Since the late 1950s, Shaw Brothers dominated the Asian Cinema market by producing thousands of Hong Kong films ranging from martial arts, comedy, horror and more. Directors including Chang Cheh, Chih-Hung Kwei, Ho Meng-hua, Lau Kar-leung, Mar Lo, and Wong Jing have contributed a film, a few or dozens for the Shaw Brothers back in the day and was a big competitor to Golden Harvest who also produced many films for the market.
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 2 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 2 continues the variety of films from different directors, some are related and others are not. In this volume we have fourteen films in total across six directors:
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (少林三十六房, Shǎolín sānshíliù fáng), directed by Lau Kar-leung and released in February 1978. The film starred Gordon Liu, Wong Yue, Lo Lieh and Lau Kar-wing. Alternate names for the film were Master Killer and Shaolin Master Killer.
Return to the 36th Chamber (少林搭棚大師, Shàolín dā péng dàshī), directed by Lau Kar-leung and released in August 1980. The film starred Gordon Liu, Wang Lung-wei, Hsiao Hou and Kara Hui. Alternate name for the film was Return of the Master Killer.
Disciples of the 36th Chamber (霹靂十傑, Pīlì shí jié), directed by Lau Kar-leung and released in May 1985. The film starred Gordon Liu, Hsiao Hou, Lau Kar-wing and Pai Piao. Alternate name for the film was Disciples of the Master Killer.
Mad Monkey Kung Fu (瘋猴, Fēng hóu), directed by Lau Kar-leung and released in October 1979. The film starred Lau Kar-leung, Hsiao Hou, Lo Lieh, and Kara Hui.
Five Superfighters (唐山五虎, Tángshān wǔ hǔ), directed by Lo Mar and released in September 1979. The film starred Ng Yuen-jyn, Austin Wai, Tony Leung Siu-hung, Kwan Fung and Hau Chiu-sing. Alternate names for the film were Drunk Fighter and Five Tigers of Tangshan.
Invincible Shaolin (南少林與北少林, Nán shàolín yǔ běi shàolín), directed by Chang Cheh and released in November 1978. The film starred Philip Kwok, Lo Meng, Lu Feng, Sun Chien and Chiang Sheng. Alternate names for the film were North Shaolin vs South Shaolin, The Unbeatable Dragon, and Shaolin Bloodshed.
The Kid with the Golden Arm (金臂童, Jīn bì tóng), directed by Chang Cheh and released in November 1979. The film starred Lo Meng, Philip Kwok, Sun Chien, Lu Feng and Chiang Sheng.
Magnificent Ruffians (賣命小子, Màimìng xiǎozi), directed by Chang Cheh and released in September 1979. The film starred Philip Kwok, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, Lo Meng and Sun Chien. Alternate name for the film was The Destroyers.
Ten Tigers of Kwangtung (廣東十虎與後五虎, Guǎngdōng shí hǔ yǔ hòu wǔ hǔ), directed by Chang Cheh and released in December 1980. The film starred Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng, Philip Kwok, Chiang Sheng, Lo Mang, and Lu Feng.
My Young Auntie (長輩, Zhǎngbèi), directed by Lau Kar-leung and released in January 1981. The film starred Kara Hui, Lau Kar-leung, Hsiao Hou, Wang Lung-wei and Gordon Liu. Alternate name for the film was The Elders.
Mercenaries from Hong Kong (猎魔者, Liè mó zhě), directed by Wong Jing and released in December 1982. The film starred Ti Lung, Wong Yue, Michael Chan Wai-min, Candice Yu and Nat Chan Park-cheung.
The Boxer’s Omen (魔, Mó), directed by Kuei Chih-hung and released in October 1983. The film starred Philip Ko Fei, Elvis Tsui, Wang Lung-wei, Bolo Yeung and Lin Hsiao-yen. Alternate name for the film was Magic.
Martial Arts of Shaolin (南北少林, Nánběi shàolín), directed by Lau Kar-leung and released in February 1986. The film starred Jet Li, Huang Qiu-yan, Hu Jian-qiang, Yu Cheng-hui and Yu Hai. Alternate names for the film were North and South Shaolin, Shaolin Temple 3, and Arahan.
