Shaw Brothers is a production company that has operated in Hong Kong since 1958, producing thousands of films for the Asian market ranging from martial arts to comedy and horror. Many directors have worked with Shaw Bros for their films including King Hu, Lau Kar-leung, Chih-Hung Kwei, Ho Meng-hua, and Chang Cheh.
A number of their films have received international releases, and in recent years received a resurgence from UK distributors like 88 Films and Arrow Video. 88 Films started off with 25 titles, each released on Blu-ray, then released an additional 10 titles in a second batch. Arrow Video on the other hand, managed to acquire an unspecified amount of titles that will be released across different box sets. Those box sets are called Shawscope.
Shawscope Volume 1 Line-up:
Shawscope is a collection of films from Shaw Bros in no specific theme or order. Majority of the films have no connection to each other, other than being produced by the same company. While some users are disappointed that it’s not director focused as many of them have made films with the company, having a random selection does provide highlights ranging from the most known to the nichest titles around.
Shawscope Volume 1 features twelve films in total across four directors:
King Boxer (天下第一拳, Tiānxià dìyī quán), directed by Chung Chang-wha and released in April 1972. The film starred Lo Lieh and Wang Ping. Alternate names for the film were Five Fingers of Death and The Invincible Boxer.
The Boxer from Shantung (馬永貞, Mǎ Yǒngzhēn), directed by Chang Cheh & Pao Hsueh-li and released in February 1972. The film starred Chen Kuan-tai and Ching Li. Alternate name for the film was The Killer from Shantung.
Five Shaolin Masters (少林五祖, Shàolín wǔ zǔ), directed by Chang Cheh and released in December 1974. The film starred David Chiang, Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan-chun. Alternate name for the film was 5 Masters Of Death.
Shaolin Temple (少林寺, Shàolín sì), directed by Chang Cheh and released in December 1976. The film starred David Chiang, Ti Lung, and Alexander Fu Sheng. Alternate name for the film was Death Chamber.
Mighty Peking Man (猩猩王, Xīngxīng wáng), directed by Ho Meng-hua and released in August 1977. The film starred Danny Lee and Evelyne Kraft, and was previously released in the UK on Blu-ray by 88 Films prior. Alternate name for the film was Goliathon.
Challenge of the Masters (陸阿采與黃飛鴻, Lù’ācǎi yǔ Huáng Fēihóng), directed by Lau Kar-leung and released in May 1976. The film starred Gordon Liu and Chen Kuan-tai.
Executioners from Shaolin (洪熙官, Hóng Xīguān), directed by Lau Kar-leung and released in February 1977. The film starred Chen Kuan-tai, Lo Lieh, Wong Yue, Lily Li and Gordon Liu. Alternate names for the film were Shaolin Executioners and Executioners of Death.
Chinatown Kid (唐人街功夫小子, Tángrénjiē gōngfū xiǎozi), directed by Chang Cheh and released in December 1977. The film starred Alexander Fu Sheng, Sun Chien, Philip Kwok, Lo Meng and Tsai Hung.
The Five Venoms (五毒, Wŭ Dú), directed by Chang Cheh and released in August 1978. The film starred Chiang Sheng, Sun Chien, Philip Kwok, Lo Meng and Wei Pai. Alternate names for the film were Shaolin Deadly Poisons and The 5 Deadly Venoms.
Crippled Avengers (残缺, Cánquē), directed by Chang Cheh and released in December 1978. The film starred Chen Kuan-tai, Lu Feng, Philip Kwok, Lo Meng, Sun Chien and Chiang Sheng. Alternate names for the film were Handicapped Avengers, Mortal Combat and Return of the 5 Deadly Venoms.
Heroes of the East (中華丈夫, Zhōnghuá zhàngfū), directed by Lau Kar-leung and released in December 1978. The film starred Gordon Liu, Yuka Mizuno and Yasuaki Kurata. Alternate names for the film were Shaolin Challenges Ninja and Challenge of the Ninja.
Dirty Ho (爛頭何, Làntóu hé), directed by Lau Kar-leung and released in August 1979. The film starred Gordon Liu, Wong Yue, Lo Lieh, Ching Chu and Wang Lung-wei. Alternate name for the film was Dirty Avengers.
Limited Edition Contents:
Arrow Video took a vastly different approach for this release which is best compared to Anime Limited’s Ultimate Edition box sets in its style.
The Shawscope box set is presented in a rigid large box housing a digibook that contains the Blu-ray discs with illustrated artwork and the contents on each page, and an illustrated 60-page book featuring essays written by David Desser, Terrence J. Brady and James Flower, as well as cast and crew listings and notes for each film by Simon Abrams.
Also included inside the digibook are two CDs featuring music from these films – Disc 1 contains 21 tracks; 2 from Shaolin Temple, 7 from Mighty Peking Man, and 12 from Chinatown Kid – and Disc 2 contains 29 tracks; 19 from The Five Venoms, 3 from Crippled Avengers, and 7 from Dirty Ho.
