As part of my lengthy on-going Shaw Brothers series, I will be posting “Best of” lists that allow casual viewers to cut through the chatter and just get to the awesome. I have finally completed the first wave of films (forty-three of them, to be exact), so I present you with the first ever Silver Emulsion list! This one better hold you guys because the next list will be for 1970-1971 (which is 37 films), so it’s going to be about a year or so before I get there. Until then, you’re on your own for Shaw Brothers lists.
I quickly trimmed the list to twenty-one films and then slowly whittled that down, emerging with 10 films that are sure to excite fans of early wuxia and martial arts films alike. I’ve also included links to Amazon and Netflix for easy access by those intrigued enough to check some of these out. Most of them are actually readily available in the US.
Here we go!
#10 Come Drink With Me (1966)
Directed by King Hu
Reviewed January 13, 2011
Come Drink With Me is one of the most notable films on the list and one of the first martial arts films in existence. As such, it is groundbreaking and very important, but somewhat distant from what we would think of as a martial arts film today. It gave the world Cheng Pei Pei, the first swordswoman superstar, who would go on to star in loads of films in the 60s and a few in the early 70s before getting married and leaving cinema behind. She then notably returned to the screen in Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Being the first martial arts blockbuster (and only the studio’s sixth color film to incorporate martial arts), Come Drink With Me has an interesting feel that seems to marry Japanese samurai films with Chinese martial arts, resulting in a film truly unique and well worth your time. It might be one of the most well-known films on the list, but it’s only coming in at the number 10 spot for me. Come Drink With Me is available for purchase via Amazon and rental via Netflix.
#9 The Bells of Death (1968)
Directed by Griffin Yueh Feng
Reviewed December 19, 2011
Coming into this series, I knew that I would enjoy the Chang Cheh films, and I eagerly awaited what Ho Meng-Hua would deliver, but I also secretly hoped to discover a new director that was a bit under the radar and deserving of my time. Enter Griffin Yueh Feng, a director with three films in this period and a confident visual style. The Bells of Death is the best of the three, and the most well-known. Chang Cheh looked up to Griffin Yueh Feng, mentioning in his memoir that he credits Yueh Feng for raising the standards of the Chinese film industry, and it’s obvious why here. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chang Cheh learned a lot of his visual style from him, as Yueh Feng’s films contained the Shaw Brothers iconic look long before it was their signature. The Bells of Death is available for purchase via Amazon and rental via Netflix.