The Bare-Footed Kid (赤脚小子, Chìjiǎo xiǎozi), directed by Johnnie To and released in April 1993. The film starred Aaron Kwok, Maggie Cheung, Ti Lung and Kenneth Tsang. Alternate name for the film was The Barefoot Kid.
Limited Edition Contents:
Given that Arrow Video have the rights to a whole bunch of Shaw Brothers content, they went for a digibook style layout for the first volume and they have continued that design for Shawscope‘s second volume.
The Shawscope Volume 2 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, Jonathan Clements, Lovely Jon and David West, 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 35 tracks; 11 from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, 5 from Five Superfighters, 14 from Invincible Shaolin, and 5 from The Kid With the Golden Arm – and Disc 2 contains 36 tracks; 3 from Return to the 36th Chamber, 17 from Magnificent Ruffians, 7 from Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, 2 from My Young Auntie, 3 from Mercenaries from Hong Kong, and 1 from Disciples of the 36th Chamber, and 3 from The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter which is an added bonus.
The SRP is £149.99 (that’s about £10.71 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, Jonathan Clements, Lovely Jon and David West plus notes on each film written by Simon Abrams
- 2 CDs featuring music from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Five Superfighters, Invincible Shaolin, The Kid With the Golden Arm, Return to the 36th Chamber, Magnificent Ruffians, Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, My Young Auntie, Mercenaries from Hong Kong, Disciples of the 36th Chamber and The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter.
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Arrow Video
Released: 21st November 2022
The limited edition release for Shawscope Volume 2 contains 14 films across 8 Blu-ray discs. Each disc has different restorations/transfers, audio and bonus feature content.
| Disc | Films |
|---|---|
| 1 | The 36th Chamber of Shaolin Brand new 4K restoration by Celestial Pictures and L’immagine Ritrovata Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin, Cantonese and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 2 | Return to the 36th Chamber High Definition (1080p) presentation Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub Disciples of the 36th Chamber High Definition (1080p) presentation Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 3 | Mad Monkey Kung Fu Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub Five Superfighters Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 4 | Invincible Shaolin Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub The Kid With the Golden Arm Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 5 | Magnificent Ruffians Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub Ten Tigers of Kwangtung Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 6 | My Young Auntie High Definition (1080p) presentation Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub |
| 7 | Mercenaries from Hong Kong Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub The Boxer’s Omen Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Uncompressed Cantonese and Mandarin original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles |
| 8 | Martial Arts of Shaolin High Definition (1080p) presentation Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional English Hard-of-Hearing subtitles for the English dub The Bare-Footed Kid High Definition (1080p) presentation Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio Newly translated English subtitles Optional 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 | The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Return to the 36th Chamber, Disciples of the 36th Chamber, Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Five Superfighters, Invincible Shaolin, Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, My Young Auntie, Mercenaries from Hong Kong, Martial Arts of Shaolin & The Bare-Footed Kid: Cantonese, Mandarin, English The Kid With the Golden Arm & Magnificent Ruffians: Mandarin, English The Boxer’s Omen: Cantonese, Mandarin |
| Audio | The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Return to the 36th Chamber, Disciples of the 36th Chamber, Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Five Superfighters, Invincible Shaolin, Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, My Young Auntie, Mercenaries from Hong Kong, Martial Arts of Shaolin & The Bare-Footed Kid: Cantonese 1.0 Mandarin 1.0 English 1.0 The Kid With the Golden Arm & Magnificent Ruffians: Mandarin 1.0 English 1.0 The Boxer’s Omen: Cantonese 1.0 Mandarin 1.0 |
