Shawscope: Volume One (Blu-ray Review – Part 1)

• Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
• Review Date: Apr 19, 2023
• Format: Blu-ray Disc
• 

Director

Various

Release Date(s)

Various (December 28, 2021)

Studio(s)

Arrow Video

• Film/Program Grade: See Below
• Video Grade: See Below
• Audio Grade: See Below
• Extras Grade: A+
• Overall Grade: A+

Review

From the mid-1960s and through to the early 1980s and beyond, the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers Studio ruled the roost when it came to martial arts cinema. Producing a number of successful films that traveled all over the world, particularly to the US, Britain, and Europe, their brand of extreme hand-to-hand combat films entertained audiences under a myriad of different titles and in various languages. Today, they’re still beloved to genre fans, particularly to those who grew up seeing these films in grindhouse cinemas or repeatedly on television.

Arrow Video presents twelve of these films, encapsulating the Shawscope: Volume One Blu-ray boxed set, a massive and beautifully-rendered release. It’s loaded with an amazing amount of extras per film in gorgeous packaging with an accompanying booklet, making it a massive undertaking for a single review. Because of its size, I’ll be covering this release one disc at a time, updating this review of the entire set over time to go over it in better detail.

Below, you’ll find quick links that will take you to reviews of Discs 1 through 5:

(Click Below to Jump to Individual Disc/Film Reviews):

DISC ONE: KING BOXER

DISC TWO: THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG

DISC THREE: FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS

DISC THREE: SHAOLIN TEMPLE

DISC FOUR: MIGHTY PEKING MAN

DISC FIVE: CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS

DISC FIVE: EXECUTIONERS FROM SHAOLIN

DISC ONE (KING BOXER)

King Boxer (aka Tian xia di yi quan and Five Fingers of Death) was released in Hong Kong in 1972 and later in the US in 1973 and is credited as the beginning of the martial arts film craze of the 1970s, prior to Bruce Lee’s global popularity. In it, a kung fu tournament is fast approaching for a peaceful fighting school, but a rival martial arts instructor sends a group of thugs into town to not just bully, but render the competition inert. Zhihao, who has been studying the legendary Iron Palm technique, plans to use his skills to stop the invading mob, but also win the competition.

In many ways, the plot is similar to The Chinese Boxer, which was released two years prior. It adds in a love triangle of sorts and a martial arts tournament, but a story about evil invading forces versus a strong-willed man with deadly fists certainly wasn’t new. However, that didn’t matter to Hong Kong audiences who weren’t deterred by, nor did they care about any of the similarities. King Boxer was an immediate success there, and soon the world over, particularly in the US where it was re-cut, re-dubbed, and re-titled by Warner Bros. as Five Fingers of Death. The Western meddling did little to hurt its chances at the box office. It was also a massive hit and established Shaw Brothers as one of the premiere Hong Kong film studios.

King Boxer was shot by Wang Yung-lung on 35 mm film with anamorphic lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Arrow Video presents the film with a new 2K restoration from the original camera negative. It’s an excellent presentation with a high bitrate and well-managed grain. Detail in the costumes and on the various sets really showcase the design of the film better than ever. Saturation is healthy with bold uses of green, blue, and red, the latter of which particularly emanates from Zhihao’s glowing palms. Blacks are decent with good contrast, and the image is stable throughout. Transitions are obviously less detail-oriented, and there’s minor speckling on display, but it’s an otherwise solid presentation.

Audio is included in Mandarin or English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional English subtitles for the Mandarin audio and English SDH for the English audio. The Mandarin track is the obvious way to go in terms of performance, but also in terms of aural quality. The dubbing on the English track is hollow, never mind the performances. Though some might prefer the English track, either option warrants clean presentations with good support for dialogue and score. Keen listeners will recognize a familiar music cue used by Quentin Tarantino in the Kill Bill films.

