Shaw Brothers Classics Volume 1 (Shout! Factory)

[MifuneFan]

Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume One Blu-ray

Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume One Blu-ray

Yes, you're reading that right. Shout! Factory will be releasing their own Shaw Brothers collection on June 13th. This will be an 11-disc set, with 11 films.

https://shoutfactory.com/collections...classics-vol-1

Bonus Features for Blu-ray

DISC ONE: THE ASSASSIN (1967)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation, English Dub Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
• NEW Audio Commentary By David West, Critic And Author Of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction To The Martial Arts Film
• Celestial Trailer

DISC TWO: THE THUNDERING SWORD (1967)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation
• NEW From A Western Perspective – An Interview About The Transnational Appeal Of The Shaw Brothers With Academic Leon Hunt, Author Of "Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee To Crouching Tiger"
• NEW Interview With Author And Critic Kim Newman About The Western "Breakthrough" Films Of Sir Run Run Shaw, Which Took The Producer From East To West
• Celestial Trailer

DISC THREE: THE GOLDEN SWALLOW (1968)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation, English Dub Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
• NEW Audio Commentary By Hong Kong-Based Academic And Filmmaker Gilbert Po
• Interview With Actress Cheng Pei-Pei By Frédéric Ambroisine
• Celestial Trailer
• Original Theatrical Trailer

DISC FOUR: THE JADE RAKSHA (1968)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation
• NEW Slicing At The Stars – An Interview With Critic And Hong Kong Film Expert Tony Rayns, About The Emergence, Key Players, And Success Of The Shaw Brothers Wuxia Film
• NEW A Very Vocal Violence – Hong Kong Based Dubber Peter Boczar Reflects On His Time Behind The Microphone For A Number Of Martial Arts Masterpieces.

DISC FIVE: THE BELLS OF DEATH (1968)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation, English Dub Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Veteran Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• Celestial Trailer

DISC SIX: THE SWORD OF SWORDS (1968)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation, English Dub Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Veteran Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• Celestial Trailer
• Original Theatrical Trailer

DISC SEVEN: KILLER DART (1968)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation
• NEW Audio Commentary with James Mudge, veteran Hong Kong film critic at easternKicks
• Celestial Trailer

DISC EIGHT: THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1969)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)
• NEW Audio Commentary with James Mudge, veteran Hong Kong film critic at easternKicks
• Celestial Trailer
• Original Theatrical Trailer

DISC NINE: DRAGON SWAMP (1969)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation
• NEW Audio Commentary With Hong Kong-Based Academic And Filmmaker Gilbert Po
• Celestial Trailer
• Original Theatrical Trailer

DISC TEN: THE FLYING DAGGER (1969)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation, English Dub Mono DTS-HD Master Audio
• NEW Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng of the New York Asian Film Festival
• Celestial Trailer

DISC ELEVEN: THE GOLDEN SWORD (1969)

• Audio: Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation
• NEW Audio Commentary With Hong Kong-Based Academic And Filmmaker Gilbert Po
• Celestial Trailer

This spectacular box set comprises 11 classic martial arts films from the famous Shaw Brothers' library, featuring some of their greatest stars – Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Swordsman), Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink With Me), Lo Lieh (King Boxer), Ku Feng (The Five Venoms), and David Chiang (The Boxer From Shantung). Many of these films are debuting for the first time on Blu-ray. Get ready for some exciting thrills and chills as heroes meet villains in a duel to the death!

THE ASSASSIN (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 112 min.)
In the same year that director/writer Chang Cheh and star Jimmy Wang Yu revolutionized Hong Kong kung fu cinema with One-Armed Swordsman, they also collaborated on this epic of the Six Kingdoms era. Here, Yu is a two-armed swordsman who is also a Wei Empire patriot. Inside the Han Empire, Han Kuei, who comes from the royal family, assumes full power and wants to eliminate loyal officer Yen Sui. Later, our main character is betrayed by a jealous rival and becomes a village butcher. But when he meets Yen Sui, he is sent back on the road of vengeance. Chiao Chiao, the lovely and talented costar of One-Armed Swordsman, here plays Hsia, the love of the hero's life and the strong woman who survives to protect their child.

THE THUNDERING SWORD (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 90 min.)
Superstar swordswoman Cheng Pei-pei, (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), stars as the daughter of the Poison Master in a Romeo And Juliet-style martial arts adventure concerning a search for the magical "Heaven and Earth" weapon in The Thundering Sword.

THE GOLDEN SWALLOW (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 104 min.)
The indomitable martial arts team of director Chang Cheh and stunt choreographer Liu Chia-liang continues the compelling saga of The Golden Swallow from King Hu's Come Drink With Me in this sequel of heartbreaking romance, intrigue and stunning action.

THE JADE RAKSHA (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 91 min.)
Thanks in great part to Cheng Pei-pei, women in martial arts movies played a more central role in the plots and the swordswomen of the genre became some of the most charismatic figures in Hong Kong cinema. In The Jade Raksha, Cheng Pei-pei becomes a human combine harvester as she hacks and whacks a path through life, avenging the death of her family under the moniker "The Jade Raksha."

THE BELLS OF DEATH (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 85 min.)
The Bells Of Death is a whirlwind story about a man embarking on a life-long journey to master the sword, then find and eliminate the three men who killed his family and abducted his sister.

THE SWORD OF SWORDS (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 106 min.)
Jimmy Wang Yu had just exploded into superstardom as One-Armed Swordsman when he teamed with respected writer/director Cheng Kang for this tale of master martial artists vying for the title blade – a "weapon of exceptional brilliance." And with legendary martial arts choreographers Lau Kar-leung and Tang Chia directing the action, the result is a superb, flat-out adventure of intrigue, deception, and an abduction, delivering one battle after another until it culminates in an amazing all-out slaughter.

