6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Impetuous young martial arts master Kuan takes a job at a textile factory where another disciple of the revered Shaolin discipline warns him about the rival Manchu clan, who run another nearby mill.
Starring: Sheng Fu, Kuan-Chun ChiForeign | 100% |
Drama | 5% |
Action | 3% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.36:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Shawscope Volume One wasn't officially released until December 28, and my review copy came just a week or so before that release date and therefore only managed to just sneak in under the wire to make my Top 10 list for 2021 (and in fact if you don't count some "cheating" on my part where I offered more than one release per "choice", it was number eleven, due to that very situation). As I mentioned in our Shawscope Volume One Blu-ray review, the "Volume One" part of that release's title may be one of its most enticing elements, but until Arrow Video brings out a hoped for Volume Two in an equally hoped for series, 88 Films is starting to make its entrance into the US market (courtesy of distributor MVD) with, among other offerings, Disciples of Shaolin, an admittedly slightly goofy and probably lightweight entry in the Shaw Brothers' canon of martial arts films, but one that is nonetheless consistently enjoyable, buoyed by another ebullient performance by Alexander Fu Sheng (who is featured prominently in that first volume of offerings from Arrow Video as well).
Disciples of Shaolin is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.36:1. The back cover of this release offers only a fairly generic "HD remaster from the original 35mm negatives in 2.35:1 [sic] aspect ratio", but the good news is even without a ton of technical information about the transfer and/or restoration, this release can hold its head high alongside some of the best looking transfers offered in the Arrow Video set, which I consider to be high praise. Detail levels are typically excellent throughout this presentation, offering really precise renderings of sometimes rather ornately textured costumes and sets. While clarity is often appealing, this is another Shaw Brothers release where lenses may not have been optimally configured, and as can be gleaned in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, there can be really soft and actually out of focus sections of any given frame. The palette is robust for the most part, though there are some variations in overall color temperature, with some scenes looking a bit skewed toward yellow tones, which can make reds tip slightly into orange territory. The one niggling qualm some may have is that grain is not particularly evident in the color footage, though it does spike pretty appreciably in the black and white segments. Still, I found the presentation to be organic looking and not digital in appearance in any real way.
Disciples of Shaolin features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono mixes in either English (billed first on this disc) or Mandarin. I followed my usual practice of toggling between the tracks, sometimes rewinding, to see how they sound in comparison to each other. The tracks are very similar if not completely identical in terms of overall amplitude and effects mixes, though the English track is noticeably more reverberant and with a more pronounced high end which can add hiss as well as a quasi-echo or hollow effect on dialogue. Sound effects and score reverberate with sufficient force on both tracks. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
I'm always kind of curious about how certain films end up with certain labels and/or distributors, and that's the case with regard to this outing, in the wake of Shawscope Volume One. That probably irrelevant quandary aside, this film is a great showcase for the always hugely enjoyable Fu Sheng, and this release shares some of the generally excellent technical merits and appealing supplements of some of the films featured in the Arrow Video set. Recommended.
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1981
Stroke of Death / Chu long ma liu / 出籠馬騮
1979
The Deadly Mantis / Tang lang / 螳螂
1978
Ma Yong Zhen / Ma Wing Jing / 馬永貞
1997
Shi ba ban wu yi / 十八般武藝
1982
獨臂拳王 / Du bei chuan wang
1972
Sì dà mén pài | 四大門派 | Limited Edition
1977
1977
Guang Dong shi hu yu hou wu hu / 廣東十虎與後五虎
1980
Lie mo zhe / 獵魔者
1982
Mai ming xiao zi / 賣命小子
1979
Jin bi tong / 金臂童
1979
Liu A-Cai yu Huang Fei-Hong
1976
Long men jin jian / Lung moon gam kim / 龍門金劍
1969
Yu luo cha / Yuk law chaat / 玉羅刹
1968
Fei dao shou / Fei do sau / 飛刀手
1969
Duo hun ling / Duet wan ling / 奪魂鈴
1968
Palace Carnage / Can ku da ci sha / Qing gong da ci sha / 清宮大刺殺
1978
Tie qi men / 鐵旗門
1980
Lang mien jeu keun sau / Leng mian ju ji shou / 冷面狙擊手
1991