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 1970.
Editors note: The Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Film Project is a work in progress.
Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Films 1969
Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Films 1971
Lady of Steel (1970) [Huang jiang nu xia]
In Lady of Steel (1970) a young swordswoman named Fang Ying-qi sets out to join a gathering of the martial world’s leading warriors under the banner of Lord Xia and the Flying Dragon Clan. Their mission is to defend their country against invading forces.
Director: Meng Hua Ho
Writer: Jen Liang
Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Hua Yueh, Chung-Hsin Huang
Stunt Coordinator: Hsiao Sung Liang
Brothers Five (1970) [Wu hu tu long]
In Brothers Five (1970), a young woman sets out to reunite feuding brothers to take out a gang of killers who have murdered their father.
Director: Wei Lo
Writers: Wei Lo, Kuang Ni
Stars: Pei-Pei Cheng, Han Chin, Yi Chang
Action Coordinator: Simon Hsu
The Chinese Boxer (1970) The Hammer of God (1970) [Long hu dou]
The golden age of kung-fu film’s first superstar Jimmy Wang Yu (even before Bruce Lee) wrote, directed and starred in The Chinese Boxer (1970), his classic favorite about a noble young martial arts student who won’t give up – no matter how many blood-thirsty Japanese killers he faces!
The Chinese Boxer (1970) is the first real Kung-fu movie using the empty hand art of Kung fu (no swords), which began a new genre in Hong Kong action movies. It become a new box office success and paved the way for the future Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan movies in this new genre.
Director: Jimmy Wang Yu (as Yu Wang)
Writer: Jimmy Wang Yu (as Yu Wang)
Stars: Jimmy Wang Yu, Lieh Lo, Ping Wang
Action Coordinator: Chia Tang
The Golden Knight (1970) [Jin yi da xia]
In The Golden Knight (1970), Yu Fei-Hsia (Lilly Ho) is accused of killing a clan member in vengeance after her father’s murder at the hands of the Golden Knight organization, . To prove her innocence she has to track down the real killer.
Director: Feng Yueh
Writers: Feng Huang, I. Fang Yeh
Stars: Lily Ho, Yuen Kao, Pei-Pei Shu
Action Coordinator: Ying-Chieh Han
No Video Trailer Available
Heads for Sale (1970) [Nu xia mai ren tou]
Heads for Sale (1970) is about a decapitating swordswoman who will let nothing stand in her way when she falls in love with a bandit’s son. Chiao Chiao, made famous in One-Armed Swordsman, is the girl who won’t let such trifles as craniums keep her from freeing her man from jail. The one villain who manages to keep his head (in every definition of the phrase) is Fan Mei-sheng.
Director: Chang-hwa Jeong (as Chang Ho Cheng)
Writer: I. Fang Yeh
Stars: Chiao Chiao, Liang Chen, Hsieh Wang
Stunt Coordinator: Simon Hsu
The Heroic Ones (1970) [Shi san tai bao]
In The Heroic Ones (1970) a Mogul king decides to take stealthy action to help overpower his greatest rivals. He chooses nine out thirteen of his loyal generals (who he treats as sons) to embark on the mission. However, jealously amongst them sparks a treacherous family feud that could lead to catastrophic consequences for all involved.
Director: Cheh Chang
Writers: Cheh Chang, Kuang Ni
Stars: David Chiang, Han Chin, Lung Ti
Fighting Instructors: Chia Yung Liu, Chia-Liang Liu, Chia Tang
The Iron Buddha (1970) [Tie luo han]
In The Iron Buddha (1970) a notorious rapist kills his master and entire clan, so the Iron Buddha sets out for revenge.
Director: Chun Yen
Writer: Kang Sung
Stars: Yun Ling, Yin Fang, Jeanette Yu Wei
Action Coordinators: Ying-Chieh Han, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
No Video Trailer Available
The Secret of the Dirk (1970) [Da luo jian xia]
in The Secret of the Dirk (1970), the noble Liu family are separated when bandits besiege their city, and some treasure goes missing. Many years later, a group of youngsters are tasked with finding the treasure and a Liu family heir and a swordsman gets caught up in the tale.
