Shawscope - Volume 2 (Shaw Brothers, Limited Edition, 8 Blu-rays + 2 CDs)

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Picking up where Volume One left off, this sophomore collection of Hong Kong cinema classics draws together many of the best films from the final years of the Shaw Brothers studio, proving that while the end was nigh, these merchants of martial arts mayhem weren't going to go out without a fight! Armed with stunning special features and ravishing new restorations, this boxset is even bigger and bolder than the last one. We begin with kung fu master Lau Kar-leung's classic The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, in which Gordon Liu achieved overnight stardom as the young man who finds enlightenment on the path to vengeance; Lau and Liu followed the original with two inventive sequels, Return to the 36th Chamber and Disciples of the 36th Chamber, both included here. A genius at blending dazzling action with physical comedy, Lau plays the lead role in the hilarious Mad Monkey Kung Fu, coupled here with Lo Mar's Five Superfighters. Next, we once again meet Chang Cheh's basher boy band the Venom Mob in four of their best-loved team-ups: Invincible Shaolin, The Kid with the Golden Arm, Magnificent Ruffians and the all-star Ten Tigers of Kwangtung, co-starring Ti Lung and Fu Sheng. After Lau brings us perhaps his best high-kicking comedy with My Young Auntie, a playful star vehicle for his real-life muse Kara Hui, we see Shaw Brothers embracing 80s excess in our strangest double feature yet: Wong Jing's breathtakingly wild shoot-'em up Mercenaries from Hong Kong, and Kuei Chih-hung's spectacularly unhinged black magic meltdown The Boxer's Omen. Last but certainly not least, Lau Kar-leung directs the last major Shaw production, Martial Arts of Shaolin, filmed in mainland China with a hot new talent named Jet LI in the lead role; it is paired in this set with The Bare-footed Kid, a reverent remake of a Chang Cheh classic with Johnnie To in the director's chair and Lau back on choreography duties, in arguably the ultimate filmed tribute to Shaws' everlasting cinematic legacy.

High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentations of all fourteen films, including nine new 2K restorations by Arrow Films

Illustrated 60-page collectors’ book featuring new writing by David Desser, Jonathan Clements, Lovely Jon and David West, plus cast and crew listings and notes on each film by Simon Abrams

New artwork by Mike Lee-Graham, Chris Malbon, Kagan McLeod, Colin Murdoch, “Kung Fu” Bob O’Brien, Lucas Peverill, Ilan Sheady, Tony Stella, Darren Wheeling and Jolyon Yates

Hours of never-before-seen bonus features including several cast and crew interviews from the Frédéric Ambroisine Video Archive

Two CDs of music from the De Wolfe Music library as heard in several of the films, exclusive to this collection

DISC ONE – THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN

Brand new 4K restoration by Celestial Pictures and L’Immagine Ritrovata

Newly restored uncompressed Mandarin, Cantonese and English original mono audio

Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub

Brand new feature commentary by critic Travis Crawford

Brand new select-scene commentary by film critic and historian Tony Rayns

Interview with star Gordon Liu, filmed in 2003

Interview with cinematographer Arthur Wong, filmed in 2006

Shaolin: Birthplace of a Hero and Elegant Trails, two archive featurettes with Gordon Liu produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003

Tiger Style: The Musical Impact of Martial Arts Cinema, a newly filmed overview of Shaw Brothers’ influence on hip hop and other music genres, featuring music historian Lovely Jon

Cinema Hong Kong: Swordfighting, the second instalment in a three-part documentary produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003 and featuring interviews with Gordon Liu, Lau Kar-leung, Cheng Pei-pei, John Woo, Sammo Hung, Kara Hui, David Chiang and others

Alternate opening credits from the American version titled Master Killer

Hong Kong and German theatrical trailers, plus US TV spot

Image gallery

DISC TWO – RETURN TO THE 36TH CHAMBER / DISCIPLES OF THE 36TH CHAMBER

Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films

Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs

Interview with star Gordon Liu, filmed in 2003

Citizen Shaw, a French TV documentary from 1980 directed by Maurice Frydland, in which Sir Run Run Shaw gives an all-access tour of the Shaw Brothers backlot (including behind-the-scenes footage from Return to the 36th Chamber), remastered in high definition

Hero on the Scaffolding, an archive featurette produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003