The following extras are included:

• Audio Commentary by David Desser
• Tony Rayns on King Boxer (HD – 42:56)
• From Korea to Hong Kong: Interviews with Chung Chang-wha (HD – 39:54)
• An Interview with Wang Ping (HD – 25:51)
• Chung Chang-wha, The Man of Action: An Interview with Cho Young-jung (HD – 33:24)
• Cinema Hong Kong: Kung Fu (HD – 49:36)
• Five Fingers of Death US Opening Credits (HD – 1:26)
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer #1 (HD – 3:51)
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer #2 (Upscaled SD – 3:24)
• German Theatrical Trailer #1 (HD – 3:20)
• German Theatrical Trailer #2 (Upscaled SD – 3:47)
• US Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:57)
• US TV Spot (HD – :28)
• US Radio Spot (HD – :55)
• Digital Reissue Trailer (HD – 1:06)
• Image Gallery (HD – 52 in all)

The audio commentary features David Desser, film professor and co-editor of the books The Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema and The Cinema of Hong Kong. Highly knowledgeable, he discusses the era in which the film was made, its release in different countries under different titles, and details the film’s cast and crew. He goes in depth by analyzing the film’s dramatic qualities and speaks on other films and TV shows in production around the same time, including Enter the Dragon and Kung Fu, and how their combined success paved the way for other Hong Kong action films to come to the US. Film critic and historian Tony Rayns then follows with an extended but fascinating look at the history of Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest, and the film rivalry between them during the 1970s that led up to King Boxer. In From Korea to Hong Kong, director Chung Chang-wha is interviewed twice in the early 2000s. He discusses his upbringing, his film career, and his story techniques at length. In her interview from 2007, actress Wang Ping talks about working for Shaw Brothers, the films that she made there, and other aspects of her career. Chung Chang-wha, The Man of Action features an interview with author Cho Young-jung who discusses the director’s work and why she chose to do a retrospective on him. Cinema Hong Kong is the first in a three-part documentary from 2003 by Celestial Pictures on the history of Hong Kong martial arts action cinema, speaking with a variety of people within the industry including Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Jet Li, Shek Kin, Terry Tong, Chu Yuan, Siu Sang, Wai Ying Hung, Gordon Liu Chia Hui, and others. The set of US Opening Credits featuring the title Five Fingers of Death are taken from what appears to be a very battered film print (it’s a shame that the entire US version of the film couldn’t be included). Next are a series of trailers and TV spots from all over the world, as well as an Image Gallery containing 52 images of color and black and white promotional stills, posters, newspaper clippings, lobby cards, and home video artwork.

KING BOXER (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO/EXTRAS): B+/A-/A-/A+

DISC TWO (THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG)

The Boxer from Shantung (aka Ma wing ching and Killer from Shantung) was released in Hong Kong in 1972 and later in the US in 1980 by World Northal. Featuring Chen Kuan-tai in the lead, who would go on to star in several other Shaw Brothers productions, the film was a big success in its native land and was remade several times in later years. In the film, Ma Yongzhen (Chen Kuan-tai) is a poor man and a master of kung fu, but finds himself caught in between a war of crime bosses, Boss Tan Si (David Chiang) and Boss Yang (Chiang Nan). He comes into town and fights off their men, preventing them from displaying more cruelty on the less fortunate, but as he slowly begins taking over territories and gaining respect and admiration, he must also avoid being corrupted by power. However, his enemies have plans of their own for him.

Interestingly, The Boxer from Shantung is a more story and character-driven action film than many other kung fu films. Not that they sideline the story or the characters (usually), but this one in particular has a strong focus on narrative and the people that inhabit it. Chen Kuan-Tai’s charisma gives the story a grounded feel, and the more mystical aspects are set aside for something that feels a little more genuine. The film’s length (a little over two hours) and its extremely violent and bloody second half proved to be too much for its US distributor. After changing the title to Killer from Shantung, they excised well over thirty minutes, including much of the ending’s crimson-soaked confrontation. Thankfully, the full, original version of the film remains intact. It does sag at times, but it also feels like a more complete story.

The Boxer from Shantung was shot by cinematographers Kung Mu-to and Yuen Teng-bong on 35 mm film with anamorphic lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Arrow Video presents the film with a new 2K restoration from the original camera negative. Like its predecessor, it too features a high bitrate with well-managed grain. The interiors of the sets offer plenty of fine detail, as do costumes. It’s a little more colorful than the previous film, offering bolder swatches of blue, green, red, and yellow, meaning that saturation levels are often striking. Black levels offer good contrast, and the overall image is stable and clean.

