Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume 2 Blu-Ray Review – Twelve Action-Packed Essentials From An Iconic Studio

This spectacular box set comprises 12 classic martial arts films from the famous Shaw Brothers’ library, featuring some of their greatest stars – Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink With Me), Lo Lieh (King Boxer), Sammo Hung (Wheels On Meals), Ti Lung (A Better Tomorrow), and David Chiang (The Boxer From Shantung). Many of these films are debuting for the first time on Blu-ray. Get ready for some exciting thrills and chills as heroes meet villains in a duel to the death!

DISC ONE – LADY OF STEEL (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 88 min.) Cheng Pei-pei was Hong Kong’s first and most celebrated queen of kung fu because her performances set all the standards for future female martial arts stars like Michelle Yeoh. Lady Of Steel is a high-plains-drifter adventure where Cheng Pei-pei plays a swordswoman on a mission: to find the bandits that killed her parents and save the country from foreign invaders.

DISC TWO – BROTHERS FIVE (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 106 min.) Years before he was to become famous for directing Bruce Lee in Fist Of Fury and Jackie Chan in New Fist Of Fury, Lo Wei teamed with superstar swordswoman Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink With Me) for this action thriller of brotherly love … and death. She stars as Yen Lai, the one woman who can reunite the Kao brothers to rid the Teng Lung Manor of killers – as well as take revenge for their father’s murder.

DISC THREE – THE CRIMSON CHARM (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 100 min.) Huang Feng both writes and directs this “Martial Arts World” thriller of a noble swordsman and a one-armed swordswoman up against the vicious Crimson Charm gang of thieves and cutthroats. The lovely and lethal Ivy Ling Po teams with the amazing Chang I for a classic tale of good versus evil in which the best man – and one-armed woman – wins.

DISC FOUR – THE SHADOW WHIP (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 79 min.) This top-ten box office hit reunites the star duo from Come Drink With Me in another classic action adventure. Cheng Pei-pei (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) radiates her trademark charm while wielding the deadly title weapon, which is implicated in multiple murders and a major heist. Whether single-handedly fighting sixteen bandits or avenging her father’s brutal death, she demonstrates why she was Hong Kong’s number one swordswoman – and no slouch with the whip either!

DISC FIVE – THE DELIGHTFUL FOREST (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 96 min.) Co-directed by Chang Cheh and Pao Hsueh-li, and written by Ni Kuang, Chang Cheh and Chin Shu-Mei, The Delightful Forest revolves around the legendary hero Wu Sung (Ti Lung), who was sent to the prison in the Meng province after murdering his sister-in-law and a local ruffian. There he was acquainted with the prison officer “Golden Eye” Shih En (Tien Ching), who saved Wu from the baton punishment required for new prisoners. Wu found out that Shih’s restaurant, “Delightful Forest,” was taken by the local thug “Door God” Chiang Chung (Chu Mu).

DISC SIX – THE DEVIL’S MIRROR (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 90 min.) This is Sun Chung’s very first film for the Shaw Brothers, making it especially interesting and important. He hit the ground running with this action-filled tale of a “Devil Girl” who is setting one clan against another to get her hands on two amazing mirrors with supernatural powers. Only a noble swordsman (played by Lau Dan) and beautiful swordswoman (played by The Thundering Sword star Shu Pei-pei) can stop her.

DISC SEVEN – MAN OF IRON (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 99 min.) Chen Kuan-tai exuded incredible power on screen, which his directors used to great advantage in this fight-filled follow-up to the smash hit The Boxer From Shantung. The only thing Chou Lien Huan does wrong is win some money gambling with a Shanghai gang leader’s playboy son … but that’s enough for the father and child to want obsessive revenge. It all culminates in an incredible climatic fight, choreographed by the legendary Lau Kar-leung and Chan Chuen, co-star of Bruce Lee’s Fist Of Fury.

DISC EIGHT – THE WATER MARGIN (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 125 min.) The Chang Cheh-directed The Water Margin is the martial arts epic of epics … of epics. Based on the true legend of how 108 rebel heroes living in the mountains were able to repeatedly defeat invading Sung armies, the film starred just about anyone who was a name at Shaw Brothers at the time, like David Chiang, Chen Kuan-tai and Ti Lung. The primitive battles ultimately end in sharp, visually effective images of death and defeat. This is a must-see for any movie fan.

