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04-30-2017, 08:19 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-30-2017, 08:34 AM by Drunk Monk.)
The great thing about Shaw Brothers films is that every once in a while, I find one I missed. This one has a dumb title, but it stars one of my top Shaw actors, the ever sophisticated Ti Lung, in the role of one of Wuxia's greatest heroes, Wu Song. Wu is one of the most outstanding from the epic Water Margin. TEF retells a chapter of WM, where Wu Song is jailed form a revenge killing and the released through intrigue and of course, betrayed. It's after he killed the tiger, so his reputation is set, and is the inspiration for one of the wackiest traditional forms, Wu Song breaks Manacles, which forces Ti Lung to fight in a cangue a lot, showing off his leg skills. Wu is also one of the great drunken boxers, so Ti shows off his drunken style. I've never thought of Ti as Wu. Ti is too classy and Wu is a drunken ruffian. It's a role better suited for Chan Kuan Tai or Fu Sheng. But this is a young Ti and he nailed it. Made me rethink his acting and the character of Wu. My fav move was when Ti disarms a swordsman by sticking the blade in the cangue, then proceeds to dispatch others using the dao stuck in his cangue. A delightful film.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
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And now this is showing on El Rey Kung Fu Sunday marathon today. I watched it on a whim on Amazon Prime. It's like I'm psychic or something. Or El Rey is poaching their playlist from Amazon Prime. Now if only I could predict those lotto numbers...
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I think Prime is getting them from El Rey. I know El Rey got something like 200 titles of SB films.
In the Tudor Period, Fencing Masters were classified in the Vagrancy Laws along with Actors, Gypsys, Vagabonds, Sturdy Rogues, and the owners of performing bears.
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05-07-2017, 08:25 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-07-2017, 08:56 PM by Drunk Monk.)
El Rey has 255 Shaw titles in 2013. Did you not read my interview with Robert a few years ago?
http://www.kungfumagazine.com/index.php?...ticle=1207
That being said, El Rey didn't get exclusive rights. Amazon Prime has a lot of Kung Fu films, not just Shaw.
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This was next up on El Rey's Kung Fu morning church service after The Magnificent Ruffians ( http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomFor...p?tid=4869). It was a fun watch - I'll watch Ti Lung in just about anything. It struck me that both this film and TMR had the same underlying theme of a rich dude bribing a Kung Fu fighter with luxury - food, money, fine lodging, wine, women (well, a woman only in this one). Both are reiterations of one of my favorite passages of the Bible, Proverbs 23
Quote:When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
I've always loved the notion of 'deceitful meat'. That would make a good band name, actually.
Like I said - Sunday morning church.
I RIDE WITH EL REY
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The casual villainy of the wife of the innkeeper is pretty funny. SHe is just gonna rob and kill whomever she likes and her husband is OK with it. Dames, amiright?
In the Tudor Period, Fencing Masters were classified in the Vagrancy Laws along with Actors, Gypsys, Vagabonds, Sturdy Rogues, and the owners of performing bears.
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It's all about casual villainy.
Actually, that's a device of the book. Outlaws of the Marsh has this subplot of a desolate innkeeper that poisons lone travellers and then cuts them up for meat filling for their house specialty buns. Mmmm. Now that's deceitful meat. I've always thought that's why the notion of human-meat filled buns is such a recurring theme in so many films.
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Universal: Sweeney Todd
In the Tudor Period, Fencing Masters were classified in the Vagrancy Laws along with Actors, Gypsys, Vagabonds, Sturdy Rogues, and the owners of performing bears.
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Sweeney Todd - From String of Pearls (1846)
Outlaws of the Marsh (13th century)
just sayin...
What is it about human meat buns? They must be super tasty. I wonder if there's a vegetarian version. 
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G-Man, I think you may have strayed into the wrong thread. Unless Glen Close was baking Jonathan Pryce into a pastie.
TG: Good call.
In the Tudor Period, Fencing Masters were classified in the Vagrancy Laws along with Actors, Gypsys, Vagabonds, Sturdy Rogues, and the owners of performing bears.
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Oopsy. It was supposed to be all new and wonderful in it's own little world. Dammit! Somebody needs to teach me how to post.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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