Audio is included in Mandarin or English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional English subtitles for the Mandarin audio and English SDH for the English audio. The English dub features more hiss and higher treble, while the original Mandarin track is more even-keeled. Sound effects and score are similar in quality on both tracks, especially kicks and punches. Again, performances are better on the Mandarin track, but either option offers a fine aural presentation.

The following extras are included:

• Chen Kuan-Tai Story [Part 1] (HD – 22:43)
• An Interview with David Chiang (HD – 31:49)
• An Interview with John Woo (HD – 8:02)
• Double Masters: An Interview with Ku Feng and Chen Kuan-Tai (HD – 13:46)
• Partial Original Hong Kong Opening Credits (HD – 2:24)
• Alternate English Opening Credits (Upscaled SD – 2:19)
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer (Upscaled SD – 3:36)
• German Theatrical Trailer (Upscaled SD – 2:06)
• US TV Spot (Upscaled SD – :52)
• Digital Reissue Trailer (HD – 1:13)
• Image Gallery (HD – 36 in all)

Chen Kuan-Tai Story [Part 1] features a conversation between actors Chen Kuan-Tai and Vincent Sze about Chen’s upbringing and his work in the film business. In David Chiang’s interview, he details his career, including his time working in Shaw Brothers productions. In the interview with John Woo, he talks about director Chang Cheh, his job as an assistant director on the film, and the director’s influence on him and his work as a director. Double Masters features footage of Ku Feng and Chen Kuan-Tai at a film festival, as well as a conversation between them about their work together. Included as extras are a partial set of the film’s original Hong Kong opening credits (the overlays of which have deteriorated and newly-created digital titles were created for the main presentation) and a set of alternate English opening credits. Next are a series of trailers and a TV spot from all over the world, as well as an Image Gallery containing 36 images of production photos, posters, lobby cards, and home video artwork.

THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO/EXTRAS): B/A-/A-/B+

DISC THREE (FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS)

Five Shaolin Masters (aka Shao Lin wu zu and 5 Masters of Death) was released in Hong Kong in 1974 and later in the US in 1979 by World Northal. It brought together the talents of Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng, David Chiang, Meng Fei, and Chi Kuan Chun under the direction of Chang Cheh, who up to this point had made several Shaw Brothers Studio films, including the One-Armed Swordsman series. In the film, five young men manage to escape and survive their ordeal at the Shaolin temple, which has been torched by Qing soldiers in an attempt to wipe out the Shaolin. After being hounded by their enemies, the five men go into hiding, training for their eventual revenge against them.

While Five Shaolin Masters is considered to be a sequel of sorts to Shaolin Temple, the plots of both films are generally the same: five martial arts fighters train to strike back at opposing forces. This film feels a little scattered and unfocused, and in addition to some remarkable fight sequences, there are also very long and very tedious stretches of the fighters training on their own. Somehow the film also manged to survive the distribution scissors when it finally came to the US under the title 5 Masters of Death. Meanwhile, director Chang Cheh would go on to helm other Shaw Brothers Studio films, some of which are included in this release.

Five Shaolin Masters was shot by cinematographers Kung Mu-to and Hsu Te-li on 35 mm film with anamorphic lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Arrow Video presents the film from a restoration carried out by Celestial Pictures between 2003 and 2007. As such, it’s a lesser presentation than those that came before it. Certain sections look good, even great at times, but it’s also plagued with heavy DNR and digital artifacts. It also doesn’t feature a very high bitrate. Even with all of that up against it, it still manages to offer good clarity and rich saturation. Black levels have decent contrast, and the overall image is clean with only minor instability and speckling. It’s worth noting that the opening titles have been digitally re-created, likely due to the generational loss of the materials used for the restoration.

Audio is included in Mandarin or English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional English subtitles for the Mandarin audio and English SDH for the English audio. Like the video portion, the audio for the film has been aggressively cleaned up to the point that detail has been lost. As per usual, performances are better on the original Mandarin track and the English dub is much more artificial, but outside of the quality of the spoken languages, the tracks are nearly the same.