DISC NINE – THE BRIDE FROM HELL (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 79 min.) Never marry a possessed woman … especially one possessed by the spirit of a girl murdered by the uncle of the groom! That is the moral of this fascinating production, released a full two years before the international success of The Exorcist. Justice must be done and an exorcism, Hong Kong-style, must be performed before anyone can rest in peace. Talented Margaret Hsing Hui makes a fetching spirit in this mystery thriller that also incorporates a laugh or two amidst the chills.

DISC TEN – HEROES TWO (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 92 min.) Of the dozens of great martial arts movies made by this prolific and respected director, this tale of legendary Shaolin avengers Fang Shih-yu and Hung Hsi-kuan is often considered one of his best. His collaboration with equally renowned kung fu choreographer Lar Kar-leung was apparent in all the performances, but especially with that of charismatic, capable, then 19-year-old Alexander Fu Sheng. This powerful production is a true landmark in kung fu film history.

DISC ELEVEN – THE FLYING GUILLOTINE (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 105 min.) Director Ho Meng-hua attained cult status among Western kung fu film fans with The Flying Guillotine. One of the Shaw Brothers’ biggest martial arts stars, Chen Kuan-tai, plays the leader of a group of killers, commissioned by the Ching Emperor to use a deadly, beheading weapon to assassinate dissidents. Although based on a true story, the film’s weapon was a complete fabrication because in real life, no one ever survived to tell what the actual weapon really looked like.

DISC TWELVE -THE DRAGON MISSILE (1080p High-Definition Widescreen (2.35:1) / Mandarin & English Dub DTS-HD Master Audio Mono / 86 min.) The many fans of the internationally popular Flying Guillotine films and international star Lo Lieh (King Boxer) will love this movie, featuring some of the most exciting martial arts machinery ever conceived. Everybody’s fighting for a special elixir and the title tool – an ultra-cool flying boomerang with blades. There are double crosses and ambushes galore before the culminating clash of sizzling steel that must be seen to be believed.

For thoughts on Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume 2, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/1D3SR_N-57U?si=elwANv4QEmM0p6pK&t=4213]

Video Quality

Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume 2 comes to Blu-Ray with 12 films spread over 12 discs. These films share many of the same qualities, so I will mostly be judging them in groups while pointing out noticeable differences when necessary. All of the films have been presented in their original aspect ratios in their original and complete forms, and there are no films with alternate cuts included in this set. These transfers are derived from restorations conducted by Celestial Pictures with no additional work noted as coming from Shout! Factory. While there are some deficiencies within these masters, the consistent level of favorable quality is pretty impressive. With each film afforded their own disc along with some supplemental features, compression artifacts rarely become an issue with this set. The quality hovers in the “very good” range throughout with each film looking the best they ever have. 

Color saturation ends up being one of the most welcome elements throughout this set with the palette suffused with bold, natural colors that prove to be memorable in the costumes and landscapes. The temperature can occasionally appear to be slightly off, but there are never moments that pull you out of the viewing experience. The refinement in fine detail within the background elements is a welcome treat for longtime fans of these films. The least impressive source appears to be The Bride From Hell, but even it looks mostly decent. Throughout this journey you can take in the outfits and see the jump in quality from any older source. There are minor moments throughout where the level of clarity dips a small bit, but this could likely be chalked up to how the film was originally captured or the state of the source elements.

There is very little in the way of wear and tear throughout this set. With so many films in the Shaw Brothers archive, we know not every film has been perfectly preserved, so the restoration efforts from Celestial are appreciated even if they introduced some small issues to the transfer. Mostly notably, the natural film grain appears to have been managed in places, but by and large it remains in good shape without it appearing frozen or swarming in large amounts.  These encodes avoid instances of gaudy compression artifacts and other major digital anomalies. Black levels could probably be improved to offer deeper shadow detail, but you can still make out quite a bit without crush becoming a nuisance. Highlights do not appear to showcase much in the way of blooming. 

