More
- Preamp, Processor or Receiver
- Yamaha TRS-7850 Atmos Receiver
- Other Amp
- Peavy IPR 3000 for subs
- Universal / Blu-ray / CD Player
- Panasonic UB820 4K UHD Player
- Front Speakers
- Cheap Thrills Mains
- Center Channel Speaker
- Cheap Thrills Center
- Surround Speakers
- Volt 10 Surrounds
- Surround Back Speakers
- Volt 10 Rear Surrounds
- Rear Height Speakers
- Volt 6 Overheads
- Subwoofers
- 2x Marty subs (full size with SI 18's)
- Video Display Device
- Sony 85 inch X950H FALD TV
Shaw Brothers Classics: Volume 2
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
AV NIRVANA is member and reader-supported. When you purchase an item using our links, we might earn an affiliate commission.
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
AV NIRVANA is member and reader-supported. When you purchase an item using our links, we might earn an affiliate commission.
This has been an absolutely amazing time for classic Kung-Fu films over the last year. Places like 88 Films and Arrow have been rescuing Jacking Chan and Shaw Brothers films left and right, while Shout Factory has stepped in and done their own work on these classic films. We’ve been given 2 great Jackie Chan collections on Blu-ray, a Donnie Yen collection, some Sonny Chiba films (with a 2nd set on the way!), and now these absolutely massive Shaw Brothers collections. Sadly we didn’t get to review the 1st set here (but I can confirm that it is fantastic, as I dove on buying it right away) but this 2nd volume of 12 films is just filled with some amazing classics, a few weird oddball ones (The Bride From Hell will be a standout for that type of deviation from the normal Shaw Brothers motif) and and more than enough entertainment for an absolutely killer price if you’ve kept up with Shout Factory boutique pricing.
The set consists of six “2-packs” of films in clear Viva Elite cases (each 2-pack is reviewed individually and linked below) with classic artwork for each film, and then housed inside of a large chipboard case. Each film is put onto their own disc (no “double feature” discs) and silk screened with their own classic artwork as well. Extras can be a bit sparse, but Shout has gone out of their way to craft quite a few new commentaries from various Kung-Fu film experts, and this rounds out the set a bit better than I expected.
There are some quirks though, and while these are in no way major negatives, I also wanted to point them out as oddities. Just like the Sonny Chiba set and the Jackie Chan Collections Shout has release, there are no chapter menus from the main menu, and once inside the film hitting the “pop-up menu” button takes you straight back to the main menu instead of the usual Java based overlay pop up Blu-ray is known for. Again, nothing really negative. Just some odd quirks for the set that had me scratching my heads.
Lady of Steel / Brother's Five
The Crimson Charm / The Shadow Whip
The Delightful Forest / The Devil's Mirror
Man of Iron / The Water Margin
The Bride from Hell / Heroes Two
The Flying Guillotine / The Dragon Missile
Rating:
Not Rated by the MPAA / Rated PG-13 by the MPAA
Video:
Lady of Steel / Brother's Five
The Crimson Charm / The Shadow Whip
The Delightful Forest / The Devil's Mirror
Man of Iron / The Water Margin
The Bride from Hell / Heroes Two
The Flying Guillotine / The Dragon Missile
Audio:
Lady of Steel / Brother's Five
The Crimson Charm / The Shadow Whip
The Delightful Forest / The Devil's Mirror
Man of Iron / The Water Margin
The Bride from Hell / Heroes Two
The Flying Guillotine / The Dragon Missile
Extras:
• Theatrical Trailer
• NEW Audio Commentary By Cult Film Critic Ian Jane
Brothers Five
• NEW Audio Commentary By James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW Audio Commentary By Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Cinema Blog)
• Celestial Trailer
The Crimson Charm
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Cinema Blog)
• Celestial Trailer
• Original Theatrical Trailer
The Shadow Whip
• NEW Audio Commentary With David West, Critic And Author Of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction To The Martial Arts Film
• Celestial Trailer
The Delightful Forest
• NEW Audio Commentary With Cult Film Critic Ian Jane
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Cinema Blog)
• Celestial Trailer
The Devil's Mirror
• NEW Audio Commentary With Film Historian Brian Bankston (Cool Cinema Blog)
• Theatrical Trailer
Man of Iron
• NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Veteran Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW Audio Commentary With Chris Poggiali, Co-Author Of This Fists Break Bricks And Brian Bankston (Cool Cinema Blog)
• An Iron Will – Meredith Lewis, Author Of Ask For The Moon: Innovation At Shaw Brothers Studios, A 77-Minute Documentary On The Genesis, Rise, Peak And Fall Of The Shaw Brothers Movie Empire
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• German Trailer
• Celestial Trailer
The Water Margin
• NEW Audio Commentary with film historian Brian Bankston (Cool Cinema blog)
• The Master: Chang Cheh
• Elegant Trails: Ti Lung
• Elegant Trails: David Chiang
• Extended Love Scene
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Celestial Trailer
• TV Spot for the U.S. release SEVEN BLOWS OF THE DRAGON
The Bride from Hell
• NEW Audio Commentary By James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• A More Traditional Terror: Hong Kong Film Historian Tony Rayns Talks Shaw Brothers Horror Films
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Celestial Trailer
Heroes Two
• NEW Audio Commentary By David West, Critic And Author Of Chasing Dragons: An Introduction To The Martial Arts Film
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• German Trailer
• Celestial Trailer
The Flying Guillotine
• NEW Audio Commentary By James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW Audio Commentary With Chris Poggiali, Co-Author Of These Fists Break Bricks And Brian Bankston (Cool Cinema Blog)
• NEW Flying Without Wings – Actor Kai Kang Shares His Memories Of Working With The Studio In His First Ever On-Camera Interview
• NEW Dubbing Delirium – Joseph Ellison, Dubbing Artist On FLYING GUILLOTINE For Its U.S. Release, Reflects On The Early Kung-Fu Film Boom
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Celestial Trailer
The Dragon Missi
• NEW Audio Commentary By James Mudge, Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
• NEW Cutting Comments – Jim Marcovic, Editor Of Many Martial Arts Trailers For U.S. Cinemas During The 70s And 80s, Speaks About The Kung Fu Film Boom
• Trailers For Shaw Brothers Classics Volume 1 And The Brave Archer Collection (The Jade Raksha, Little Dragon Maiden, Killer Darts, The Flying Dagger, Dragon Swamp, The Brave Archer And His Mate, The Bells of Death, The Sword of Swords, The Invincible Fist, And The Thundering Sword)
Final Score:
At the end of the day this is an utterly fantastic set that showcases some of the great classics of 1970s Shaw Brothers history. Each film is lovingly restored by Celestial Pictures and encoded by Shout Factory, with some solid extras and a great mixture of genre types that existed during that time period of Shaw Brothers history. Audio and video are, with only a few exceptions, really good and this is a set that you honestly can’t miss if you’re a Shaw Brothers fan or just a fan of classic Wuxia films. I enjoyed the ever loving snot out of this set and am highly anticipating the 3rd volume that just got announced today! Highly recommended.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Various
Directed by: Various
Written by: Various
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: Mandarin: DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono
Subtitles: English
Studio: Shout Factory
Rated: NR/PG-13
Runtime: Various
Blu-Ray Release Date: August 15th, 2023
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
