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Years before Shaw Brothers’ kung fu films made them the biggest film studio in Hong Kong, local audiences flocked to their wuxia pian films: mythic tales of swordfighting (and often gravity-defying) heroes fighting for honor. In his final film for the studio, Come Drink With Me, director King Hu (A Touch of Zen) broke fresh new ground in martial arts storytelling, and catapulted fresh-faced lead actress Cheng Pei-pei to stardom in the process. When the Governor’s son is taken hostage by bandits, a mysterious swordsman named Golden Swallow (Cheng) is hot on their trail to ensure the son’s release. What the bandits don’t realize, however, is that Golden Swallow is actually a woman, and that the hostage is her brother. Determined to set him free, no matter how many goons she has to fight her way through in doing so, she is aided in her quest by a drunken beggar (Yueh Hua) who may have a closer connection to the bandits’ leader than he initially lets on. Decades before Ang Lee brought the wuxia genre to international attention with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (in which Cheng played the villainous Jade Fox), King Hu set the original template in what is still considered one of Shaw Brothers’ greatest and most influential action masterpieces. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio Optional English subtitles, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub Brand new audio commentary by film critic and historian Tony Rayns Interview with star Cheng Pei-pei, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003 Interview with star Yueh Hua, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2007 Interview with star Chen Hung-lieh, filmed by Frédéric Ambroisine in 2003 Talk Story with Cheng Pei-pei, a 2016 Q&A at the University of Hawaii moderated by George Chun Han Wang Cinema Hong Kong: Swordfighting, a documentary on the history of the wuxia genre and Shaw Brothers’ contributions to it, produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003 and featuring interviews with Cheng Pei-pei, Gordon Liu, Lau Kar-leung, John Woo, Sammo Hung, Kara Hui, David Chiang and others Original theatrical trailer, plus trailer for the sequel Golden Swallow Image gallery Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tony Stella FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anne Billson, and a 2010 essay by George Chun Han Wang about the relationship between director King Hu and producer Run Run Shaw

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The art of martial-arts filmmaking took a leap into bold new territory with this action-packed tale of Ming-dynasty intrigue. After having the emperor’s minister of defense executed, a power-grabbing eunuch sends assassins to trail the victim’s children to a remote point on the northern Chinese border. But that bloodthirsty mission is confounded by a mysterious group of fighters who arrive on the scene, intent on delivering justice and defending the innocent. The first film King Hu made after moving to Taiwan from Hong Kong in search of more creative freedom, Dragon Inn combines rhythmic editing, meticulous choreography, and gorgeous widescreen compositions with a refinement that was new to the wuxia genre. Its blockbuster success breathed new life into a classic formula and established Hu as one of Chinese cinema’s most audacious innovators.

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Newly restored in 4K! In King Hu's masterpiece Legend of the Mountain, a traveling scholar is tasked with translating a Buddhist sutra said to have immense power over the spirits of the afterlife. During his research he loses his way in the mountains, encountering ghostly presences amid a haunting fantasia of color, light and landscape. King Hu rose to prominence in the 1960s and '70s as a superb director of wuxia films (A Touch of Zen), a popular Chinese action genre of swords, sorcery and chivalrous heroes. Legend of the Mountain comes from the director's late period, when his visual artistry was at the height of its powers.

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Product Description During the Ming Dynasty, a Buddhist abbot charged with protecting the sacred scroll of Tripitaka prepares to name his successor. An aristocrat and a general arrive at his secluded mountaintop monastery promising to help in his search, but are in fact scheming to secure the scroll for themselves. As they set about recommending corrupt successors, rival bands of martial artists lie in wait to steal the precious artifact. Soon, the monastery is transformed into an epic battleground for the scroll, with each player caught in a web of betrayal. Called a "remarkably photographed caper heist [featuring] intriguing battles of wits and minds" (Far East Film Festival), Raining In The Mountain is also the peak of legendary director King Hu's (A Touch Of Zen) infusion of Buddhist spiritual principles into the legacy of martial arts cinema. Review Nominated - Gold Hugo - Chicago Int'l. Film Festival --- Hu skillfully contrasts the ceaseless intriguing, greed and ambition of the characters in the labyrinthine sets with the Buddhist principle of renunciation, represented by the expansive landscapes of the film s opening and closing. - Harvard Film Archive Synthesizing disparate innovations from pan-Asian action filmmaking... Hu created the new gold standard. --Nick Pinkerton, ArtForum King Hu spent more than an entire year crafting Raining in the Mountain and Legend of the Mountain (Shanzhong Chuanqi, 1979), two films shot back-to-back on location in South Korea... In Raining in the Mountain, King Hu delivers an engaging spiritual journey and reflects profoundly on Buddhist philosophy about morals, renunciation, karmic retribution and enlightenment. --George Chun Han Wang, Far East Film Festival

