Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Buddha's Palm Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 22, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Arrow's Shawscope Volume Three set.

It's maybe not even that much of a joke to state that lately it has felt like there's a new Blu-ray release of a venerable Shaw Brothers film coming out every week, and in fact there have been some weeks where my own review queue has had more than one Blu-ray release of a Shaw Brothers film in any given seven day period. That said, and even granting a two title per week release schedule, it would take literally years, and arguably maybe even a decade or more, for labels to get around to releasing the entire Shaw Brothers output. In that regard, then, this massive newest volume in Arrow's evidently ongoing Shawscope series may be thought of as something of a "shortcut", at least in terms of offering a veritable gaggle of films, even if wending your way through this gargantuan enterprise will hardly seem short in any way, shape or form, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Once again, as with the first two volumes in this series, Arrow has aggregated both better known and lesser known films, delivered with typically solid technical merits and some very appealing supplements. This set has been packaged to be a shelf mate with its two "siblings" (for more information on the packaging, see the supplements section in the main Shawscope Volume Three Blu-ray review).

For "rabid completists" interested in what's already been released by Arrow in the Shawscope department, the following review links may be of some assistance:

Shawscope Volume One Blu-ray review

Shawscope Volume Two Blu-ray review

I recently reviewed 1982: Greatest Geek Year Ever! , but unless I missed it, that documentary covering a host of films released that year somehow failed to mention Buddha's Palm. That said, this crazy fantasy laden fare would have fit in quite handily with any number of films that were covered by that appealing documentary, if only in terms of how this film combines some frankly bizarre plot machinations with some frankly comical production design elements, which in this case may remind some viewers of the venerable Sid and Marty Krofft. In this wild and wacky narrative, hero Lung Kim-Fei (Derek Yee Tung-Sing) ends up on a quest of sorts which introduces him to all sorts of fanciful characters, both human and non-human. The result actually kind of reminded at times of some of the whimsical fantasy laden elements that populate such films as The Thief of Bagdad and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.

After already suffering facial disfigurement, Lung finds himself hurtled over a cliff during a fight, which then ultimately delivers him to a master named Koo Hon-Wan (Alex Man Chi-Leung), who is the sole possessor of this film's titular fighting skill. Suffice it to say that all sorts of villainous types would like that particular secret, and probably unsurprisingly, Koo becomes a mentor to Lung, teaching him the skill. There are an almost insane number of sidebars that then accrue, and it's probably not overstating things to say that the plot is often incomprehensible, though considering the absolutely gonzo visual side of things, it ends up not mattering very much. Like many of the science fiction and/or fantasy films mentioned in that "greatest geek year ever" documentary linked to above, there's an undeniably charming aspect to the film's old school special effects, and those, along with the totally wacky non-human character designs, probably help this film to elide its own nonsensical elements.

Buddha's Palm Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Buddha's Palm is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1. Arrow's almost overwhelming insert booklet lumps all the films together on its informational page about the transfers, as follows:

All fourteen films in this boxset are presented in their original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, with their original Mandarin plus Cantonese and/or English (where applicable) monaural soundtracks. Every effort has been made to present these films in their original and complete versions using the best materials available.

One-Armed Swordsman was restored in 4K resolution by Celestial Pictures and L'Immagine Ritrovata in 2020. Additional grading was completed at R3store Studios, London in 2024.

Return of the One-Armed Swordsman, The New One-Armed Swordsman, The Lady Hermit, Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, The 14 Amazons, The Magic Blade, Clans of Intrigue, Jade Tiger, The Sentimental Swordsman, The Avenging Eagle, Killer Constable, Buddha's Palm and Bastard Swordsman have all been newly restored by Arrow Films in 2024, in collaboration with L'Immagine Ritrovata, Hong Kong Film Archive and Celestial Pictures. The original 35mm negatives for these films were scanned at L'Immagine Ritrovata Asia and restored in 2K resolution at L'Immagine Ritrovata, Bologna. Return of the One-Armed Swordsman, The New One-Armed Swordsman, Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, The 14 Amazons, The Avenging Eagle, Killer Constable and Buddha's Palm were graded at R3store Studios, Lady Hermit, The Magic Blade, Clans of Intrigue, Jade Tiger, The Sentimental Swordsman and Bastard Swordsman were graded at Dragon DI, Wales. These restorations have used the entire film negative without resorting to the practice of "framecutting" resulting in the loss of film frames at each negative splice point.

The mono mixes were remastered from the original sound negatives at L'Immagine Ritrovata. Additional sound remastering was completed by Matthew Jarman/Bad Princess Productions. The audio synch will often seem loose against the picture, due to the fact that the dialogue and sound effects were recorded entirely during post-production, as per the production standards of the period.

All original materials supplied for these restorations were made available from the Hong Kong Film Archive via Celestial Pictures. The additional sequences in the uncensored version of Clans of Intrigue were sourced from a 35mm print held by Celestial Pictures. For the presentation of the alternate South Korean cut of Killer Constable, efforts were made to access original film materials for this version held at the Korean Film Archive, but this was not possible. A Korean VHS copy was used as a guide to reconstruct this cut in high definition, using the new 2K restoration of the original Hong Kong version for the bulk of the film and standard-definition inserts for the audio and unique footage. The original trailers were restored by Arrow Films from the original 35mm materials held at the Hong Kong Film Archive.

While this is another generally great looking transfer, especially with regard to an abundantly vibrant palette, the film's glut of old school optical effects lead to occasional downturns in clarity and an uptick in grain, both of which are to be expected. There are a few other variances in terms of grain structure and detailing that are divorced from any opticals. Otherwise, though, this is a really beautifully suffused effort that offers some really bold primaries and any number of more nuanced tones in both its lush costumes and sets, but also even some of the creature designs. Fine detail tends to be best in close-ups and when opticals are not being employed. Once again, there are some occasional passing anamorphic oddities on tap.

Buddha's Palm Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Buddha's Palm is another film in this set with three audio options, with LPCM Mono tracks in either Mandarin, Cantonese or English. The Mandarin track sounded the loudest to me, and also offers a probably slightly more substantial midrange than either the Cantonese or English tracks. The English is relatively well balanced but has a noticeably bright high end. The high end may make some of the undeniably hilarious sci fi adjacent sound effects (often sounding like something out of Forbidden Planet or Star Trek The Original Series) seem a little brash, something that's ameliorated in the two Chinese tracks. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Buddha's Palm Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by Dylan Cheung


• Alternate English Credits (HD; 1:22) offer the Raiders of the Magic Palm title card.


• HK Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:42)

Buddha's Palm Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Buddha's Palm is so unabashedly wacky that it's actually hard to fault the film on its narrative deficiencies. With an understanding that a glut of old school composited effects lead to some image variability at times, technical merits are generally solid, and the Dylan Cheung commentary is entertaining. Recommended.