| Video | The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Return to the 36th Chamber, Disciples of the 36th Chamber, Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Five Superfighters, Invincible Shaolin, The Kid With the Golden Arm, Magnificent Ruffians, Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, My Young Auntie, Mercenaries from Hong Kong, Martial Arts of Shaolin: 1080p High Definition Native format 2.35:1 aspect ratio The Boxer’s Omen & The Bare-Footed Kid: 1080p High Definition Native format 1.85:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | A B |
| Subtitles | The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Return to the 36th Chamber, Disciples of the 36th Chamber, Mad Monkey Kung Fu, Five Superfighters, Invincible Shaolin, The Kid With the Golden Arm, Magnificent Ruffians, Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, My Young Auntie, Mercenaries from Hong Kong, Martial Arts of Shaolin & The Bare-Footed Kid: English, English SDH The Boxer’s Omen: English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 8 BD-50s |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
Disc 1: The 36th Chamber of Shaolin
- Feature Commentary by Travis Crawford
- Select Scene Commentary by Tony Rayns
- Interview with Gordon Liu
An interview with actor Gordon Liu (“San De”), filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003. - Interview with Arthur Wong
An interview with the cinematographer of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2006. - Shaolin: A Hero’s Birthplace
This archive featurette on the film with actor Gordon Liu was produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003. - Elegant Trails: Gordon Liu
This short profile of the actor was produced by Celestial Pictures in 2005. - Tiger Style: The Musical Impact of Martial Arts Cinema
A newly filmed overview of Shaw Brothers’ influence on the reggae, funk, dance and hip hop subcultures as well as the films’ use of source cues, by music historian Lovely Jon. - Cinema Hong Kong: Swordfighting
The second in a three-part documentary on Shaw Brothers’ 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. - Alternate English Credits
- Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer (Mandarin)
- HK Theatrical Trailer (English)
- US TV Spot
- German Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Image Gallery
Disc 2: Return to the 36th Chamber & Disciples of the 36th Chamber
- Interview with Gordon Liu
An interview with actor Gordon Liu (“Zhou Renjie / San De”), filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003. - Return to the 36th Chamber: Citizen Shaw
A French TV documentary from 1980 in which Sir Run Run Shaw gives an all-access tour of the Shaw Brothers backlot (including behind-the-scenes footage from Return to the 36th Chamber), remastered in high definition. - Return to the 36th Chamber: A Hero on the Scaffolding
An archive featurette produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003, looking at the martial arts techniques used in the film. - Return to the 36th Chamber: Alternate Opening Credits
- HK Theatrical Credits
- Alternate English Title Sequence
- Return to the 36th Chamber: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Return to the 36th Chamber: Image Gallery
- Disciples of the 36th Chamber: Alternate Opening Credits
- Disciples of the 36th Chamber: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Disciples of the 36th Chamber: Image Gallery
Disc 3: Mad Monkey Kung Fu & Five Superfighters
- Mad Monkey Kung Fu: Commentary by Frank Djeng & Michael Worth
- Mad Monkey Kung Fu: Tony Rayns on Mad Monkey Kung Fu
A newly filmed appreciation by film critic and historian Tony Rayns, produced by Arrow Video in 2022. - Mad Monkey Kung Fu: Interview with Hsiao Hou
An interview with actor Hsiao Hou (“Little Monkey”), filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2004. - Shaw in the USA
A brand new interview with Grady Hendrix & Chris Poggiali, authors of These Fists Break Bricks, on how Shaw Brothers broke America, produced for Arrow Video in 2022. - Mad Monkey Kung Fu: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- US Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Mad Monkey Kung Fu: Image Gallery
- Five Superfighters: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- UK VHS Promo
- Five Superfighters: Image Gallery
Disc 4: Invincible Shaolin & The Kid with the Golden Arm
- Interview with Robert Tai
An interview with action director Robert Tai, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003. - Poison Clan Rocks The World
A brand new video essay on the Venom Mob written and narrated by Terrence J. Brady, author of Alexander Fu Sheng: Biography of the Chinatown Kid. - Invincible Shaolin: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer (Mandarin)
- HK Theatrical Trailer (English)
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Invincible Shaolin: Image Gallery