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Adventure rules! The spectacular Mummy series explodes into a new realm of breathtaking, nonstop action in The Scorpion King! Unleashing Dwayne Johnson (Skyscraper) as the most fearsome warrior of the ancient world, The Scorpion King plunges you into a sweeping tale filled with stunning fight sequences, awe-inspiring battles and pulse-pounding thrills. It's the ultimate special effects-powered epic and the must-see-and-see-again adventure of the year! Bonus Content: Includes 4K UHD, Blu-ray and a digital copy of The Scorpion King (Subject to expiration. Go to NBCUCodes.com for details.) Features High Dynamic Range (HDR10) for Brighter, Deeper, More Lifelike Color Feature Commentary with Director Chuck Russell Feature Commenary with Director Chuck Russell

Description

A trilogy of thrilling tales:​ ​ Swordsman​: A kung-fu manual known as the sacred scroll is stolen from the Emperor's library. An army detachment is sent to recover it. Meanwhile, a young swordsman and his fellow disciple are accidentally drawn into the chaos.​ Swordsman II:​ Ling Wu Chung (Jet Li) decides to hide from the chaotic world. Before leaving, he visits his friends, a tribe of snake-wielding women warriors. However, he finds that the tribe have been attacked, and their leader Yam Ying Ying has been abducted.​ Swordsman III: The East is Red​ A royal official accompanies a Portuguese warship to the Black Cliffs to see the site of the defeat of the evil Invincible Asia, who attained supernatural abilities by following the sacred scroll and castrating himself. As Invincible Asia seeks to destroy all they deem "imposters", the Portuguese sailors, a mysterious Japanese warlord, and others search for them in turn. Bonus Content: Disc 1 - Swordsman: 4K Scan from the Original Camera Negative Presented in Dolby Vision Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release Disc 2 - Swordsman: 4K Scan from the Original Camera Negative Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release A Time of Legends: Interview with Co-Director Raymond Lee Cult of Personality: Interview with Actor Fennie Yuen David Wu: Proud Wanderer—A Career Retrospective with Editor David Wu Hark's Dynasty: The Early Years of Film Workshop—Interview with General Manager/Executive Producer Terence Chang Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Wuxia with Author Grady Hendrix Disc 3 - Swordsman II: Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release Phoenix Rising: Interview with Actor Fennie Yuen Trailer Disc 4 - Swordsman III: The East Is Red: Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release A Return to Wuxia: Interview with Co-Director Raymond Lee Trailer Top Similar From the Brand Questions Reviews The Swordsman Trilogy [4K Ultra HD] [4K UHD] The Swordsman Trilogy 4K Ultra HD

Description

A trilogy of thrilling tales:​ ​ Swordsman​: A kung-fu manual known as the sacred scroll is stolen from the Emperor's library. An army detachment is sent to recover it. Meanwhile, a young swordsman and his fellow disciple are accidentally drawn into the chaos.​ Swordsman II:​ Ling Wu Chung (Jet Li) decides to hide from the chaotic world. Before leaving, he visits his friends, a tribe of snake-wielding women warriors. However, he finds that the tribe have been attacked, and their leader Yam Ying Ying has been abducted.​ Swordsman III: The East is Red​ A royal official accompanies a Portuguese warship to the Black Cliffs to see the site of the defeat of the evil Invincible Asia, who attained supernatural abilities by following the sacred scroll and castrating himself. As Invincible Asia seeks to destroy all they deem "imposters", the Portuguese sailors, a mysterious Japanese warlord, and others search for them in turn. Bonus Content: Disc 1 - Swordsman: 4K Scan from the Original Camera Negative Presented in Dolby Vision Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release Disc 2 - Swordsman: 4K Scan from the Original Camera Negative Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release A Time of Legends: Interview with Co-Director Raymond Lee Cult of Personality: Interview with Actor Fennie Yuen David Wu: Proud Wanderer—A Career Retrospective with Editor David Wu Hark's Dynasty: The Early Years of Film Workshop—Interview with General Manager/Executive Producer Terence Chang Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Wuxia with Author Grady Hendrix Disc 3 - Swordsman II: Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release Phoenix Rising: Interview with Actor Fennie Yuen Trailer Disc 4 - Swordsman III: The East Is Red: Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release A Return to Wuxia: Interview with Co-Director Raymond Lee Trailer Top Similar From the Brand Reviews The Swordsman Trilogy 4K Ultra HD

