The Heroic Cinema Of Chang Cheh 10-Film Set (Shaw Bros. / Eureka Entertainment)

[MifuneFan]

Eureka have just announced a huge 10-film Chang Cheh set of Shaw Brothers films from 1967 to 1983, releasing on September 23rd October 21st! Please note, this will now be a single pressing release, with no Standard edition planned.

Furious Swords And Fantastic Warriors: The Heroic Cinema Of Chang Cheh 10-Film Set

Please also note that this set will be strictly limited to a single pressing of 2,000 copies, with no reissues or standard editions planned once they sell out!

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Furio...lu-ray/390667/

https://diabolikdvd.com/product/furi...-ray-preorder/

https://www.orbitdvd.com/collections...imited-edition

https://www.atomicmoviestore.com/pro...a-u-s-preorder

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Limited edition double-walled slipcase, with 2 amaray cases, featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling [2000 copies]
• Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on all films in this set by film critic and writer James Oliver [2000 copies]
• 1080p HD presentations of all 10 films on Blu-ray
• Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
• New audio commentaries on Men from the Monastery, The Trail of the Broken Blade and The Weird Man by film critic David West
• New audio commentaries on King Eagle, The Wandering Swordsman, Trilogy of Swordsmanship and The Fantastic Magic Baby by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
• New audio commentaries on Shaolin Martial Arts, Iron Bodyguard and New Shaolin Boxers by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist and filmmaker Michael Worth
• New audio commentary on The Fantastic Magic Baby by Frank Djeng
• New interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on the life and work of Chang Cheh
• New video essay by Jonathan Clements (author of A Brief History of China) on Iron Bodyguard
• New video essay by Jonathan Clements on Chang Cheh’s Shaolin film

The following films will have English Dubs:

Men from the Monastery, Shaolin Martial Arts, Iron Bodyguard, The Weird Man, Trail of the Broken Blade
New Shaolin Boxers

FURIOUS SWORDS

Disc 1: Men from the Monastery & Shaolin Martial Arts
Disc 2: King Eagle & Iron Bodyguard

FANTASTIC WARRIORS

Disc 3: Fantastic Magic Baby & The Weird Man
Disc 4: Trail of the Broken Blade & Wandering Swordsman
Disc 5: Trilogy of Swordsmanship & New Shaolin Boxers

SYNOPSIS

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 US.

FURIOUS SWORDS AND FANTASTIC WARRIORS | Eureka Classics Trailer - New & Exclusive - YouTube

[Brown Jenkin]

Something tells me no one will ever knock Chang out of the top spot of "most frequent director" from my stats now.

[CrimsonLegionVMCXIX]

Originally Posted by Brown Jenkin

Something tell me no one will ever knock Chang out of the top spot of "most frequent director" from my stats now.

Yeah, he's on my Top Spot right now too. With this, a few more of the Shaw sets, and likely more releases coming, I don't think the man is going to get knocked down from that spot anytime soon, if ever.

[Ky-Fi]

Never seen Weird Man or Fantastic Magic Baby, but the martial arts films are all solid. Definite purchase for me.

I might say New Shaolin Boxers is Fu Sheng's best fighting performance--great stuff. Also a big fan of Wandering Swordsman, a tragic tale of the lonely hero, nice companion piece to Have Sword, Will Travel. Trilogy of Swordsmanship is fun--an anthology of 3 unrelated short martial arts films, 3 different directors, as I recall. Men from the Monastery and Shaolin Martial Arts are both solid Shaolin-cycle films.

[Blumyself]

Awesome, now we just need that Shawscope Volume 4 announcment to hit!

[Doomhunter]

Trail of the Broken Blade is excellent too, just recently watched that

[russweiss1]

This was an easy buy at that price.

[reason108]

Well, a USA release you say?! That’s good! And, thankfully it’s not the normal list of Chang Cheh movies that we would normally expect. Kudos for the lesser known and perhaps slightly more obscure CC titles! As long as the price is right, I am in!

[goldenarm84]

Hmmm no mention of the original English dubs on this release, can anyone with info weigh in on this????

[filmlover22]

up on Amazon US, but no price yet. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDSC9VTP

[MifuneFan]

Amazon's price is now live for a $105, which is nearly $40 more than Diabolik DVD. Orbit DVD and Atomic also has it for a similar price as Diabolik.

https://www.orbitdvd.com/collections...imited-edition

https://www.atomicmoviestore.com/pro...a-u-s-preorder

[filmlover22]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

Amazon's price is now live for a $105, which is nearly $40 more than Diabolik DVD. Orbit DVD and Atomic also has it for a similar price as Diabolik.

https://www.orbitdvd.com/collections...imited-edition

https://www.atomicmoviestore.com/pro...a-u-s-preorder

Yes, was surprised at that high price tag. Very much out of line with other US places.

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by filmlover22

Yes, was surprised at that high price tag. Very much out of line with other US places.

I looked on MVD (Eureka's distributor) yesterday and that's apparently the MSRP for the set, so the others are giving it a pretty big discount, around 36% off the SRP.

https://customers.mvdb2b.com/s/Furio...ction/EKV70597

[filmlover22]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

I looked on MVD (Eureka's distributor) yesterday and that's apparently the MSRP for the set, so the others are giving it a pretty big discount, around 36% off the SRP.

https://customers.mvdb2b.com/s/Furio...ction/EKV70597

And Eureka is discounting as well...

[StarDestroyer52]

Amazon might have it cheaper but for me the boutiques will package way better. So easy decision for me to have gone with Orbit.

[Doomhunter]

And it’s a limited run of 2,000, I would think this would sell fast at this price. I ordered direct from Eureka anyhow as they have free shipping

[Mysteron Mayhem]

Originally Posted by Doomhunter

And it’s a limited run of 2,000, I would think this would sell fast at this price. I ordered direct from Eureka anyhow as they have free shipping

Is it just the case and book that are limited or the whole set? Their website makes it seem like it's just the case and book.

[El Sleezo]

Originally Posted by Mysteron Mayhem

Is it just the case and book that are limited or the whole set? Their website makes it seem like it's just the case and book.

I think like the Joseph Kuo they'll break it up into 2 standards after the LE sells out. May not be a guarantee though.

[Stanis]

Interested, but cant find if this set is sub and dub, or just one or the other

[hipsofjw]

Originally Posted by Brown Jenkin

Something tells me no one will ever knock Chang out of the top spot of "most frequent director" from my stats now.

If shorts count, my list is dominated by Looney Tunes guys and experimental film directors. Chang Cheh sits on top of the features for sure though. Allan Dwan right behind him.