Ep: 83 (Chang Cheh: Grandmaster Pt. 1) The One-Armed Swordsman & The New One-Armed Swordsman

Episode 83 (Chang Cheh: Grandmaster) Alec and Derek begin a journey through the career of one of the undisputed masters of action films and one of the greatest directors of the famous Shaw Brothers Studio, Chang Cheh. Beginning with the film that started it all 1967s The One-Armed Swordsman. Following the success of King Hu’s Wuxia classic Come Drink with Me, and taking influence from Rebel Without A Cause, Cheh and star (Jimmy) Wang Yu present a brooding teenaged swordfighter who’s coming of age is complicated by the need to kill a horde of trained killers while defending the very people who cut off his arm. With its vivid color palate and displays of graphic violence, The Shaw Brothers had their first million dollar smash hit, lighting the fuse for the Kung Fu craze of the 1970’s, ensuring Hong Kong cinemas would never be the same. Only four years later Cheh would reboot the idea with The New One-Armed Swordsman this time with stars David Chiang and Ti Lung (more about them later) and would amplify the melodrama and violence to dizzying heights creating a film even more memorable (and homoerotic) than its beloved predecessor. All of the films we will be discussing in this series are currently streaming on Amazon Prime and we encourage our listeners to watch along and share their thoughts!

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