Description

A trilogy of thrilling tales:​ ​ Swordsman​: A kung-fu manual known as the sacred scroll is stolen from the Emperor's library. An army detachment is sent to recover it. Meanwhile, a young swordsman and his fellow disciple are accidentally drawn into the chaos.​ Swordsman II:​ Ling Wu Chung (Jet Li) decides to hide from the chaotic world. Before leaving, he visits his friends, a tribe of snake-wielding women warriors. However, he finds that the tribe have been attacked, and their leader Yam Ying Ying has been abducted.​ Swordsman III: The East is Red​ A royal official accompanies a Portuguese warship to the Black Cliffs to see the site of the defeat of the evil Invincible Asia, who attained supernatural abilities by following the sacred scroll and castrating himself. As Invincible Asia seeks to destroy all they deem "imposters", the Portuguese sailors, a mysterious Japanese warlord, and others search for them in turn. Bonus Content: Disc 1 - Swordsman: 4K Scan from the Original Camera Negative Presented in Dolby Vision Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release Disc 2 - Swordsman: 4K Scan from the Original Camera Negative Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release A Time of Legends: Interview with Co-Director Raymond Lee Cult of Personality: Interview with Actor Fennie Yuen David Wu: Proud Wanderer—A Career Retrospective with Editor David Wu Hark's Dynasty: The Early Years of Film Workshop—Interview with General Manager/Executive Producer Terence Chang Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Wuxia with Author Grady Hendrix Disc 3 - Swordsman II: Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release Phoenix Rising: Interview with Actor Fennie Yuen Trailer Disc 4 - Swordsman III: The East Is Red: Optional English Subtitles Newly Translated for this Release A Return to Wuxia: Interview with Co-Director Raymond Lee Trailer Top Similar From the Brand Reviews The Swordsman Trilogy 4K Ultra HD

Description

The Valiant Ones is perhaps the last true wuxia film directed by celebrated Taiwanese filmmaker King Hu, an undisputed master of the genre. Shot back-to-back with The Fate of Lee Khan (but not released until two years later), it stands as a worthy follow-up to his earlier works Come Drink with Me, Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen. During the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (Chao Lei), China's coastal regions have come under attack by wokou - Japanese pirates under the leadership of the infamous Hakatatsu (Sammo Hung). To combat this threat, the Emperor tasks a trusted general, Zhu Wan (Tu Kuang-chi), with assembling a group of skilled warriors to find and eliminate the pirates. Under the command of General Yu Dayou (Roy Chiao), the band of soldiers - including husband-and-wife sword-fighters Wu Ji-yuan (Wing Bai) and Wu Ruo-shi (Feng Hsu) - set out to draw Hakatatsu, his ally Xu Dong (Han Ying-chieh) and their pirate clan into a series of spectacular showdowns. Inspired by historical events and featuring several storied figures drawn from Chinese history, The Valiant Ones is a standout wuxia film produced during the dying days of the genre, as audience tastes were shifting towards more grounded kung fu cinema. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on 4K Ultra HD for the first time. BONUS FEATURES: 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation, presented in Dolby Vision HDR from a 4K digital restoration of the original negatives gifted by director King Hu to the Hong Kong Film Archive Uncompressed original Mandarin mono restored from the original soundtrack negative Optional English subtitles newly translated for this release Brand new audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) Tony Rayns on The Valiant Ones – Brand new interview with critic and Asian film expert Tony Rayns Brand new video essay by David Cairns The Life of a Lucky Stuntman – Brand new interview with stuntman Billy Chan My Father and I – Brand new interview with actor Ng Ming-choi Archival 2003 interview with actress Hsu Feng by Frédéric Ambroisine Archival 2003 interview with Roger Garcia (Hong Kong International Film Festival Society) by Frédéric Ambroisine Archival 2016 interview with actor Ng Ming-choi by Frédéric Ambroisine