| Golden Swallow | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Chang Cheh |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Run-me Shaw [1] |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Pao Hsueh-li [1] |
| Edited by | Chiang Hsing-loong [1] |
| Music by | Wang Foo-ling [1] |
Production company | Shaw Brothers [1] |
Release date |
|
| Country | Hong Kong [1] |
| Language | Mandarin [1] |
Golden Swallow is a 1968 Hong Kong film directed by Chang Cheh. [2] The film is a sequel to Come Drink With Me . [3]
Golden Swallow is forced into violence when a figure from her mysterious past goes on a killing rampage while leaving evidence that holds her responsible. Golden Swallow gets involved with a love triangle involving a mad, but righteous, swordsman named Silver Roc and a gentle warrior named Golden Whip. The three team up to conquer the evil forces of the martial world, but their joint venture only lasts so long, due to the two men's egos. Ultimately, a duel to the death is planned between them, leaving Golden Swallow caught between two men, both of whom she admires.
Director Chang Cheh stated that for Golden Swallow he disregarded a historical backdrop for the film to give the story more creative freedom. [1] Chang Cheh was his first time partnering with Ni Kuang to write the script. [1] Cheh said that Ni "quickly picked up the techniques of scriptwriting—The Invincible Fist (1969) was simply a masterstroke by a gifted writer! The ensemble of characters was each vividly portrayed and the script depicted the four seasons with a sensibility rarely found in Chinese films. I also heightened the romantic sub-plot of 'The Golden Swallow' which centres on the triangular love relationship between Jimmy Wang Yu, Lo Lieh and Cheng Pei-pei". [1] The Shaw Brothers intended to base the script on the character of Golden Swallow character in King Hu's Come Drink with Me . After several script re-writes, the characters bear little to no resemblance to the original characters from Come Drink With Me. [1] Chang also stated he took influence from Japanese cinema at the period, and chose to shoot the film entirely in Japan. [1]
Golden Swallow was distributed in Hong Kong on April 4, 1968. [1] The film was among the ten top-grossing Mandarin films of 1968. [1]
From contemporary reviews, "Harr." of Variety stated the film was in competition with Italian Western as "one of the bloodiest films ever released" and that "the nauseating degree of violence and bloodshed in this film recommends it only for sadistic, exploitation situations". [4]
From a retrospective review, Donald Guarisco of AllMovie wrote that the film was "full of outrageous bloodletting, over-the-top melodrama and plenty of machismo" and depending on the viewers tolerance of these elements, the film "offers plenty of rewards for those who can appreciate action filmmaking at its most extreme". Guarisco found that "the plotting doesn't always make sense and Cheng Pei-Pei [...] is unfortunately sidelined by the film's male-centric story line. That said, Hsia Yu-Yen delivers all the thrills a kung-fu film should offer and is well worth the time for genre enthusiasts thanks to its historic importance as an early Chang Cheh classic". [5]
It was the third-highest grossing film in Hong Kong for the year behind You Only Live Twice and Dragon Inn . [6]
Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011.
Come Drink with Me is a 1966 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by King Hu. Set during the Ming Dynasty, it stars Cheng Pei-pei and Yueh Hua as warriors with Chan Hung-lit as the villain, and features action choreography by Han Ying-chieh. The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 39th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.
Chang Cheh was a Chinese filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films in Greater China, the majority of them with the Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong. Most of his films are action films, especially wuxia and kung fu films filled with violence.
One-Armed Swordsman is a 1967 Hong Kong wuxia film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio. Directed by Chang Cheh, it was the first of the new style of wuxia films emphasizing male anti-heroes, violent swordplay and heavy bloodletting. It was the first Hong Kong film to make HK$1 million at the local box office, propelling its star Jimmy Wang to super stardom.