Director: Teng Hung Hsu
Writer: I. Fang Yeh
Stars: Yi Chang, Pei-Pei Shu, Li Ching
Fighting Instructor: Chia Tang
No Video Trailer Available
Swordswomen Three (1970) [Jiang hu san nu xia]
The plot follows the titular sisters, Ruo Lien, Ruo Lan and Ruo Mei whose clan protects the famous mighty steel sword, a powerful weapon much sought after by their rivals, in particular the nasty Chu Tien Hsiang (played by the legendary actor Lo Lieh, known at the time for being the studio’s first international superstar, appearing in the likes of “King Boxer” and “Lady Hermit”) who aims to use it to become number one in the martial arts world. Infiltrating the trio with his cunning schemes, he seizes the blade and sets about eliminating its rightful owners as the girls band together to bring him to justice.
Director: Chiang Shen
Writer: Chiang Shen
Stars: Yi Shen, Chia Essie Lin, Yin-Tze Pan
Action Coordinators: Chia-Liang Liu, Chia Tang
No Video Trailer Available
A Taste of Cold Steel (1970) [Wu lin feng yun]
In A Taste of Cold Steel (1970), three sisters unite with a cousin to avenge their father who was killed by a group of noblemen with ties to a criminal gang.
Director: Feng Yueh
Writer: Po Yi Wang
Stars: Pei-Pei Shu, Yi Chang, Chia Essie Lin
Action Coordinator: Simon Hsu
The Twelve Gold Medallions (1970) [Shi er jin pai]
During the war precipitated by a Tartar invasion, patriotic swordsman Miao Lung sets about eliminating a series of messengers carrying twelve imperial decrees fashioned in the form of golden medallions.
Director: Kang Cheng
Writers: Di-Yi Chen, Kang Cheng
Stars: Ping Chin, Hua Yueh, Chiao Chiao
Stunt Coordinators: Simon Hsu, Sammo Kam-Bo Hung
Valley of the Fangs (1970) [E lang gu]
In Valley of the Fangs (1970), a stirring saga of the “Martial Arts World,” Lo Lieh plays a righteous swordsman trying to protect another hero’s wife and daughter from a corrupt minister’s murderous plans…two years before he and the director Cheng Chang-ho would become internationally famous for King Boxer.
Director: Chang-hwa Jeong (as Chang Ho Cheng)
Writer: Po Yi Wang
Stars: Ching Lee, Lieh Lo, Liang Chen
Stunt Coordinator: Chia Yung Liu
Vengeance! (1970) [Bao chou]
Vengeance! (1970) takes place in 1925 in China, where a man returns to track down and kill the men who murdered his brother.
Director: Cheh Chang
Writers: Cheh Chang, Kuang Ni
Stars: David Chiang, Lung Ti, Ping Wang
Tumbling Stunts: Cheung-Yan Yuen
The Wandering Swordsman (1970) [You xia er]
In The Wandering Swordsman (1970), the charismatic David Chiang joins the “queen of Shaw Brothers kung-fu,” Lily Li, in an entertaining “Martial Arts World” epic about a hero who robs from the robbers and gives to the poor – making the vengeful robbers very cross indeed!
Director: Cheh Chang
Writer: Kuang Ni (screenplay) (as I Kuang)
Stars: David Chiang, Lily Li, Pei-Shan Chang
Action Coordinator: Shao-Peng Chen, Cheung-Yan Yuen
The Winged Tiger (1970) [Cha chi hu]
In The Winged Tiger (1970), the king of martial arts writes a manual of all skills but, in order to prevent it being held by one person he divides it into two parts, one holding all the even numbered pages and the other holding the odd pages.
Director: Chiang Shen
Writer: Chiang Shen
Stars: Chien Yu, Hung Lieh Chen, Feng Tien
Stunt Coordinator: Chia-Liang Liu, Chia Tang
No Video Trailer Available
Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Films 1969
Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Films 1971
Editors note: The Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Film Project is a work in progress.
