with the golden arm 1979 An enjoyable movie, with the siw venoms and a lot of other great stars, in a story about an escort company and a robbed to be treasure destined to the victims of a flood. Very nice twists and great fights. Strangely, Lo Meng who is the title character doesn't have much to do in the movie, in my opinion. I wonder if the Chinese characters title is the same as in English. I only recognized the character for gold in it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted April 5 Member Share Posted April 5 Chinatown kid long version 1977 Each time I watch this movie, I enjoy it more and more. This time, I watched the 200mn version. Taking another of my numerous looks at hkmdb, I saw that Lee Ka Ting was one of the two fights choreographer. Great job! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted April 5 Member Share Posted April 5 14 amazons 1972 A great story about the Yangs heroines, with Ling Po wonderfully playing Mu Gui Ying. Another look at hkmdb, yes, again, and what do I discover after so many viewings?! That a lot of our favorite actors and actresses played in it. Just to name a few: Bruce Liang Michelle Yim Ko Hung Wang Kuan Yu, Chan Lau Addy Sung Hon Kwok Choi Henry Yu Yung Chang Li Fu Sheng Yuen Biao Wong Yuen San Chen Kuan Tai Pai Piao... Wow! I didn't even spotted them, and I can't count how many times I watched the movie!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted April 5 Member Share Posted April 5 The bells of death 1968 Chang Yi plays one of his righteous character's role, paired with Chin Ping in a non fighting role. Chao Xin Yen plays Chang Yi's sister. She looks so much like Chang Mei Yao that I thought it was this latter who played in the movie! The Spectrum release quality picture is very good, and there is a very interesting bonus by Frederic Ambroisine about Griffin Yueh Feng talked about by Paul Fonoroff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted April 5 Member Share Posted April 5 Portrait in crystal 1983 If I had already watched this movie, I didn't remember a single line of the plot! Well, it's a little bit strange one, but the fights and twists are good, especially the revelation of the mastermind behind the whole story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted April 5 Member Share Posted April 5 Portrait in crystal 1983 If I had already watched this movie, I didn't remember a single line of the plot! Well, it's a little bit strange one, but the fights and twists are good, especially the revelation of the mastermind behind the whole story. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted April 5 Member Share Posted April 5 Legend of the fox 1980 Another great movie and very good Spectrum release. As a bonus, there is a very interesting and recent interview of Chin Siu Ho. I hardly recognized him, except when he smiled! He talks about his career, his beginning at the Shaws' and about the movie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ChillyChong Posted April 6 Member Share Posted April 6 14 hours ago, ShawAngela said: Kid with the golden arm 1979 Strangely, Lo Meng who is the title character doesn't have much to do in the movie, in my opinion. You are right, never thought about that even as have seen movie "million" times. Fights wei pai(twice) and sun chien&kwok choy but that is all except blocks few axe chops on scene copper head is dying?Or am I forgetting something. It is likely false impression but feel Lu Feng had more to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member SDJ Posted April 6 Member Share Posted April 6 Still, that one has lots of fights for a Venoms movie (which sometimes only have about 10-13 minutes of action), so y'know. He only got two short fight scenes in their most well known flick before getting iron maiden'd, but he still left an impression there too. There's only so much anyone can shine with an ensemble focus. He's an interesting character in "Kid...," more of a lawful evil anti-villain type character than a bad guy. Sparing Wei Pai's girlfriend at the end is the one really effective dramatic beat in an otherwise pretty silly, dry plot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ChillyChong Posted April 19 Member Share Posted April 19 Haven't watched any Shaw for long time so cut the break with one of the best. Have seen Duel for gold roughly half a dozen times in past. Stolen loot was not unusual storyline but Duel does not follow quite the typical formula. None of the characters are good and final words after fight is over are clever. Lots action and great cast particularly lo lieh and ivy ling po shine. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chu Liu Hsiang Posted April 20 Member Share Posted April 20 MARTIAL CLUB - I had forgotten how good it is. Wang Lung Wei is very likeable when he's smiling (not his usual baddie-done-more-bad-things grin). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member HeavenSword Posted April 25 Member Share Posted April 25 Challenge Of The Masters (1976)- I’ve always looked at this as kinda a lesser Lau Kar Leung film. It’s odd . There’s hardly any comedy here ( something I don’t think LKL was particularly good at), the story about a young Wong Fei Hung portrayed by Gordon Liu is interesting, the “help your enemy “ message the movie portrays in the 3rd act was good, Wong Yu has a serious role and Chen Kuan Tai shines as Gordon’s teacher based off his presence alone . But to me this film has two clear highlights : both of the fights with Lau Kar Leung , the first against Lau Kar Wing and the second with Gordon Liu . Both take place on classic Shaw sets, are tension filled and shot pretty well also . The rest of the film is pretty decent , but just dosen't reach the heights of those two fight scenes . Not top tier LKL , but I’d still recommend a watch . It just might not be one you revisit much . 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member SDJ Posted April 27 Member Share Posted April 27 (edited) Five Element Ninjas (rewatch, but after such a long time that about 50% of the movie felt new to me) Better than I remember. That scene where the kunoichi gets killed is Chang Cheh at his best--so satisfying, but slightly mean spirited and there's even a little sadness and moral complexity in how it plays out. (i.e. she wasn't aware she was being followed by those ninjas, and didn't even turn around to see them.) Hilariously boodthirsty finale of course, where I started remembering everything from my first watch. A GOAT stilted awkward dub too. "I will avenge you." "I'm not dead yet!" The whole key / leather strap thing was completely pointless, but oh well. Edited April 27 by SDJ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted April 29 Member Share Posted April 29 Watched both Five Shaolin Masters and Heroes Two over the past couple of days. I think I might like Heroes Two on the whole more than Five Shaolin Masters, although the latter has a better finale. Question: Is there a definitive Bruce Tong showcase film? Shaw or Indie? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ShawAngela Posted April 30 Member Share Posted April 30 11 hours ago, DrNgor said: Question: Is there a definitive Bruce Tong showcase film? Shaw or Indie? It seems to me that he has a more consistent role in Shaolin avengers, and also in Fist of fury 3, but I don't remember tohave seen him a the main lead/hero in a movie, which is a shame. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.