Rent Furious Swords and Fantastic Warriors: Heroic Cinema of Chang Cheh (1983)
3.3 of 5 from 46 ratings
16h 43min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
Distinguished by his penchant for bloodshed and a thematic concentration on the bonds of brotherhood and masculine sacrifice, Chang Cheh is one of the most prolific and accomplished directors ever to emerge from the Hong Kong film industry. Often hailed as the 'Godfather of Hong Kong cinema', he enjoyed a career spanning six decades and worked in a multitude of genres, from Chinese opera to kung fu films via wuxia pian, historical epics and tales of the supernatural. Presented here are ten films that reveal the range and versatility of Chang's career as a filmmaker. Traditional wuxia pian is represented by 'King Eagle (1971 - aka Ying wang) ', 'Trail of the Broken Blade (1967 - aka Duan chang jian) ' and 'Wandering Swordsman (1970 - aka You xia er)'; choreographed by Lau Kar-leung, 'Men from the Monastery (1974 - aka Shao Lin zi di)' and 'Shaolin Martial Arts (1974 - aka Hong quan yu yong chun)' are both drawn from Chang's Shaolin cycle, included here alongside 'New Shaolin Boxers (1976 - aka Cai li fa xiao zi)'; 'Iron Bodyguard (1973 - aka Da dao Wang Wu)', released at the dawn of the kung fu era, is representative of changing trends in Hong Kong cinema; and some of Chang's more esoteric work is represented by the opera film 'The Fantastic Magic Baby (1975 - aka Hong hai er)' and the supernatural fantasy 'The Weird Man (1983 - aka Shen tong shu yu xiao ba wang)'. Also included is the anthology film 'Trilogy of Swordsmanship (1972 - aka Qun ying hui)', to which Chang contributed a segment alongside his contemporaries Yueh Feng and Cheng Kang. All produced during Chang Cheh's tenure at Shaw Brothers, these ten films are a testament to the director's distinct aesthetic style and his recurring thematic preoccupations. - Actors:
- Kuan Tai Chen, Sheng Fu, Kuan-Chun Chi, Bao-Hsing Ho, Ti-ko Chen, Chi-Hung Chang, Shih-Ou Chang, Kent Cheng, Chok Chow Cheung, Chuen Chiang, Tao Chiang, Tien-Chu Chin, Yao Ko Chu, Chun Chin, Feng Erh, Yi Feng, Ha Huang, Hark-On Fung, Han Ling, Chi Cheng Ho
- Directors:
- Cheh Chang, Wu Ma, Hsueh-Li Pao, Kang Cheng, Feng Yueh
- Producers:
- Hsing-Fan Lin, Run Run Shaw, Shih-Wei Peng, Kang Tsu, Mona Fong, Runme Shaw
- Writers:
- Cheh Chang, Kuang Ni, Chun Ku, Cheng'en Wu, Pao Hu, Nai'an Shi, Wen Yi, Feng Yueh
- Aka:
- Ying wang / Duan chang jian / You xia er / Shao Lin zi di / Hong quan yu yong chun / Cai li fa xiao zi / Da dao Wang Wu / Hong hai er / Shen tong shu yu xiao ba wang / Qun ying hui / Qun ying hui
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics, Drama, Horror, Music & Musicals, Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Countries:
- Hong Kong
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 20/10/2025
- Run Time:
- 1003 minutes
- Languages:
- English Dubbed LPCM Mono, English Dubbed LPCM Stereo, Mandarin LPCM Mono, Mandarin LPCM Stereo
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- New audio commentaries on 'Men from the Monastery', 'The Trail of the Broken Blade' and 'The Weird Man' by film critic David West
- New audio commentaries on 'King Eagle', 'The Wandering Swordsman', 'Trilogy of Swordsmanship' and 'The Fantastic Magic Baby' by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- New audio commentaries on 'Shaolin Martial Arts', 'Iron Bodyguard' and 'New Shaolin Boxers' by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist and filmmaker Michael Worth
- New audio commentary on 'The Fantastic Magic Baby' by Frank Djeng
- Saving Shaolin: Legends of Modern Martial Arts and A Sword Raised to the Sky: History and the Iron Bodyguard - two new video essays by Jonathan Clements (author of A Brief History of China)
- Wuxia, Three Hays - new interview with martial arts cinema expert Wayne Wong on 'Trilogy of Swordsmanship'
- Disc 1:
- This disc includes the following Films:
- Furious Swords: Men from the Monastery
- Furious Swords: Shaolin Martial Arts
- Special Features - Disc 2:
- This disc includes the following Films:
- Furious Swords: King Eagle
- Furious Swords: Iron Bodyguard
- Special Features - Disc 3:
- This disc includes the following Films:
- Fantastic Warriors: The Fantastic Magic Baby
- Fantastic Warriors: The Weird Man
- Special Features - Disc 4:
- This disc includes the following Films:
- Fantastic Warriors: The Trail of the Broken Blade
- Fantastic Warriors: The Wandering Swordsman
- Special Features - Disc 5:
- This disc includes the following Films:
- Fantastic Warriors: Trilogy of Swordsmanship
- Fantastic Warriors: New Shaolin Boxers
- Special Features