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. Action films from Hong Kong have roots in Chinese and Hong Kong cultures including Chinese opera, storytelling and aesthetic traditions, which Hong Kong filmmakers combined with elements from Hollywood and Japanese cinema along with new action choreography and filmmaking techniques, to create a culturally distinctive form that went on to have wide transcultural appeal. In turn, Hollywood action films have been heavily influenced by Hong Kong genre conventions, from the 1970s onwards.
Jimmy Wang Yu was a Hong Kong-Taiwanese martial artist, actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. Initially a contract player for Shaw Brothers, he rose to fame for his starring role in One-Armed Swordsman (1967) and its sequels, and was one of the first major stars of martial arts and wuxia cinema. At the height of his fame in the 1970s, he was the highest-paid martial arts actor in the world. According to The New York Times, Wang was "the biggest star of Asian martial arts cinema until the emergence of Bruce Lee."
Huang Yu-chun, known by her final stage name Ivy Ling Po, is a retired Hong Kong actress and Chinese opera singer. She is best known for a number of mega-hit Huangmei opera films in the 1960s, especially The Love Eterne (1963) which made her an Asian superstar overnight. She played an important role in the entertainment industry for preserving the Huangmei opera art form.
Cheng Pei-pei is a Chinese actress known for her performance in the 1966 King Hu wuxia film Come Drink with Me. Internationally, she is known for her portrayal of Jade Fox in the award-winning 2000 wuxia film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
King Boxer, also known as Five Fingers of Death, is a 1972 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Jeong Chang-hwa and starring Lo Lieh. It was produced by Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd., the largest Hong Kong movie production studio at the time. The script was written by Chiang Yang (江陽). Made in Hong Kong, it is one of many kung fu movies with Indonesian-born actor Lo Lieh (羅烈) in the lead. He appeared in many similar martial arts film efforts from the 1960s, pre-dating the more internationally successful Bruce Lee.
The Venom Mob is the colloquial title of a group of actors from the Shaw Brothers Studio, popular creators of martial arts films in the 1970s and 1980s. Most were friends since childhood and attended the Fu Sheng Drama School in Taiwan before meeting director Chang Cheh and moving on to the Shaw Brothers studio in Hong Kong.
Five Elements Ninjas is a 1982 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh. The film is about a Chinese martial arts school finds itself outclassed by their rivals, they hire elite ninja from Japan to destroy the school. The lone survivor of the massacre learns the secrets of ninjutsu and seeks revenge against the ninja. Although only starring one member of the famed Venom Mob in Lo Mang, the film very much is in the spirit of director Cheh's later Venom Mob films.
Shaolin Temple is a Shaw Brothers del 1975 film directed by Chang Cheh. It is one of the Shaolin Temple themed martial arts films and concerns their rebellion against the Qings, with an all-star cast featuring the second and third generations of Chang Cheh's stable of actors including David Chiang, Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan Chun, as well as cameo appearances by several of the actors that would later become collectively known as the Venoms mob. The film serves as a pseudo prequel to Five Shaolin Masters.
Brothers Five is a 1970 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Lo Wei and produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio.
Filmography for the Indo-Chinese Hong Kong film actor and martial artist Lo Lieh:
The Deadly Duo is a 1971 Hong Kong Wuxia film directed by Chang Cheh, and starring David Chiang and Ti Lung.
Man Of Iron is a 1972 Hong Kong film by Shaw Studio. It was directed by Chang Cheh with Pao Hsueh Lieh.
Roy Chiao was a Hong Kong actor, most notable in the United States for playing the minor villain Lao Che in the 1984 movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Dick Wei is a Taiwanese actor, director and writer who specializes in martial arts and action films.
Tiger Cage 2 is a 1990 Hong Kong action film directed by Yuen Woo-ping and starring Donnie Yen. The film is a sequel to the 1988 film Tiger Cage, which was also directed by Yuen, and features a new storyline with returning cast members Yen and Carol Cheng in different roles.
The Duel, also known as Duel of the Iron Fist, is a 1971 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh and starring Ti Lung, Wang Ping, Yue Wai and David Chiang.