Hurry up and plan your Christmas viewing this year because the presents will arrive early. On December 22nd, Mubi, the highly curated, cinema-focused streaming service, will release a film collection celebrating Shaw Brothers Studio’s influential fight films. Founded in 1958, the Chinese studio became synonymous with martial arts films, with classics ranging from pure wushu fight dramas to more fantastical wuxia odysseys.
The program, titled Shaw Brothers: Wuxia Warriors and Kung Fu Masters, includes 14 fight films in one place. Here is the full overview:
The one-armed swordsmanDirector: Cheh Chang
The five deadly poisonsDirector: Cheh Chang
Five Element NinjasDirector: Cheh Chang
Crippled AvengersDirector: Cheh Chang
The boxer from ShantungDirector: Cheh Chang
Hsueh Li Pao Five Fingers of DeathDirector: Jeong Chang-hwa
Come and drink with meDirector: King Hu
White Lotus ClanDirector: Lieh Lo
The 36th Chamber of ShaolinDirector: Liu Chia Liang
Dirty hoDirector: Liu Chia Liang
Legendary weapons of ChinaDirector: Liu Chia Liang
The Eight Diagram Pole FighterDirector: Liu Chia Liang
Heroes of the EastDirector: Liu Chia Liang
Intimate Confessions of a Chinese CourtesanDirector: Yuen Chor
While Quentin Tarantino and the Wu-Tang Clan get a lot of credit for turning everyday American pop culture eaters into martial arts fans, the big crossover moment for the Shaw Brothers happened much closer to the studio’s true heyday. To learn more about the exact moment Kung Fu exploded in the United States, read this excerpt from the fabulous book: These Fists Break Stones: How Kung Fu Movies Conquered America and Changed the World
Shaw Brothers: Wuxia Warriors and Kung Fu Masters premieres December 22nd on Mubi. Watch the trailer for the collection above.
