Member Cold Bishop Posted January 22, 2014 Member Share Posted January 22, 2014 He was the original director on Flying Guillotine II, which was to be his return to the genre. But immediately, everything went wrong. Chen Kuan Tai left mid-production as soon as his contract was up. The film's lead actress vanished, supposedly running off and getting married and leaving the industry. Her replacement, too, vanished mid-production in a similar fashion. I believe there might have been a few injuries on set as well. In short, Cheng, who was always a very controlling director, got fed up and left the film, which ended in the hands of Hua Shan. All in all, the film took two years to make, coming out pretty much as the "Guillotine" craze had already waned. I don't doubt Cheng was responsible for turning the film into a wuxia proper, where as the original film was its own weird "Evil Qing" historical court intrigue thing. I like the film fine enough, but you can't get around its schizophrenic nature. Cheng Kang never did make another wuxia. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted January 22, 2014 Administrator Share Posted January 22, 2014 He was the original director on Flying Guillotine II, which was to be his return to the genre. But immediately, everything went wrong. Chen Kuan Tai left mid-production as soon as his contract was up. The film's lead actress vanished, supposedly running off and getting married and leaving the industry. Her replacement, too, vanished mid-production in a similar fashion. I believe there might have been a few injuries on set as well. In short, Cheng, who was always a very controlling director, got fed up and left the film, which ended in the hands of Hua Shan. All in all, the film took two years to make, coming out pretty much as the "Guillotine" craze had already waned. I don't doubt Cheng was responsible for turning the film into a wuxia proper, where as the original film was its own weird "Evil Qing" historical court intrigue thing. I like the film fine enough, but you can't get around its schizophrenic nature. Cheng Kang never did make another wuxia. Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of any of that stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Secret Executioner Posted January 22, 2014 Member Share Posted January 22, 2014 He was the original director on Flying Guillotine II, which was to be his return to the genre. But immediately, everything went wrong. Chen Kuan Tai left mid-production as soon as his contract was up. The film's lead actress vanished, supposedly running off and getting married and leaving the industry. Her replacement, too, vanished mid-production in a similar fashion. I believe there might have been a few injuries on set as well. In short, Cheng, who was always a very controlling director, got fed up and left the film, which ended in the hands of Hua Shan. All in all, the film took two years to make, coming out pretty much as the "Guillotine" craze had already waned. I don't doubt Cheng was responsible for turning the film into a wuxia proper, where as the original film was its own weird "Evil Qing" historical court intrigue thing. I like the film fine enough, but you can't get around its schizophrenic nature. Cheng Kang never did make another wuxia. That's some sad story, man. Seems as though pretty much everything that could wrong there did. BTW (and sorry for pushing the off-topic even further), does any well-informed person know if these weapons were actually used or if the guillotine was just some mythological weapon ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member massa_yoda Posted January 22, 2014 Member Share Posted January 22, 2014 He was the original director on Flying Guillotine II, which was to be his return to the genre. But immediately, everything went wrong. Chen Kuan Tai left mid-production as soon as his contract was up. The film's lead actress vanished, supposedly running off and getting married and leaving the industry. Her replacement, too, vanished mid-production in a similar fashion. I believe there might have been a few injuries on set as well. Yep, they could do a two-hour (at least) behind the scenes doc on this one. Still turned out surprisingly entertaining. I love both FG movies. Thanks for the info. I wasn't aware of any of that stuff. coolasscinema goes into greater detail about this (including photos) if you want to learn more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted January 22, 2014 Administrator Share Posted January 22, 2014 coolasscinema goes into greater detail about this (including photos) if you want to learn more. Really? I will check it out. Thanks man. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member paimeifist Posted January 22, 2014 Member Share Posted January 22, 2014 I have seen FG II but not the first one... I loved it though, although after seeing Lo Liehs name on the cover, I was a little underwhelmed with his role, haha. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KyFi Posted January 23, 2014 Member Share Posted January 23, 2014 Pursuit isn't as strong as Cheng Kang's two other wuxias of the era, but it really is a minor masterpiece in its own right. It does follow some of the same beats as Delightful Forest (as well as Cheng's earlier ultra-bleak Wang Yu swordplay film Sword of Swords), and its not a particularly huge "action" film, but in the story and drama department, its top notch. In fact, when he brought his A-game, Cheng Kang may very well have been the best director at the studio. Huh, I guess I had kind of overlooked him as a director---looked at his filmography and saw quite a few I liked. The Magnificent Swordsman ranked pretty high for me---I haven't watched it in a while, but I remember thinking that it was probably as close as Shaws got to capturing the Zatoichi vibe. And I agree with you about 12 Gold Medallions---top notch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cold Bishop Posted January 23, 2014 Member Share Posted January 23, 2014 Kidnap is another masterpiece, and it really is about as close to Shaw got to an art-film: a true-life crime docudrama which is played unflinchingly straight and owes nothing to martial-arts or action cinema. (And I know people love 14 Amazons, although it misses the "masterpiece" mark to my eyes). He seems to have caught the bug for Gambling Films for the second half of his career and, while I haven't seen them all, his work seems to have suffered for it. Certainly he never mounted anything as ambitious as his early '70s Shaw films. