Eureka Entertainment has announced two new titles to join their collection on Blu-Ray this winter: Horrible History: Four Historical Epics By Chang Cheh (1972-1976) and Running on Karma (2003). These represent a quartet of historical epics and a gripping murder mystery. Details on these films can be found below:

Horrible History: Four Historical Epics By Chang Cheh [Limited Edition]

Street Date: December 10, 2024

Synopsis: Often described as the “Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema,” Chang Cheh made nearly a hundred films during a long and storied career spent at the Shaw Brothers Studio, where he directed such landmark films as The One-Armed Swordsman, Five Deadly Venoms and The Heroic Ones. Many of his films drew upon Chinese history for inspiration – and many of them were based on real people and events. Eureka Classics presents four of his best historical epics in this limited-edition set: Marco Polo, The Pirate, Boxer Rebellion and Four Riders.

In Marco Polo, the eponymous Venetian explorer (Richard Harrison) becomes embroiled in a battle between the Mongol Empire and Chinese rebels in the thirteenth century. In The Pirate, the infamous nineteenth-century raider Cheung Po Tsai (Ti Lung) must evade agents of the Imperial Court while attempting to aid the downtrodden residents of a coastal village. In Boxer Rebellion, a group of Chinese patriots use kung fu to protect their nation against invading forces at the turn of the twentieth century. Finally, in Four Riders, a Chinese veteran of the Korean War enlists three comrades to help him escape the South Korean Military Police Command after he is falsely accused of murdering an American soldier.

Marco Polo, The Pirate, Boxer Rebellion and Four Riders are all fascinating examples of the rewriting of history common in popular genre cinema, directed with aplomb by a veteran of Shaw Brothers in Chang Cheh – one of the most celebrated and prolific filmmakers in Hong Kong. All four films are presented on Blu-ray from HD masters supplied by Celestial Pictures.

The first print run of 2000 copies in each territory will feature an O-card slipcase and collector’s booklet. 

Bonus Materials

• Limited edition of 2000 copies
• Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju)
• 1080p HD presentations on Blu-ray from masters supplied by Celestial Pictures
• Original mono audio tracks
• Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
• Two new commentaries by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist and filmmaker Michael Worth
• Two new commentaries by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
• National Defence – A new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong on Boxer Rebellion
• Rewriting History – A new video essay on Chang Cheh’s historical films by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of China
• PLUS: A Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on all four films in this set by writer and critic James Oliver

Running On Karma [Limited Edition]

Street Date: January 28, 2025

Synopsis: The tenth film co-directed by Johnnie To (Running Out of Time) and Wai Ka-fai (Peace Hotel) following a string of collaborations that included comedies, romances, action films and historical epics, Running on Karma is a crime thriller with a distinctly Buddhist flare starring a titan of Hong Kong cinema in Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs).

Big (Lau) was once a devoutly religious man, but turned away from his vocation as a Buddhist monk when he could no longer bear the weight of his unusual gift: the ability to see people’s past lives and predict the impact of karma upon their present and future. Having found a new life as a bodybuilder, he is drawn to use his sixth sense for good after meeting Lee Fung-yee (Cecilia Cheung, The Legend of Zu), a cop investigating a homicide. But as the two grow closer and work together to catch a murderer, their relationship is complicated by the fact that Big can see Lee’s past lives, too…

A film that balances genre thrills with deep philosophical questions on the nature of spirituality and faith, Running on Karma stands with Mad Detective as one of the most interesting and unique collaborations between Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Asia.

The first print run of 2000 copies in each territory will feature an O-card slipcase and collector’s booklet. 

Bonus Materials

• Limited edition of 2000 copies
• Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Time Tomorrow
• 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray
• Original Cantonese stereo audio
• Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
• New audio commentary by East Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and F.J. DeSanto
• Reap the Whirlwind – new interview with Gary Bettinson, editor-in-chief of Asian Cinema journal
• Archival “making of…” featurette
• Theatrical trailer
• PLUS: A collector’s booklet featuring a new essay by David West of NEO magazine

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