The following extras are included:

• Tony Rayns on Chang Cheh (HD – 36:46)
• An Interview with Kong Do (HD – 22:55)
• Elegant Trails: Ti Lung (Upscaled SD – 9:30)
• Elegant Trails: David Chiang (Upscaled SD – 8:04)
• 5 Masters of Death US Opening Credits (HD – 10:23)
• US Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:23)
• German Theatrical Trailer (Upscaled SD – 2:42)
• Digital Reissue Trailer (HD – 1:10)
• Image Gallery (HD – 69 in all)

Film critic and historian Tony Rayns returns for an extended discussion about filmmaker Chang Cheh, the work that he produced during his tenure, and the state of Shaw Brothers during the era. He also talks about Five Shaolin Masters and Shaolin Temple and their relation to each other. Next is a vintage interview with actor Kong Do aka Chiang Tao in which he chats with an interviewer about his career and working with Chang Cheh. Next are a pair of featurettes produced in 2003, Elegant Trails, separately profiling and interviewing actors Ti Lung and David Chiang. The set of US Opening Credits featuring the title 5 Masters of Death are taken from what appears to be a very battered film print. Next are a series of trailers from the US and Germany, as well as an Image Gallery containing 69 images of production photos, posters, lobby cards, a press booklet, and home video artwork.

FIVE SHAOLIN MASTERS (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO/EXTRAS): C/C+/C+/B+

DISC THREE (SHAOLIN TEMPLE)

Shaolin Temple (aka Shao Lin si and Death Chamber) was released in Hong Kong in 1976 and later in the US in 1981 by World Northal. Acting as a sort of prequel to Five Shaolin Masters, it re-teams many of the same actors, as well as director Chang Cheh. The story traces the journey of a group of Shaolin students whom, over the course of the film, slowly learn and master their martial arts skills. However, they’re soon put to the ultimate test when the temple and its monks come under the threat of invading Qing soldiers, as well as traitors to the Shaolin. They must not only fight their way out, but survive an overwhelming army and its treasonous leaders.

As with most prequels, Shaolin Temple is inconsistent when it comes to the events of the previous film, though the overall bones of the story are there. Initially, it’s a tonal mess, never sure of just how comedic or serious to be, and the slow, tedious training sequences only further test the patience of viewers. On the other hand, wading through all of that leads to an amazing finale that bests the previous film in terms of action and fight choreography, and makes the entire experience of getting there worth it. US audiences would initially see the film under the title Death Chamber, but in later years, it simply became known as Shaolin Temple, which is an unexciting title comparatively, but one that’s a bit more accurate in terms of what the film is actually about.

Shaolin Temple was shot by cinematographer Kung Mu-to on 35 mm film with anamorphic lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Arrow Video presents the film from a restoration carried out by Celestial Pictures between 2003 and 2007. Unlike its predecessor, the picture quality isn’t nearly as poor. There are certain patches where a little heavy DNR has been applied, but the majority of the film is much more natural, even if the master does show its age in terms of overall sharpness and clarity. It too has a lower bitrate than normal, but saturation and contrast are improved. The image is also clean and stable aside from minor speckling. Also like the previous film, the opening titles have been digitally re-created, likely due to the generational loss of the materials used for the restoration.

Audio is included in Mandarin or English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional English subtitles for the Mandarin audio and English SDH for the English audio. Both tracks have been cleaned up a bit too much, but in this case, there’s also sibilance issues from time to time, which are more apparent in certain scenes than others. Regardless, the Mandarin track is the best option in terms of performance, but the tracks are more or less the same sonically.

The following extras are included:

• Tony Rayns on Chang Cheh (HD – 36:46)
• Elegant Trails: Ti Lung (Upscaled SD – 9:30)
• Elegant Trails: David Chiang (Upscaled SD – 8:04)
• Alternate Standard Definition Version (Upscaled SD – 121:57)
• Alternate Hong Kong Opening Credits (HD – 2:12)
• Alternate Death Chamber US Opening Credits (HD – 1:39)
• Alternate English Title Sequence (Upscaled SD – :43)
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer (HD – 3:54)
• German Theatrical Trailer (Upscaled SD – 2:40)
• Digital Reissue Trailer (HD – 1:00)
• Image Gallery (HD – 27 in all)

The extras repeat the Tony Rayns, Ti Lung, and David Chiang interviews since all three pertain to both Shaolin Temple and Five Shaolin Masters. Among the other extras is a very nice quality alternate standard definition version of the film, which Arrow has included because “in some respects, it is arguably a truer representation of how the film looked on its original theatrical release” (per the main menu). Next are various sets of alternate opening credits sequences, including a set of US Opening Credits under the title Death Chamber, as well as several trailers from around the world and an Image Gallery containing 27 images of production photos, posters, lobby cards, and home video artwork.