- The Kid with the Golden Arm: Alternate Version
Some earlier video versions of The Kid with the Golden Arm present an alternate cut of the fight between Iron Robe and Hai Tao, correcting a continuity error inherent to the original release and found on the camera negative. It is presented here for posterity via seamless branching. - The Kid with the Golden Arm: Alternate Opening Credits
- The Kid with the Golden Arm: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer (audio only)
- US TV Spot
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- The Kid with the Golden Arm: Image Gallery
Disc 5: Magnificent Ruffians & Ten Tigers of Kwangtung
- Rivers and Lakes
A brand new video essay on Shaw Brothers’ depiction of Chinese myth and history, written and narrated by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of China. - Magnificent Ruffians: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- German Theatrical Trailer
- Magnificent Ruffians: Image Gallery
- Ten Tigers of Kwangtung: Commentary by Brandon Bentley
- Ten Tigers of Kwangtung: Interview with Chin Siu-ho
An interview with actor Chin Siu-ho (“Lin Fu-cheng”), filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003. - Ten Tigers of Kwangtung: Textless Title Sequence
- Ten Tigers of Kwangtung: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer (Cantonese)
- HK Theatrical Trailer (Mandarin)
- US TV Spot
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Ten Tigers of Kwangtung: Image Gallery
Disc 6: My Young Auntie
- Select Scene Commentary by Tony Rayns
- Interview with Kara Hui
An interview with actor Kara Hui (“Dai-nan”), filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003. - Cinema Hong Kong: The Beauties of the Shaw Studio
The final instalment in the three-part documentary, produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003. - Alternate VHS Version
This standard-definition version of the film – while of inferior quality to the high-definition presentation on this disc – is included for posterity as, in some aspects, it is arguably a truer representation of the film’s original cinema release. - Alternate Opening Credits
- Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Image Gallery
Disc 7: Mercenaries from Hong Kong & The Boxer’s Omen
- Mercenaries from Hong Kong: Interview with Tong Kai
An interview with action director Tong Kai, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2010. - Mercenaries from Hong Kong: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Mercenaries from Hong Kong: Image Gallery
- The Boxer’s Omen: Commentary by Travis Crawford
- The Boxer’s Omen: Tony Rayns on Kuei Chih-hung
A newly filmed appreciation of the director of The Boxer’s Omen by film critic and historian Tony Rayns, produced for Arrow Video in 2022. - The Boxer’s Omen: Extended Scene
This additional shot from the first sex scene in the film was featured in a rare VHS edition from Taiwan. Film elements for it could not be found for the new restoration on this disc, but it is included here for posterity. - The Boxer’s Omen: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer 1
- HK Theatrical Trailer 2
- The Boxer’s Omen: Image Gallery
Disc 8: Martial Arts of Shaolin & The Bare-Footed Kid
- Martial Arts of Shaolin: Commentary by Jonathan Clements
- Martial Arts of Shaolin: Tony Rayns on Martial Arts of Shaolin
A newly filmed appreciation by film critic and historian Tony Rayns, produced by Arrow Video in 2022. - Martial Arts of Shaolin: Interview with Sze Yeung-ping
An interview with screenwriter Sze Yeung-ping filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2004. - Martial Arts of Shaolin: Unrestored Version
This standard-definition version of the film – while of inferior quality to the high-definition presentation on this disc – is included for posterity as, in some aspects, it is arguably a truer representation of the film’s original cinema release. - Martial Arts of Shaolin: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- Japanese Theatrical Trailer
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- Shaolin Temple 1 & 2 Trailers
- Martial Arts of Shaolin: Image Gallery
- The Bare-Footed Kid: Commentary by Frank Djeng
- The Bare-Footed Kid: Tony Rayns on The Bare-Footed Kid
A newly filmed appreciation by film critic and historian Tony Rayns, produced by Arrow Video in 2022. - The Bare-Footed Kid: Alternate Opening Credits
- The Bare-Footed Kid: Trailer Gallery
- HK Theatrical Trailer
- UK VHS Promo
- Digital Reissue Trailer
- The Bare-Footed Kid: Image Gallery
Unboxing Photos:
Digibook:
Booklet:
Final Notes:
Shawscope Volume 2 is available to order across multiple retailers. The limited edition Blu-ray is available on Arrow Video’s store, Amazon UK, and Deff.
(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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