While the Shaw Brothers films rarely hit 5-star quality across any of the labels doing business with them, the transfers typically get the job done in an agreeable manner that most fans will welcome. The deficiencies are most likely due to the sheer number churned out back in the day and lack of preservation, but boutique labels are working to bring these hard-hitting gems back to audiences in the highest quality possible. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray set presents all the films with DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio Mono tracks in their original languages. There are also English dubs included for Delightful Forest, Man of Iron, Heroes Two, The Flying Guillotine and The Dragon Missile presented in lossless DTS dual mono. For our purposes, the original language track was viewed in full with some spot checking of some of the other tracks. By and large, these films get the information out capably, but they are not always the most enjoyable to hear thanks to the quality of the source. The audio quality is far from horrendous but every track has some minor deficiencies baked into them. 

The worst offender when it comes to audio quality is The Crimson Charm, which has some pretty unpleasant sonic qualities during the action sequences. Beyond this movie, though, most of the features stay pretty consistently enjoyable overall. Dialogue is the spotlight aspect for each outing with a presentation that is clear and easily distinguishable with only occasional crackling or muffled exchanges. These films are usually accompanied by some powerful sound effects in the mix that are an essential part of the enjoyment. The score is often the most erratic element with it sometimes showcasing surprising fidelity, and other instances exposing some age-related wear and tear at the highest amplitudes. These films have a ceiling for how good they can sound, but at least audiences usually get as good as they possibly can. Shout! Factory has handled these with as much care as the source will allow. All the films included in this set have optional English subtitles provided.

Special Features

• Audio Commentaries: Every film is given an audio commentary track (sometimes two), and many of them feature similar insights specific to the talent involved in the individual feature. Breaking down the contents of each track could become very repetitious, so we are simply going to list the participants of each track. The films featured in the set make up a six year period in the company’s history, so you get an accumulation of information on the state of martial arts films at the time, the backgrounds of the performers and directors, analysis of the plot, the film’s release history and more that makes each track well worth a listen.

• • Lady Of Steel: Cult Film Critic Ian Jane

• • Brothers Five #1: James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

• • Brothers Five #2: Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• • The Crimson Charm: Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• • The Shadow Whip: David West, Critic And Author Of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction To The Martial Arts Film

• • Delightful Forest #1: Cult Film Critic Ian Jane

• • Delightful Forest #2: Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• • The Devil’s Mirror: Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• • Man of Iron #1: James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

• • Man of Iron #2: Chris Poggiali, Co-Author Of This Fists Break Bricks And Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• • The Water Margin: Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• • The Bride From Hell: James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

• • Heroes Two: David West, Critic And Author Of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction To The Martial Arts Film

• • The Flying Guillotine #1: James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

• • The Flying Guillotine #2: Chris Poggiali, Co-Author Of This Fists Break Bricks And Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• •  The Dragon Missile: James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

DISC ONE: Lady of Steel

• Audio Commentary: Cult Film Critic Ian Jane

• Original Theatrical Trailer: The nearly four-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here. 

DISC TWO: Brothers Five

• Audio Commentary #1: James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

• Audio Commentary #2: Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• Celestial Trailer: The nearly minute-and-a-half minute Celestial trailer is provided here.

DISC THREE: The Crimson Charm

• Audio Commentary: Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• Trailers: This disc provides the Original Theatrical Trailer (3:46) and the Celestial Trailer (1:15). 

DISC FOUR: The Shadow Whip

• Audio Commentary: David West, Critic And Author Of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction To The Martial Arts Film

• Celestial Trailer: The nearly minute-and-a-half minute Celestial trailer is provided here.

DISC FIVE: Delightful Forest

• Audio Commentary #1: Cult Film Critic Ian Jane

• Audio Commentary #2: Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• Celestial Trailer: The nearly minute-and-a-half minute Celestial trailer is provided here.

DISC SIX: The Devil’s Mirror

• Audio Commentary: Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• Original Theatrical Trailer: The four-minute trailer is provided here.

DISC SEVEN: Man of Iron

• Audio Commentary #1: James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

• Audio Commentary #2: Chris Poggiali, Co-Author Of This Fists Break Bricks And Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• An Iron Will – Interview with Author Meredith Lewis: A massive 77-minute interview with Meredith Lewis, author of Ask For The Moon: Innovation At Shaw Brothers Studios, who delves deep into the beginnings of Shaw Brothers Studios, its rise to prominence, the challenges it faced and the legacy of their historic run. 