SHAOLIN TEMPLE (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO/EXTRAS): B-/B-/C+/B+

DISC FOUR (MIGHTY PEKING MAN)

Mighty Peking Man (aka Xing xing wang and Goliathon) was released in Hong Kong in 1977 and later in the US in 1980 by World Northal. Though Shaw Brothers Studio was primarily known for their wuxia output, they also had their hands in other genres, including horror and fantasy, which is where Mighty Peking Man comes in. Deep in the Himalayans, a giant gorilla has been terrorizing locals. Headed by businessman Lu Tien (Ku Feng) and a younger man named Johnny (Danny Lee), an expedition is underway when Johnny disappears in the jungle. He finds the giant gorilla, but also a primitive young woman named Samantha (Evelyn Kraft), whose plane crashed years before when she was a small child. She has a strong bond with the gorilla and when her and Johnny fall in love, he convinces them both to come back to civilization with him. But after Lu Tien’s meddling, the gorilla breaks loose and goes on a rampage throughout the city.

Like several films during that time period, Mighty Peking Man attempts to out-ape the Dino De Laurentiis-produced remake of King Kong, which had a mixed response from critics, but did very well upon release. Mighty Peking Man offers a love story, which turns into a minor love triangle (with another woman, and not the gorilla), but also Godzilla-style models and effects with an obvious man in a suit. Evelyn Kraft is obvious eye candy, and can’t seem to keep her very tiny animal skinned-top on as she’s constantly spilling out of it (which high definition only enhances), but she’s absolutely charming, as is her co-lead Danny Lee. The story is very much what one would expect for the most part, though the extended attention given to the love story between Samantha and Johnny is certainly different. It’s a playful, campy film that certainly doesn’t outdo its 1933 predecessor, but one might argue that it gives its 1976 contemporary a run for its money.

Mighty Peking Man was shot by cinematographers Tsao Hui-chi and Wu Cho-hua on 35 mm film with anamorphic lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Arrow Video presents the film from a restoration carried out by Celestial Pictures between 2003 and 2007. Although this is another carryover with some DNR applied, it’s even better than either of its predecessors as it’s not nearly as egregious. It appears much more organic with some mild softness. Its weakest aspects include very obvious mattes and rear screen projection footage (which are baked in), as well as some mild scratches. Otherwise, saturation is excellent and the bitrate is very high. Also like the previous two films, the opening and closing titles have been digitally re-created, likely due to the generational loss of the materials used for the restoration.

Audio is included in Mandarin or English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional English subtitles for the Mandarin audio and English SDH for the English audio. Not to sound like a broken record, but the Mandarin track is the obvious way to go, and not just in terms of performance. The English language audio is incredibly narrow and quiet, whereas the Mandarin track is spread out much better with ample support for the various elements. Both tracks are clean but not excessively scrubbed, which is a step up from the previous film.

The following extras are included:

• Audio Commentary by Travis Crawford
• Interview with Keizo Murase (HD – 19:23)
• An Interview with Ho Meng-Hua (HD – 24:04)
• Working with Ho Meng-Hua: An Interview with Ku Feng (HD – 7:18)
• Behind-the-Scenes Super 8 Footage (SD – 28:30)
• Unrestored Version of the Film (Upscaled SD – 90:21)
• Goliathon US Opening and Closing Credits (HD – 1:18)
• Goliathon US TV Credits (SD – 1:11)
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer (HD – 3:23)
• German Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:26)
• Dutch Theatrical Trailer (Upscaled SD – 2:51)
• US Theatrical Trailer (HD – 1:59)
• US TV Spot (HD – :35)
• US Re-Release Trailer (HD – 2:27)
• Digital Reissue Trailer (HD – 1:07)
• Image Gallery (HD – 88 in all)