The SRP is £149.99 (that’s about £12.49 per film) and has an unspecified print run. Once the print run is out of stock, this edition won’t be available. There’s no word on how a standard edition would be presented at the time of this write-up.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with clean artwork and Digibook packaging
- Illustrated 60-page Book with essays written by David Desser, Terrence J. Brady and James Flower plus notes on each film written by Simon Abrams
- 2 CDs featuring music from Shaolin Temple, Mighty Peking Man, Chinatown Kid, The Five Venoms, Crippled Avengers, and Dirty Ho.
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Arrow Video
Released: 6th December 2021
The limited edition release for Shawscope Volume 1 contains 12 films across 8 Blu-ray discs. Each disc has different restorations/transfers, audio and bonus feature content.
| Disc | Films |
|---|---|
| 1 | King Boxer Brand new 2K restoration by Arrow from a 4K scan of the original negative Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 2 | The Boxer From Shantung Brand new 2K restoration by Arrow from a 4K scan of the original negative Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 3 | Five Shaolin Masters High Definition (1080p) presentation Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub Shaolin Temple High Definition (1080p) presentation Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 4 | Mighty Peking Man High Definition (1080p) presentation Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 5 | Challenge Of The Masters Brand new 2K restoration by Arrow from the original negative Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub Executioners From Shaolin High Definition (1080p) presentation Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 6 | Chinatown Kid Brand new 2K restoration of the 115 minute International Version by Arrow from original film elements High Definition (1080p) presentation for the 90 minute Alternative Version Uncompressed Cantonese and English original mono audio for the International Version Uncompressed Mandarin original mono audio for the Alternative Version Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 7 | The Five Venoms Brand new 2K restoration by Arrow from the original negative Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub Crippled Avengers Brand new 2K restoration by Arrow from the original negative Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 8 | Heroes of the East High Definition (1080p) presentation Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub Dirty Ho Brand new 2K restoration by Arrow from the original negative Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
The white subtitles are optional during playback, and the discs are region accessible to players set to A & B.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | King Boxer, The Boxer From Shantung, Five Shaolin Masters, Shaolin Temple, Mighty Peking Man, Executioners From Shaolin & Crippled Avengers: Mandarin, English Challenge of the Masters, Chinatown Kid, The Five Venoms, Heroes of the East & Dirty Ho: Cantonese, Mandarin, English |
| Audio | King Boxer, The Boxer From Shantung, Five Shaolin Masters, Shaolin Temple, Mighty Peking Man, Executioners From Shaolin & Crippled Avengers: Mandarin 1.0 English 1.0 Challenge of the Masters, Chinatown Kid, The Five Venoms, Heroes of the East & Dirty Ho: Cantonese 1.0 Mandarin 1.0 English 1.0 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 2.35:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | A B |
| Subtitles | English, English SDH |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 8 BD-50s |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1: King Boxer
- Audio Commentary by David Desser
- Tony Rayns on King Boxer
A newly filmed appreciation by film critic and historian Tony Rayns of King Boxer and the international kung fu craze it ignited, produced exclusively for Arrow Video in 2021. - Interview with Chung Chang-wha
An interview with the director of King Boxer, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003 & 2004. - Interview with Wang Ping
An interview with the co-star of King Boxer, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2007. - Interview with Cho Young-jing
An interview with the author of Chung Chang-wha: Man of Action, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2005. - Cinema Hong Kong: Kung Fu
The first in a three-part documentary on Shaw Brother’s place within the martial arts genre, produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003 and featuring interviews with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, John Woo, Sammo Hung, Gordon Liu, Lau Kar-leung, Cheng Pei-pei, David Chiang and many others. - US Opening Credits
- Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer 1
- HK Theatrical Trailer 2
- German Theatrical Trailer 1
- German Theatrical Trailer 2
- US Theatrical Trailer
- US TV Spot
- US Radio Spot
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Image Gallery
Disc 2: The Boxer From Shantung
- Interview with Chen Kuan-tai
A conversation between the star of The Boxer from Shantung and actor Vincent Sze, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2007. - Interview with David Chiang
An interview with the co-star of The Boxer from Shantung, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003. - Interview with John Woo
An interview with the legendary director on his early days as an assistant director to Chang Cheh on The Boxer from Shantung, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2004. - Double Masters with Ku Feng and Chen Kuan-tai
A conversation between two of the stars of The Boxer from Shantung, filmed at a Shaw Brothers reunion by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2007. - Alternate Opening Credits
- Partial Original HK Credits
- Alternate English Credits
- Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- German Theatrical Trailer
- US TV Spot
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Image Gallery