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KyFi Posted January 24, 2014 Member Share Posted January 24, 2014 Kidnap is another masterpiece, and it really is about as close to Shaw got to an art-film: a true-life crime docudrama which is played unflinchingly straight and owes nothing to martial-arts or action cinema. (And I know people love 14 Amazons, although it misses the "masterpiece" mark to my eyes). He seems to have caught the bug for Gambling Films for the second half of his career and, while I haven't seen them all, his work seems to have suffered for it. Certainly he never mounted anything as ambitious as his early '70s Shaw films. Haven't seen Kidnap yet--will have to check that out. I picked up King Gambler just to branch out of the martial arts movies, and I did like that one (had a martial arts vibe, I thought)---but yeah, I didn't really like it as much as his earlier works. Sword of Swords is a classic, I thought. Yeah, I might not rank 14 Amazons as a masterpiece, but it's a fun, big-budget Shaw extravaganza. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted January 24, 2014 Member Share Posted January 24, 2014 KyFi, have you seen challenge of the gamesters? King gambler is good but I prefer challenge over it because it has some fine action. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member KyFi Posted January 24, 2014 Member Share Posted January 24, 2014 KyFi, have you seen challenge of the gamesters? King gambler is good but I prefer challenge over it because it has some fine action. I have not seen that one, Tex Killer---I think King Gambler is the only gambling movie I've seen. I'll keep an eye out for it, though--sounds good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted February 14, 2014 Member Share Posted February 14, 2014 The Kid from Kwangtung - Ouch. Some fantastic fights brought down by some terrible comedy and a very sketchy plot. I'm sad to say that I'm really disappointed with this one. Definitely worth a watch (especially to see Hwang Jang Lee kick ass while holding a cat!) but I will not be rushing to watch it again any time soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Chinatown Kid Posted February 15, 2014 Member Share Posted February 15, 2014 The Kid from Kwangtung - Ouch. Some fantastic fights brought down by some terrible comedy and a very sketchy plot. I'm sad to say that I'm really disappointed with this one. Definitely worth a watch (especially to see Hwang Jang Lee kick ass while holding a cat!) but I will not be rushing to watch it again any time soon. I really love HJL's fight performance in this film, his kicks seem even more powerful than usual, his opponents spitting up blood after being kicked really added to the effect as well. The way Wong Yue ended up beating him was really hard to swallow huh? LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kevenz Posted February 21, 2014 Member Share Posted February 21, 2014 Two Toothless Tigers (1980) I got a bootleg copy of the 35mm widescreen transfer and it looks pretty good overall. Pretty funny movie with crazy choregraphy by Yuen Biao, produced by Sammo Hung and one of my favorite Yuen Shun Yee. I don't know why I like this guy that much but he was just great in Dreadnaught. EDIT: There's the Shaw Brothers logo playing at the begining, that's pretty weird since I'm sure Sammo Hung never worked for the Shaw... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Cold Bishop Posted February 22, 2014 Member Share Posted February 22, 2014 EDIT: There's the Shaw Brothers logo playing at the begining, that's pretty weird since I'm sure Sammo Hung never worked for the Shaw...I have no idea what Shaw is doing in front of the film - maybe a bootlegger spliced it in front of the film to capitalize on the notoriety; maybe they distributed it in some corner of the world - but Sammo Hung most certainly did work for Shaw Brothers. He definitely got his job as Golden Harvest's "other" top choreographer precisely for his work there. See particularly Lo Wei's wonderful wuxia pian Brothers Five, which includes a lot of proto-kung fu flourishes in its choreography. And since the film is made largely in wide, long takes, it really showed what Sammo Hung was capable of, and he probably would have been a major choreographer at Shaw if he hadn't left. There's also Cheng Kang's masterpiece Twelve Gold Medallions. Especially the final fight, which is filmed in bizarre angles, with a lightning pace and unusual intensity. It looks, at times, like an '80s New Wave film, even though it was made in 1970, and I'm sure Sammo had a lot to do with that. He also popped up in a lot of small roles, all the way up until Ti Lung's The Young Rebel in 1975, where he gets to slap around David Chiang for a little bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator KUNG FU BOB Posted February 22, 2014 Administrator Share Posted February 22, 2014 I have no idea what Shaw is doing in front of the film - maybe a bootlegger spliced it in front of the film to capitalize on the notoriety... That was my guess as well. ...but Sammo Hung most certainly did work for Shaw Brothers. He definitely got his job as Golden Harvest's "other" top choreographer precisely for his work there. See particularly Lo Wei's wonderful wuxia pian Brothers Five, which includes a lot of proto-kung fu flourishes in its choreography. And since the film is made largely in wide, long takes, it really showed what Sammo Hung was capable of, and he probably would have been a major choreographer at Shaw if he hadn't left. There's also Cheng Kang's