Shawscope: Volume 3

Tis the season for box sets.  And for physical media collectors there’s nothing more satisfying than 14 movies in handsome packaging arranged and curated for their cinematic significance.  Shawscope Volume 3 is the next installment in Arrow’s series of Shaw Brothers titles this time veering away from kung-fu towards a more wuxia focused assemblage of films ranging from the ‘60s to the ‘80s.

 With a set this size it’s hard to put together a timely review that encompasses everything, but it kicks off with one of the more significant entries from the beloved studio: The One-Armed Swordsman (1967), the only title to receive a 4K restoration while the other thirteen are given the 2K treatment.  Lifting the premise of its handicapped hero from the Japanese Zatoichi series, director Cheh Chang weaves a love story in between his action scenes, crafting a beautifully set-bound origin story that spawned two sequels – The Return of the One-Armed Swordsman and The New One-Armed Swordsman - which are also included/

 

From there things shift to the ladies with The Lady Hermit, Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, and the epic outdoor all-star cast of The 14 Amazons.  Things stay historical with adaptations of classic wuxia novels like The Magic Blade, Clans of Intrigue, Jade Tiger and The Sentimental Swordsman.  Just when all that stoicism and honor gets to be too much, we get Dirty Dozen / Dirty Harry inspired entries like Avenging Eagle and Killer Constable respectively.  It wraps up with the wire-work, superhero antics of Buddha’s Palmand Bastard Swordsman.

 

This being the third go-round for Arrow’s Shawscope collection, fans should know exactly what to expect quality-wise, including commentaries for each film, interviews  and a 60-page collector’s booklet which touches on them all. But it’s the films themselves that continue to surprise, adapting to their respective cinematic eras but retaining that Shaw Brothers look and feel.  This one also add an exclusive music CD and alternate Korean cut of Killer Constable.  Trust me, you couldn’t find a better way to blow that holiday gift card, 

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