Disc 3: Five Shaolin Masters & Shaolin Temple
- Tony Rayns on Chang Cheh
A newly filmed appreciation of the director by film critic and historian Tony Rayns of King Boxer, produced exclusively for Arrow Video in 2021. - Interview with Kong Do
An interview with Five Shaolin Masters co-star Kong Do (a.k.a. Chiang Tao), filmed in 2005 by filmmaker Frédéric Ambroisine. - Elegant Trails
These profiles of the actors were produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003.- Ti Lung
- David Chiang
- Five Shaolin Masters: US Opening Credits
- Five Shaolin Masters: Trailer Gallery
- US Theatrical Trailer
- German Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Five Shaolin Masters: Image Gallery
- Shaolin Temple: Standard Definition Version
This alternate standard-definition master of Shaolin Temple – while of inferior quality to the high-definition presentation of this disc – is included as posterity as, in some aspects, it is arguably a truer representation of how the film looked on its original theatrical release. - Shaolin Temple: Alternate Opening Credits
- KH Theatrical Credits
- US Theatrical Credits
- Alternate English Title Sequence
- Shaolin Temple: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- German Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Shaolin Temple: Image Gallery
Disc 4: Mighty Peking Man
- Audio Commentary by Travis Crawford
- Interview with Keizo Murase
A brand new interview with suit designer Keizo Murase about his work on the film. - Interview with Ho Meng-hua
This career retrospective interview with director Ho Meng-hua was filmed in 2003 by filmmaker Frédéric Ambroisine. - Interview with Ku Feng
An excerpt from an interview with actor Ku Feng, filmed in 2004 by filmmaker Frédéric Ambroisine. - Behind the Scenes Super 8 Footage
Newly uncovered Super 8 footage of the making of Mighty Peking Man, transferred from the last surviving VHS copy in the archives of suit designer Keizo Murase. - Unrestored Version
This standard-definition version of the film – while of inferior quality to the high-definition presentation of this disc – is included as posterity as, in some aspects, it is arguably a truer representation of how the film looked on its original theatrical release. - Alternate US Credits
- Goliathon Theatrical Opening
- Goliathon TV Credits
- Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- German Theatrical Trailer
- Dutch Theatrical Trailer
- US Theatrical Trailer
- US TV Spot
- US Re-release Trailer
- Digital Re-issue Trailer
- Image Gallery
Disc 5: Challenge of the Masters & Executioners from Shaolin
- Tony Rayns on Lau Kar-leung
A newly filmed appreciation of the director by film critic and historian Tony Rayns of King Boxer, produced for Arrow Video in 2021. - Challenge of the Masters: Interview with Gordon Liu
An interview with the iconic actor, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2002. - Challenge of the Masters: Textless Opening Credits
- Challenge of the Masters: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer 1
- HK Theatrical Trailer 2
- HK Theatrical Trailer 3
- HK Theatrical Trailer 4
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Challenge of the Masters: Image Gallery
- Executioners from Shaolin: Interview with Chen Kuan-tai
A conversation between the star of both films and actor Vincent Sze, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2007. - Executioners from Shaolin: Alternate English Credits
- Executioners from Shaolin: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- US Theatrical Trailer 1
- US Theatrical Trailer 2
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Executioners from Shaolin: Image Gallery
Disc 6: Chinatown Kid
- International Version Audio Commentary by Terrence J. Brady
- Interview with Susan Shaw
A select scene video commentary by one of the stars in Chinatown Kid, recorded by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2021. - Elegant Trails: Fu Sheng
This profile of the actor was produced by Celestial Pictures in 2005. - Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- US Theatrical Trailer
- US TV Spot
- German Theatrical Trailer
- UK VHS Promo
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Image Gallery
Disc 7: The Five Venoms & Crippled Avengers
- Interview with Lo Meng
An interview with the star of both films, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003. - Chang Cheh: The Master
A short documentary about the director, produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003. - The Five Venoms: Audio Commentary by Simon Abrams
- The Five Venoms: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- US Theatrical Trailer
- US TV Spot
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- The Five Venoms: Image Gallery
- Crippled Avengers: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Crippled Avengers: Image Gallery
Disc 8: Heroes of the East & Dirty Ho
- Tony Rayns on Heroes of the East and Dirty Ho
A newly filmed appreciation of both films on this disc by film critic and historian Tony Rayns of King Boxer, produced for Arrow Video in 2021. - Interview with Yasuaki Kurata
An interview with the co-star of Heroes of the East, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003. - Heroes of the East: Audio Commentary by Jonathan Clements
- Heroes of the East: Alternate Opening Credits
- Heroes of the East: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- US TV Spot
- US VHS Promo
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Heroes of the East: Image Gallery
- Dirty Ho: Alternate Opening Credits
- Dirty Ho
- Dirty Avengers
- Dirty Ho: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Dirty Ho: Image Gallery
Unboxing Photos:
Digibook:
Booklet:
Final Notes:
Shawscope Volume 1 is available to order across multiple retailers. The limited edition Blu-ray is available on Arrow Video’s store and Amazon UK.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
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