masterpiece Twelve Gold Medallions. Especially the final fight, which is filmed in bizarre angles, with a lightning pace and unusual intensity. It looks, at times, like an '80s New Wave film, even though it was made in 1970, and I'm sure Sammo had a lot to do with that. He also popped up in a lot of small roles, all the way up until Ti Lung's The Young Rebel in 1975, where he gets to slap around David Chiang for a little bit. Thanks for the info. When I first watched TWELVE GOLD MEDALLIONS, I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting much. But once the action kicked in I really sat up and started getting into it. The finale was wild stuff, and as soon as I was done re-watching the action scenes I called up my buddy and said "You should've ordered this one bro! Get over here and borrow it." This was back when the Shaw films were first being released by IVL, and we would look at the list of each month's new releases and decide which ones we were going to buy. With the titles that we already knew, it was a no-brainer that we'd purchase them. But there were always titles that we'd never seen, listed as well. Each of us would take a risk on a title that we weren't familiar with, and hope for the best. Mostly we were always happy with our blind purchases, but there would be the odd stinker now and then. Or, perceived stinker. My buddy Hector was displeased with KIDNAP (1974), and passed it on to me. I thought it was a cool flick. And my friend Mike thought that THE KNIGHT OF KNIGHTS (1966) was garbage and gave that one to me. Sure, it's not top notch, but I enjoyed it. But I digress... Anyway, for some reason I never noticed, nor looked to see who the action choreographer was for TWELVE GOLD MEDALLIONS. Doh! Now it makes sense. He also popped up in a lot of small roles, all the way up until Ti Lung's The Young Rebel in 1975, where he gets to slap around David Chiang for a little bit. I still haven't watched THE YOUNG REBEL yet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member yojimbo Posted February 23, 2014 Member Share Posted February 23, 2014 Watched Dirty Ho last night. Good movie. Interesting choreography. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted March 7, 2014 Member Share Posted March 7, 2014 I just this second finished "Men from the Monastery" and what can I say? I'm not impressed. It just felt dull, plot-wise and fight-wise. Compared to Chang Cheh's other Shaolin films (those I've seen), I'd say this one is lower tier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member the moose Posted March 7, 2014 Member Share Posted March 7, 2014 I just this second finished "Men from the Monastery" and what can I say? I'm not impressed. It just felt dull, plot-wise and fight-wise. Compared to Chang Cheh's other Shaolin films (those I've seen), I'd say this one is lower tier. imho this was quite good when i watched it. certainly better than heroes 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted March 7, 2014 Member Share Posted March 7, 2014 imho this was quite good when i watched it. certainly better than heroes 2. I haven't seen "Heroes Two" yet. Granted, it wasn't terrible; it just wasn't really my cup of tea...at all. I found myself bored. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted May 8, 2014 Member Share Posted May 8, 2014 The Fighting Fool - 1979 Main letdown in this regard was the score. Some moments of straight up screen bashing were made bizarre moreso than funny with clownish music. The second I heard that music, I though "Eddie H Wang" and I was right. He single-handely ruined many a latter day Shaw by picking the most horrid music in the De Wolfe library he could find. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted May 25, 2014 Member Share Posted May 25, 2014 I've just finished "The Kid with a Tattoo" and...ouch. I'm genuinely surprised I managed to sit through the whole thing. There were a few solid fights here and there but 95% of the film was just Wong Yue dodging and running away. On too of that, his character was just annoying as hell. I loved Wang Lung Wei and Yuen Wah and, in doing so, discovered a film where I actually wanted the bad guys to win. I don't think I'll ever watch it again. Side note: There is some great camera work and some amazing sets in this film. It's just a game everything else is so...tedious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tex Killer Posted May 25, 2014 Member Share Posted May 25, 2014 I've just finished "The Kid with a Tattoo" and...ouch. I'm genuinely surprised I managed to sit through the whole thing. I was able to do it too. Problem with film is Wong Yue as you stated. Villains are great...Propably those who are deep in kungfu comedy will get more out of it than me(or you) did... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member the moose Posted May 25, 2014 Member Share Posted May 25, 2014 I've just finished "The Kid with a Tattoo" and...ouch. I'm genuinely surprised I managed to sit through the whole thing. There were a few solid fights here and there but 95% of the film was just Wong Yue dodging and running away. On too of that, his character was just annoying as hell. I loved Wang Lung Wei and Yuen Wah and, in doing so, discovered a film where I actually wanted the bad guys to win. I don't think I'll ever watch it again. Side note: There is some great camera work and some amazing sets in this film. It's just a game everything else is so...tedious. Damn! I bought the IVL dvd of this and was looking forward to watching it. Is it really that bad? - I hope you're wrong, I had high hopes for this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted May 25, 2014 Member Share Posted May 25, 2014 Damn! I bought the IVL dvd of this and was looking forward to watching it. Is it really that bad? - I hope you're wrong, I had high hopes for this. Good luck. It has its moments but, as a whole, it's a pretty sure film. Definitely one of the poorest I've seen in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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