Shaolin Wooden Men (少林木人巷) is a 1976 live-action theatrical Hong Kong film directed by Chen Chi-Hwa, produced by Lo Wei, and written by Gam Yam. The film stars Jackie Chan, Chiang Kam, Hwang Jang Lee, Kam Kong and Yuen Biao, with music composed by Stanley Chow Fook-Leung. It was theatrically released in November 1976 for Hong Kong and distributed by Lo Wei Motion Picture Co., Ltd. and Fortune Star.
Background:
“The time Jackie is on a mission of revenge. As a young boy he witnesses the slaying of his father at the hands of deadly masked kung fu assassin. Once Jackie is old enough, he trains as a mute at a shaolin temple to learn the techniques that will enable him to one day avenge the death of his father. What he doesn’t realize though is that he is actually training in the lair of the man he seeks to kill!
Jackie has to gradate and defeat a gauntlet of mysterious robotic wooden men who throw every kung fu style at him before he can even face up to his nemesis. Packed with startling action courtesy of Half a Loaf of Kung Fu director Chen Chi-Hwa, this is another early Jackie Chan classic that’s not to be missed by those seeking fine martial arts entertainment!”
Plot Synopsis via 88 Films, November 2020
88 Films continues to deliver more Hong Kong cinema goodness with the next batch of Jackie Chan related films he’s featured or directed in. The second release in this latest batch for Q4 2020 is Shaolin Wooden Men from director Chen Chi-Hwa but also produced by the well-known director Lo Wei. The film was before Jackie Chan worked with Golden Harvest on many more projects. Alongside Shaolin Wooden Men and Spiritual Kung Fu, 88 Films also have plans to release New Fist of Fury in late November and The Young Master sometime in December.
Jackie Chan as I have mentioned with the unboxings on the previous 88 Films titles, is a very popular actor from China and Hong Kong. Before he ventured into the Hollywood scene, he worked on a ton of Hong Kong and martial art films. His work in Hong Kong cinema has a ton of classics, great action and fun entertainment throughout and they are much better than his Hollywood counterparts.
Shaolin Wooden Men has received an international release before with an English dub to go with it. In the UK it has been previously distributed by Kiseki Films on VHS in 1998 followed by Hong Kong Legends for DVD in 2007.
First Print Edition Contents:
88 Films follows a trend similar to Arrow Video and Eureka Entertainment where they offer a first print edition that includes an o-card slipcase and a couple of physical extras to go with the package.
Shaolin Wooden Men comes with a slipcase, fold-out poster and art cards made exclusively for this release. This style is similar to 88 Films’ previous titles like Dragon Lord and Spiritual Kung Fu.
The SRP is £24.99 and has 3000 unit print run. Once the print run is out of stock, they’ll re-release the film without the O-card slipcase, folded poster and post cards.
Physical Contents:
- Limited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring unique artwork by R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien
- Folded Poster with artwork by R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien
- 4 Art Cards
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: 88 Films
Released: 9th November 2020
88 Films’ Blu-ray release for Shaolin Wooden Men has one cut but multiple audio languages available; the Cantonese audio, Mandarin audio and English audio. Both Cantonese and Mandarin audio options offer English subtitles, and there’s an additional alternate Cantonese audio option that includes different music. The Blu-ray transfer is based on a 2K restoration from the original 35mm negatives of the Hong Kong theatrical release. Pretty much this release is similar to the recent Spiritual Kung Fu Blu-ray set.
The film includes two Audio Commentaries. One from Asian cinema expert Brandon Bentley, and another from Hong Kong cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema.
The white subtitles are unlockable during playback, and the regions are locked to B for Blu-ray.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Cantonese, English, Mandarin |
| Audio | Cantonese (Original) DTS-HD Master Audio Mono Cantonese (Alternative) DTS-HD Master Audio Mono English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 2:35:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 1 BD-50 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
- Audio Commentary by Asian cinema expert Brandon Bentley
- Audio Commentary from Hong Kong cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- Rick Baker on Shaolin Wooden Men
- Shaolin Chamber of Death – How Trans-Global Pictures brought Jackie Chan to Britain
- Original Hong Kong Trailer
- English Trailer
- Japanese Trailer
- Japanese TV Spot
- 88 Films “Further Attractions” Trailers for:
- Dragon Lord
- Spiritual Kung Fu
- The Fearless Hyena
- The Master
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Shaolin Wooden Men is available to order through multiple retailers across the United Kingdom. The first print edition will sell out pretty fast like 88 Films’ other Jackie Chan titles. Both Amazon UK and the official 88 Films website will be the best option to secure a copy. Once sold out, the slipcase, poster and art cards won’t be reissued.
The Normanic Vault 
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