The audio commentary features the late, great critic and film programmer Travis Crawford, who frantically attempts to cover many aspects of the film, particularly the careers of its cast and crew. He also discusses other, similar films from the same era, and Mighty Peking Man’s place within the Shaw Brothers filmography. As always, he provides a great commentary, but most of all, he is dearly missed. Next are a series of interviews, beginning with model maker Keizo Murase, interviewed by director, producer, and writer Yoshikazu Ishii; director Ho Meng-Hua; and actor Ku Feng, all of whom speak about their careers and working on the film at hand. Among the other extras is a very nice quality alternate standard definition version of the film, which Arrow has included because “in some respects, it is arguably a truer representation of how the film looked on its original theatrical release” (per the main menu). Next are sets of alternate US opening credits sequences from the film’s theatrical and TV versions under the title Goliathon, as well as several trailers from around the world, and an Image Gallery containing 88 images of production photos, posters, lobby cards, press kits, home video artwork, personal photos, and concept art. Not carried over from the 88 Films Region B Blu-ray release is an audio commentary with Bey Logan.

MIGHTY PEKING MAN (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO/EXTRAS): C+/B+/B/A-

DISC FIVE: CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS

Challenge of the Masters (aka Liu A-Cai yu Huang Fei-Hong) was released in Hong Kong in 1976 and later in the US in 1980 by World Northal. This was the second Shaw Brothers film directed by Lau Kar-leung, who would also make Executioners from Shaolin, as well as The 36th Chamber of Shaolin and Dirty Ho. In the story, rival kung fu schools are frequently having contests with each other, but the competition gets more and more heated, particularly when one of the students is suddenly murdered. A young man, Wong Fei Hung (Gordon Liu), is eager to train in the art of kung fu and get involved, but his father refuses to allow it. Another master, Luk Ah Choy (Chen Kuan-tai), sees something in him and decides to train Wong Fei Hung himself. Once he learns his new skills, Wong Fei Hung goes after the murderer, but also learns that revenge isn’t always the answer, and that honor and compassion are sometimes more important.

Many of the wuxia films of this era are basically revenge stories, but in the case of Challenge of the Masters, there’s a little more to the story than straight revenge. The rival school is more or less made up of mere bullies, more so than thieves, murderers, or rapists, which is different from the usual Shaw Brothers output wherein the bad buys are absolutely deplorable people. There’s also a lot less fighting in this film compared to previous entries, saving much of it for the climax. Replacing it are a lot of plot machinations, which depending on what you want out of these films, could potentially be boring and take away from the action. What’s clear though is that audiences at the time were not put off by it, as the film was a success and made Gordon Liu a star. It may not fully resemble many of the films surrounding it at the time, but it’s nonetheless entertaining.

Challenge of the Masters was shot by cinematographer Tien-You Wang on 35 mm film with anamorphic lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Arrow Video presents the film with a new 2K restoration from the original camera negative. It’s a natural presentation that looks organic to its source, featuring tight grain and refined detail, never appearing splotchy or heavy. As it shares disc space with another feature and multiple extras, its bitrate runs somewhere between 20 and 30Mbps, never really rising above it. Good color and contrast are on display with solid black levels while the overall image is stable and clean, outside of minor wobble and discoloration in a few places.

Audio is included in Mandarin, Cantonese, or English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English and English SDH for all three tracks (the English track defaults to a third subtitle track that translates signage in the film). The Mandarin track is still the main choice in terms of performance, but also for how balanced and clean it is. By comparison, the Cantonese and English audio tracks are both thin with high treble. None of these tracks contain any issues with hiss or crackle, nor have any of them been unnecessarily scrubbed either.

The following extras are included:

• Tony Rayns on Challenge of the Masters and Executioners from Shaolin (HD – 28:36)
• An Interview with Gordon Liu (HD – 20:24)
• Textless Opening Credits (HD – 3:12)
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer #1 (HD – 4:07)
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer #2 (HD – 1:19)
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer #3 (Upscaled SD – 2:06)
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer #4 (Upscaled SD – 4:07)
• Digital Reissue Trailer (HD – 1:04)
• Image Gallery (HD – 29 in all)

Film critic and historian Tony Rayns returns for an extended discussion about filmmaker Lau Kar-leung, more specifically Challenge of the Masters and Executioners from Shaolin, and their relationship to each other. Next is an interview from 2002 with actor and martial artist Gordon Liu in which he talks about his background and his career. The Textless Opening Credits feature the footage of Gordon Liu and Chen Kuan-tai that opens the film without the title overlays. Last are a series of trailers from Hong Kong, as well as an Image Gallery containing 29 images of production photos, posters, lobby cards, newspaper clippings, and home video artwork. Not included from the Media Blasters Region 1 DVD release is an interview with Chen Kuan-tai.

CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO/EXTRAS): B/A-/A-/B

DISC FIVE: EXECUTIONERS FROM SHAOLIN

Executioners from Shaolin (aka Hong Xi Guan, Shaolin Executioners, and The Executioners of Death) was released in Hong Kong in 1977 and later in the US in 1980 by World Northal. Another outing from director Lau Kar-leung, this entry opens in familiar territory, but by the end, is in a completely unexpected place. Per the opening crawl, a group of revolutionaries are hiding inside a Shaolin temple. Once found out, the evil Priest Pai Mei (Lo Lieh) and his disciple Kao Tsin Chung (Kong Do aka Chiang Tao) burn down the temple and kill everyone attempting to fight back. Hung Hsi-Kuan (Chen Kuan-tai), student of the Tiger style, escapes and flees with the rest of the survivors. He later meets Wing Chun (Lily Li), student of the Crane style, and the two fall in love. They marry and have a son named Wen-Ding (Wong Yue), who longs to train with his father. Meanwhile, Hung Hsi-Kuan continues his training, with the ultimate goal of striking back at their oppressors, especially Pai Mei, for the honor of his people.

The introduction of a traditional family element into the Shaw Brothers universe has its good and bad points. Ultimately, it all culminates with a long fighting climax, which in itself is standard Shawscope operating procedure. It also introduces more overt comic relief, complete with some silly sound effects, which are not at all funny. Matters aren’t helped that Wing Chun is completely sidelined once she’s married and has a child, meaning that her style of fighting goes to complete waste. It’s as if the producers wanted a more central female figure with strength and the ability to fend off the men around her, but gave up on it, saddling her with being not much more than a stay-at-home mom. That aside, the introduction of “internal kung fu” and how it’s used must be seen to be believed. Executioners from Shaolin (a very inaccurate title) may be a little long in the tooth and have some unsatisfactory elements, but the combat is definitely memorable.

Executioners from Shaolin was shot by cinematographer Yun-Cheng Lo on 35 mm film with anamorphic lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Arrow Video presents the film from a restoration carried out by Celestial Pictures between 2003 and 2007. This is definitely the lesser presentation of the two presented on this disc, but it’s not a total wash. Detail and grain levels are high in many scenes, but the frequent use of DNR makes it uneven. Good color is on display, as usual, though blacks are occasionally crushed or too bright due to poor contrast, which appears to only take place during night scenes. The bitrate sits somewhere around 20Mbps, frequently dipping into the teens for long stretches. It’s also worth noting that the credits throughout the film have been digitally re-created.

Audio is included in Mandarin or English 1.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English and English SDH for both tracks (the English track defaults to a third subtitle track that translates signage in the film). Both tracks exhibit similar qualities and are interchangeable outside of their spoken language, a rarity for these productions. Everything is clean (perhaps too clean) and well-balanced with good support for dialogue and sound effects.

The following extras are included:

• Tony Rayns on Challenge of the Masters and Executioners from Shaolin (HD – 28:36)
• Chen Kuan-Tai Story [Part 2] (HD – 17:30)
• Alternate VHS English Credits (Upscaled SD – 2:59)
• Hong Kong Theatrical Trailer (HD – 3:55)
• US The Executioners of Death Theatrical Trailer (HD – 1:07)
• US The Executioners of Death VHS Trailer (Upscaled SD – 1:05)
• Digital Reissue Trailer (HD – 1:08)
• Image Gallery (HD – 22 in all)

This is the same Tony Rayns interview, but also included is Chen Kuan-Tai Story [Part 2], which continues the conversation from Disc Two between actors Chen Kuan-Tai and Vincent Sze about Chen’s career. Next is a set of Alternate VHS English Credits, as well as a set of trailers, including two from the US under the title The Executioners of Death. Last is an Image Gallery containing 22 images of production photos, posters, lobby cards, newspaper clippings, and home video artwork. Not included from the Wild Side Video Region 2 DVD release is an interview with Lily Li and the Three Styles of Hung Fist documentary.

EXECUTIONERS FROM SHAOLIN (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO/EXTRAS): B-/B/B-/B

THIS REVIEW CONTINUES IN PART 2 [CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE...]

- Tim Salmons

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