Alternate opening credits sequences for both films

Hong Kong theatrical trailers for both films

Image galleries for both films

DISC THREE – MAD MONKEY KUNG FU / FIVE SUPERFIGHTERS

Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films

Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono for both films

Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs

Brand new commentary for Mad Monkey Kung Fu by martial arts cinema experts Frank Djeng and Michael Worth

Newly filmed appreciation of Mad Monkey Kung Fu by film critic and historian Tony Rayns

Interview with actor Hsiao Hou, filmed in 2004

Shaw in the USA, a brand new featurette on how Shaw Brothers broke America featuring Grady Hendrix and Chris Poggiali, authors of These Fists Break Bricks

Hong Kong and US theatrical trailers for Mad Monkey Kung Fu

Hong Kong theatrical trailer and UK VHS promo for Five Superfighters

Image galleries for both films

DISC FOUR – INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN / THE KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM

Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films

Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films, plus Cantonese mono for Invincible Shaolin

Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs

Interview with action director Robert Tai, filmed in 2003

Poison Clan Rocks The World, a brand new visual essay on the Venom Mob written and narrated by author Terrence J. Brady

Alternate "continuity" cut of The Kid With The Golden Arm, presented via seamless branching

Alternate and textless title sequences for The Kid with the Golden Arm

Hong Kong theatrical trailer for Invincible Shaolin

Hong Kong theatrical trailer (audio only) and US TV spot for The Kid with the Golden Arm

Image galleries for both films

DISC FIVE – MAGNIFICENT RUFFIANS / TEN TIGERS OF KWANGTUNG

Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films

Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films, plus Cantonese mono for Ten Tigers of Kwangtung

Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs

Brand new audio commentary on Ten Tigers of Kwangtung by filmmaker Brandon Bentley

Interview with star Chin Siu-ho, filmed in 2003

Rivers and Lakes, a brand new video essay on Shaw Brothers’ depiction of Chinese myth and history, written and narrated by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of China

Hong Kong (audio only) and German theatrical trailers for Magnificent Ruffians

Hong Kong trailers (Mandarin and Cantonese audio options) and US TV spot for Ten Tigers of Kwangtung

Image galleries for both films

DISC SIX – MY YOUNG AUNTIE

Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio

Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub

Brand new select-scene commentary by film critic and historian Tony Rayns

Interview with star Kara Hui, filmed in 2003

Cinema Hong Kong: The Beauties of the Shaw Studios, the final instalment in the three-part documentary produced by Celestial Pictures in 2003

Alternate standard-definition VHS version

Hong Kong theatrical trailer

Image gallery

DISC SEVEN – MERCENARIES FROM HONG KONG / THE BOXER'S OMEN

Brand new 2K restorations of both films from the original negatives by Arrow Films

Uncompressed Cantonese and Mandarin original mono audio for both films plus English mono for Mercenaries from Hong Kong

Newly translated English subtitles for both films, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dub

Brand new commentary on The Boxer’s Omen by critic Travis Crawford

Newly filmed appreciation of filmmaker Kuei Chih-hung by film critic and historian Tony Rayns

Additional footage from Mandarin VHS version of The Boxer's Omen

Interview with Mercenaries from Hong Kong action director Tong Kai, filmed in 2009

Hong Kong theatrical trailers for both films

Image galleries for both films

DISC EIGHT – MARTIAL ARTS OF SHAOLIN / THE BARE-FOOTED KID

Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films

Newly translated English subtitles, plus optional hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs

Brand new commentary on Martial Arts of Shaolin by Jonathan Clements

Brand new commentary on The Bare-Footed Kid by Frank Djeng of the NY Asian Film Festival

Newly filmed appreciations of both films by film critic and historian Tony Rayns

Interview with Martial Arts of Shaolin screenwriter Sze Yeung-ping, filmed in 2004

Alternate standard-definition version of Martial Arts of Shaolin

Hong Kong and Japanese theatrical trailers for Martial Arts of Shaolin, plus trailers for the preceding Shaolin Temple films starring Jet Li

Hong Kong theatrical trailer and UK VHS promo for The Bare-Footed Kid

Image galleries for both films

DISC NINE – MUSIC FROM THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, FIVE SUPERFIGHTERS, INVINCIBLE SHAOLIN AND THE KID WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (CD)

DISC TEN – MUSIC FROM RETURN TO THE 36TH CHAMBER, MAGNIFICENT RUFFIANS, TEN TIGERS OF KWANGTUNG, MY YOUNG AUNTIE, MERCENARIES FROM HONG KONG AND DISCIPLES OF THE 36TH CHAMBER (CD)