• Trailers: This disc provides the Original Theatrical Trailer (4:12), the German Trailer (2:02) and the Celestial Trailer (1:13). 

DISC EIGHT: The Water Margin

• Audio Commentary: Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• The Master – Chang Cheh: An 18-minute archival special which looks at the life and career of the legendary director Chang Cheh with insights from historians and artists who worked with him. 

• Elegant Trails – Ti Lung: A nine-minute archival interview with the actor who discusses his life and career at Shaw Brothers Studios, the dubbing process, injuries sustained on set, the love of his life and more. 

• Elegant Trails – David Chiang: An eight-minute archival interview with the actor who likewise delves into his personal life and history at Shaw Brothers Studios, the stunt work, his family and more. 

• Extended Love Scene: A minute-and-a-half extended love scene is provided in rough standard definition and from an English dub. 

• Trailers: This disc provides the Original Theatrical Trailer (5:08) and the Celestial Trailer (1:08). 

• TV Spot: A 32-second TV Spot is provided in English. 

DISC NINE: The Bride From Hell

• Audio Commentary: James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

• A More Traditional Terror – Interview with Hong Kong Film Historian Tony Rayns: A fantastic 56-minute interview with Rayns in which he begins by discussing the films in this set and this period in Shaw Brothers Studios. The historian then dives deep into this anomaly within the set by being both a horror film and a Taiwan film, its production and release history, horror films at the studio and more. 

• Trailers: This disc provides the Original Theatrical Trailer (3:40) and the Celestial Trailer (1:17). 

DISC TEN: Heroes Two

• Audio Commentary: David West, Critic And Author Of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction To The Martial Arts Film

• This disc provides the Original Theatrical Trailer (4:50), the German Trailer (2:59) and the Celestial Trailer (1:03). 

DISC ELEVEN: The Flying Guillotine

• Audio Commentary #1: James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

• Audio Commentary #2: Chris Poggiali, Co-Author Of This Fists Break Bricks And Brian Bankston (Cool Ass Cinema Blog)

• Flying Without Wings – Interview with Actor Kai Kang: A nearly 29-minute interview with the martial arts actor in which he shares his background, his work at Shaw Brothers Studios, his history with martial arts, the production in Taiwan, the styles of various directors and more. 

• Dubbing Delirium – Interview with Dubbing Artist Joseph Ellison: A 15-minute interview with the multi-talented Ellison who discusses the process of remixing films for a western audience and the rise in popularity in East Asian cinema. 

• Trailers: This disc provides the Original Theatrical Trailer (3:47) and the Celestial Trailer (1:05). 

DISC TWELVE: The Dragon Missile

• Audio Commentary: James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks

• Cutting Comments – Interview with Editor Jim Markovic: A 23-minute interview with the editor of countless classic Hong Kong cinema trailers who reflects on the kung fu boom in the United States.

• Shaw Brothers Classics Volume 1 and The Brave Archer Collection Trailer Reel: A nearly 43-minute collection of trailers are provided here for The Jade Raksha, Little Dragon Maiden, Killer Darts, The Flying Dagger, Dragon Swamp, The Brave Archer and His Mate, The Bells of Death, The Sword of Swords, The Invincible Fist, and The Thundering Sword.

Final Thoughts

Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume 2 continues the trend over the past couple years of excavating gems from the vast Shaw Brothers library and bringing them to more fans around the globe. This particular collection leans more towards the “ancient China” side of the spectrum with plenty of action-packed tales and classic folklore. There are a few efforts that break both period and genre conventions which aid in keeping the experience feeling fresh. Not every film is a stone cold classic, but there is not even one complete misfire in the bunch as you witness some of the most talented stars and directors the studio has ever had in one set. Shout! Factory has bundled these 12 films together into a Blu-Ray collection featuring a good A/V presentation and a terrific array of special features. As long as they keep releasing new volumes, we will be happy to devour them. Highly Recommended

Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume 2 is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Shout! Factory has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.