Martial arts films have been around since the silent days albeit possessing qualities that would be appreciated by mainly Asians. The Shaws were responsible for giving the genre a decidedly more internationally friendly look in the early 60’s. Their style (since the 1950’s) was built on their admiration for Korean and Japanese filmmaking. At that time, HK techniques were inferior to both those territories. Chambara movies had far more influence on HK cinema than anything the Italians ever did. Although all three styles would trade on concepts over the years.
The LONE WOLF films and others like it are a small number of movies that were created during a time when Japanese cinema was in transition. Audiences wanted to see something different and more outrageous such as the HANZO, THE RAZOR series starring Shintaro Katsu. Some Japanese television shows echoed this spectacularly violent new style with nudity and splashing blood; things that wouldn’t pass on US television. The Japanese had rather gruesome violence in such films as the SHINOBI NO MONO series that began in the late 1950’s, but nothing like what came in the early 1970’s.
Viewed Martial Club aka Instructors of Death–Good flick, it has a good sense of humor and a more lighthearted film than most Shaw films…the final duel on the Zigzag alley was pretty damn impressive…
I find it funny the transition form Spaghetti to Shaw that women are treated so equally in Shaw films compared to what I see in SW’s. Women in Shaw’s are often tough and make the guys melt around them, from what I’ve seen so far…
Cheh gets a lot of flack for his (non)use of women in his films, but upon closer inspection, a handful of his movies feature very good roles for females. THE ASSASSIN (1967) for example, Chiao Chiao plays a major role in the movie. Non fighting of course, but the film would be very different without here.
In THE ANONYMOUS HEROES (1971), Ching Li is one of the three. She does little in the way of fighting, but she is in important character in the scheme of things.
In WATER MARGIN and its sequel, ALL MEN ARE BROTHERS, one of the seven heroes is a woman and she fights in major fight scenes in both movies (Lily Ho in the first and Yue Feng in the second).
This is to name a few. Mostly, the women were there to be terrorized, or were fragile things, or were evil bitches that brought doom to the good guys.
[quote=“Lindberg, post:375, topic:368”]I should have named this thread Martial Arts-films instead
I meant all sorts of fighting films, not just Shaw Brothers :D[/quote]
Okay, how about anything with Sonny Chiba? How many Chiba fans are here?
Here’s a list of some of the Chiba movies I have. Anybody seen any of these?
THE STREETFIGHTER series (this is a given)
THE EXECUTIONER
THE EXECUTIONER 2
KILLING MACHINE
KARATE BULLFIGHTER
KARATE BEARFIGHTER
KARATE FOR LIFE
LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI
TIME SLIP (reviewed at my site)
HUNTER IN THE DARK
SHOGUN’S NINJA
SHOGUN’S SAMURAI (YAGYU CLAN CONSPIRACY)
KAGE NO GUNDAN 2 (remastered second series; the whole series reviewed at my site)
SHOGUN’S SHADOW
[quote=“Frank Talby, post:378, topic:368”]Chiba is awesome. I love the first Streetfighter movie a lot. I need to rewatch that soon.
His role in Kill Bill Vol. 1 is one of my favorites.
Don’t forget G.I. Samurai - time traveling Japanese soldiers end up waging war with modern weapons in Shogunate Japan.[/quote]
Yep. TIME SLIP is a huge fave of mine. Chiba is excellent in that one. The recent 2 disc set is the way to go with that one.
His tv shows are as good as any of his movies. I’ve got a handful of the YAGYU CONSPIRACY tv shows that coincide with the movie. I just wanna get my hands on that werewolf cop movie he did in the late 70’s. GOLDEN BAT is another one of his I have which I haven’t watched yet. It’s a sci fi movie. BULLET TRAIN is another one.