KILLER DART (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 84 min.)
Rampaging bandits are pillaging peaceful Chinese villages until the grieving dart master Liu Wen Lung sets out with his student, son, and servant to avenge his murdered wife and set things right. Renowned director Ho Meng-Hua – soon to be internationally famous for The Flying Guillotine – masterfully balances action with intrigue and romance, as the path of righteousness is littered with lies ... and corpses.

THE INVINCIBLE FIST (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 94 min.)
The Invincible Fist is one of the few films where the godfather of the kung fu film Chang Cheh headlined Lo Lieh as the leading hero three years before Lo would become the Shaw Brothers' first international star in King Boxer (aka Five Fingers Of Death). Here he plays a dedicated chief constable for Tsang Chou village who falls in love with the blind daughter of a bandit who is wreaking havoc. Joining him in all the action and emotion are award-winning actor Ku Feng and future superstar David Chiang.

DRAGON SWAMP (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 105 min.)
Cheng Pei-pei, the screen's greatest swordswoman, teams with Lo Lieh for this amazing, fast-paced adventure of the "Martial Arts World" – where everyone is killing to gain the famous "Jade Dragon Sword." Fascinating characters, like the Roaming Knight and the Master of Dragon Swamp, clash in this family feud, which takes place over twenty years. In addition to the spectacular fights, this special production holds an emotional wallop for the finale.

THE FLYING DAGGER (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 93 min.)
Godfather of the kung fu film, director Chang Cheh is famous for introducing the revolutionary concept of "yanggang" (macho) martial arts movies. Until then, female stars (often in male swordsman roles) ruled the screens. This collaboration between him and swordswoman supreme Cheng Pei-pei is exceptional indeed. Cheng could hold her own with any man, freeing Chang to create the best of all possible martial arts worlds.

THE GOLDEN SWORD (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 101 min.)
Lo Wei remains internationally famous for directing Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan's first major movies. Cheng Pei-pei is now internationally famous for her superlative villainous role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But both were superstars in Hong Kong for decades prior, so any teaming of the superlative "swordswoman supreme" and the vaunted director/writer/actor is cause for celebration. Kao Yuen joins them as a noble swordsman, and award-winning actor Ku Feng stars as the Frontier Terror in the evocative and effective "Martial Arts World" adventure.

[therealjondoe]

[WaverBoy]

Whoa. And they should be different than any of the titles Arrow has released in their box sets. Very interesting news.

[Sleazeaddict]

Originally Posted by WaverBoy

Whoa. And they should be different than any of the titles Arrow has released in their box sets. Very interesting news.

hope not for my wallet

[fred25_Ca]

So, not April's fool?
If not, woah, this is awesome! With 88 films' 10 releases, Arrow's 2 box sets (26 films I think?) and their two separate releases, The brave archer collection and now this, this will have been 54 shaw films releases in less than 2 years! And we still have two more shaw sets by Arrow coming!
We went from nearly nothing to this, as a Shaw fan, this has been insane haha.

Edit: I hope this is more like their Jackie chan collections rather than their thicker Brave archer one. The smaller the better.

[MifuneFan]

And what's cool is they've already labeled it Volume 1, which means they already have enough lined up for at least a second volume.

[fred25_Ca]

Originally Posted by MifuneFan

And what's cool is they've already labeled it Volume 1, which means they already have enough lined up for at least a second volume.

Good God, I hadn't even thought of that!
11 movies is a pretty random number so if I had to guess, they probably had something like 22 films and just split the whole thing in 2.
Then again, they also have the 5 brave archer so that would make 27 films, which would be a weird number. Last time Arrow got 28 films, so maybe Shout did the same? And we might end up with a 12 films collection for volume 2?

[Blu2u]

I'm hoping this leans more toward horror at least for this first set. I'd like the rest of the Hex films, Killer Snakes, and Corpse Mania among others.

[grim_tales]

I'd be interested to see what films are in Shout's set.
I have Hex (1980) - not seen it yet, I didn't know there were other Hex movies

[navydavey]

I wonder if there will be a much cross over with older 88 Films UK releases? - before 88 Films started releasing movies in dual territories, most of the older releases are OOP over here in the UK now.

Either way it seems like a great time to be a US based martial arts fan.

[Blu2u]

I'm also betting on Opium and the Kung-Fu Master and Life Gamble as Cliff is involved.

[Dragon78]

Shaw Brothers Pictures?

[MifuneFan]

Originally Posted by Dragon78

Shaw Brothers Pictures?

Just a picture of one of their logo screens

Shaw Bros. Pictures Logo History - YouTube

[Thomas Veil]

My OCD will kick in with the mismatched boxes lol. Cool news though.

I would like to see some of the bond knockoffs like Angel with Iron Fists and Angel Strikes Again along with stuff like The Sexy Killer and Temptress of a Thousand Faces.

[DukeTogo84]

Wow. What good news to wake up to. I hope it includes some of the titles Well Go released as I bought those like a year ago and all had disc rot and never got to watch them. Still, I'll take anything, and can't wait to find out what the titles are.

[themp3000]

Man, I really hope they sort out their replicator problems by the time this releases. 11 discs means 11 opportunities for problems. I have a mighty need and I don’t even know what’s in this yet.

[darkness2918]

Great news, more Shaw Bros. I can’t wait to see what movies are included.

[jshaide]

Yeah, really excited to see the line up, mostly to see what direction they are going to take the set.

[grim_tales]

I hope it includes stuff like Killer Clans and Heroic Ones, then I can upgrade the DVDs

[Ky-Fi]

Originally Posted by grim_tales

I hope it includes stuff like Killer Clans and Heroic Ones, then I can upgrade the DVDs

Killer Clans is one of my most-wanted.