The Shaw Brothers made over 1000 films before they left the film industry in 1987 to concentrate on television production. They resumed film production in 2009. The Shaw Brothers are best known in the west for Shaw Brothers martial arts films. The Shaw Brothers included Runje, Runme, and Runde and Run Run Shaw. This article covers Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Films 1969.
Editors note: The Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Film Project is a work in progress.
Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Films 1968
Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Films 1970
Dragon Swamp (1969) [Du long tan]
In Dragon Swamp (1969) Fan Ying is banished to the Dragon Swamp for 20 years after being implicated in the theft of the Jade Dragon Sword.
Director: Wei Lo
Writer: Wei Lo
Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Hua Yueh, Lieh Lo
The Flying Dagger (1969) [Fei dao shou]
In The Flying Dagger (1969), a wandering swordsman protects a family from the wrath of a clan chief.
Director: Cheh Chang
Writers: Cheh Chang (screenplay), Chi-Shan Li (screenplay)
Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Lieh Lo, Lei Cheng
The Golden Sword (1969) [Long men jin jian]
In The Golden Sword (1969) Bai Yu Lung’s father mysteriously disappears one night, and for 10 years Bai searches for him in vain. Finally, he decides to head to the far northern part of the country with the hope that he can find a clue in that region.
Director: Wei Lo
Writers: Wei Lo (screenplay), Kuang Ni (story)
Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Yuen Kao, Lai Wang
Have Sword, Will Travel (1969) [Bao biao]
In Have Sword, Will Travel (1969) it is strange enough that Odo and Eleanor have stumbled upon a sword in a dried-up river outside their village. It is even stranger that Odo is able to remove it from where it’s buried. And it’s remarkably strange when the sword starts to talk. Odo and Eleanor have unearthed Biter, a famous fighter from earlier times. By finding Biter, Odo instantly becomes a knight – a role he is exquisitely unsuited for. Eleanor, however, would make a perfect knight – but she’s not the one with the sword. Finding Biter is only the start – boy, girl, and sword must soon go on a quest to save their kingdom from threats in both human and dragon form in this new fantasy triumph from Garth Nix and Sean Williams.
Director: Cheh Chang
Writer: Kuang Ni
Stars: Lieh Lo, Ching Lee, David Chiang
The Invincible Fist (1969) [Tie shou wu qing]
In The Invincible Fist (1969) Lo Lieh (future international star of King Boxer) plays a dedicated chief constable for Tsang Chou village, who falls in love with the blind daughter of a bandit who is wreaking havoc.
Director: Cheh Chang
Writer: Kuang Ni
Stars: Lieh Lo, Ching Lee, David Chiang
Killers Five (1969) [Hao xia zhuan]
In Killers Five (1969) a group of evil bandits are terrorizing the land from their invincible mountain castle.
Director: Kang Cheng
Writers: Kang Cheng (screenplay), Hai-Ling Sung (screenplay)
Stars: Ching Lee, Ching Tang, Miao Ching
Raw Courage (1969) [Hu dan]
In Raw Courage (1969) the Ming Emperor is overthrown and a traitorous martial arts clan attacks the society and forces two inexperienced swordsmen to flee and begin a dangerous journey in search of allies.
Director: Wei Lo
Writer: Wei Lo
Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Hua Yueh, Feng Wu
Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969) [Du bei dao wang]
In Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969) Jimmy Wang Yu returns as one-armed hero Fang Kang, who just wants to lead a quiet life … until the Eight Demon Swordsmen won’t take “no” for an answer. That’s their mistake: Fang takes them all on, and more, in this fight-filled, action packed adventure which clearly proves that one arm, attached to the right hero, is better than sixteen.
Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969) revolutionized the kung-fu film, paving the way to the Golden Age and new wave era, which has made Hong Kong action cinema one of the most respected in the world. It was also a gigantic box-office hit, and overwhelming popular demand called for a sequel. Director Chang Cheh truly proved that he was indeed the ” “Godfather of the Kung-fu Film” by mounting a follow-up which many say is even more accomplished and exciting than the original.
Director: Cheh Chang
Writer: Cheh Chang
Stars: Jimmy Wang Yu, Chiao Chiao, Chia Essie Lin
The Swordmates (1969) [Yan niang]
The Swordmates (1969) takes place during the Ming dynasty. Traitors have sent a secret message in a jade goddess statuette, containing their plans of treason to help tribal warlords usurp power from the Ming government.
Directors: Ying Cheung (co-director) (as Chang Ying), Fan Pan (co-director)
Writers: Ko Chin (screenplay) (as Ke Chin), Fan Pan (screenplay)
Stars: Ping Chin, Hua Tsung, Chung-Hsin Huang
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Twelve Deadly Coins (1969) [Shi er jin qian biao]
In Twelve Deadly Coins (1969) an escort team on a perilous journey to transport some gold are ambushed by a gang of thieves and their gold shipment stolen, so a formidable student of the escort agency sets off to the bandits’ hideout.
Director: Teng Hung Hsu (as Cheng Hung Hsu)
Writers: Meng-Huan Chang (story), Teng Hung Hsu
Stars: Lieh Lo, Li Ching, Feng Tien
Twin Blades of Doom (1969) [Yin yang dao]
In Twin Blades of Doom (1969) a kung fu knight walks the road to vengeance after the evil Ghost Gang kills his wife and son. The swordsman known as “Twin Blades” must take on a quartet of color-coded cutthroats to set things right.
Director: Ching Doe
Writer: Kang Chien Chiu
Stars: Yun Ling, Li Ching, Hung Lieh Chen
Vengeance Is a Golden Blade (1969) [Fei yan jin dao]
In Vengeance Is a Golden Blade (1969), Li Zhishan is a rich man, but wealth cannot keep the loyalties of his wife, who has been visiting the bed of a rival. She helps plot against him, and the Vicious Long Brothers invade his home and steal the Golden Dragon Blade – a sword that makes its wielder unbeatable. Zhishan, crippled in the attack, and his young daughter are whisked away by a devoted servant, and the trio soon find shelter in the home of an herbalist. Years pass, the daughter grows up to be a lovely young woman and a powerful fighter, and the Long Brothers use the Golden Dragon Blade to gain power in the region. Zhishan’s family of sorts has managed to stay well hidden, but a trip into the city – the daughter’s first – sets off an old power struggle as Zhishan’s wife discovers her daughter is quite alive.
Director: Meng Hua Ho
Writers: Meng Hua Ho, Yun Chih Tu
Stars: Hua Yueh, Ping Chin, Ching Tang
Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Films 1968
Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Films 1970
Editors note: The Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Film Project is a work in progress.
