Every once in a while I feel the need to inject a little testosterone into this blog before it becomes too soft. Hence, this fabulous pinup of Lo Lieh, my favorite of Shaw's mid-60s crop of young male stars.
I was first introduced to Lo in more recent fare such as Jackie Chan's Mr. Canton and Lady Rose (1989) and Glass Tears (2001), which I believe was his final film. He had the effortlessly commanding look of a veteran actor, and indeed he was: Lo starred in more than 70 films during his twenty-plus years at Shaw Brothers and was fairly active onscreen for the following 15 years, until his death in 2002.
Don't throw eggs at me if I confess that I've not yet seen some of his most signature films, like King Boxer (1972), Kidnap (1973), and Human Lanterns (1982). But I've always enjoyed him in the countless — and addictively watchable — wuxia films he made for Shaws.
Here's a piece about Lo from Southern Screen no. 131 (January 1969). You can view the original article here. The pinup comes from the same issue.
"Black Whirlwind" Lo Lieh
Perhaps the best Shaw actor around these days is Lo Lieh. Among his recent and current films are "Twelve Deadly Coins", "Dragon Swamp", "Swordswomen Three", and "The Singing Thief".
Not the debonair type, he nevertheless exudes masculinity with his rugged good looks and fine physique. Equally adept as hero or villain, he has established a strong screen image. Lo is nicknamed "The Black Whirlwind", a sobriquet as much due to his black costume and dark complexion as to his fiery temperament.
An Indonesian Chinese, Lo came to Hong Kong six years ago and joined the Southern Drama Group on completion of his studies. On graduation, he was signed up by Shaws. His debut took place in "The Butterfly Chalice", followed by "Tiger Boy". Since then he's made some 15 films, among them "Temple of the Red Lotus", "The Sword and the Lute", "The Golden Swallow" and "Trapeze Girl".
13 comments:
Dave, excellent post. I am a fan of Lo Leih and his films as well. Always had a unique look. Very adult and rugged.
Hi duriandave --
Have to admit that Lo Lieh's not one of my true favorite Shaw Brothers stars -- partly because he usually played villains in his movies. But I did like "Glass Tears" -- which, yes, alas, was the late actor's final movie -- and over the years, have come to realize that he had a part in quite a few movies that I like a lot.
I have not seen Human Lanterns either; Kidnap is in my new stash of Shaws; and King Boxer is something I watched quite some time ago but I remember liking it quite a bit.
He had a lot of presence and I always like it when he's cast as a kind of anti-hero instead of a villain.
Bey Logan did a nice entry on Lo Lieh, at his former Dragon Dynasty Blog. Link is here: http://dragondynasty.com/blog/show/104
Those old enough to remember when "King Boxer" hit the U.S. may well have a special place in their cinematic hearts for Lo Lieh. I certainly do. Even before Bruce Lee, Lo Lieh was the guy we all wanted to be--or at least be as skilled and tough as he was in beating up enemies.
Terrific post. A good actor to remember and it is fun to think of him as a studio sponsored heart throb of the beefcake variety.
-- Kingwho, I'm totally with you about his look. Compared to Lo, Jimmy Wang Yu looks like a pouting schoolboy. ;p
-- YTSL, I've got a hankering to watch Glass Tears again. Whatever happened to director Carol Lai?
-- Glenn, I also like him best when he plays the anti-hero.
-- Phil, thanks for that link. It's about time that I watch King Boxer. I'll look for the DVD next week in SF Chinatown.
-- Ed, unfortunately I was just a tad too young to partake in that moment when Lo Lieh impressed the world with his "Five Fingers of Death".
Lo Lieh is one of my favorite actors in Hong Kong cinema. Even in his lesser Shaw Brothers movies, he could often be counted on to be the most memorable attribute.
Thanks for dropping by, venoms5! Glad to see more love for Lo Lieh.
Hi duriandave --
Carol Lai made "Naraka 19" a few years back. Here's my review of it:-
http://www.bcmagazine.net/hk.bcmagazine.issues/bcmagazine_webissue240/17naraka19.html
I also interviewed her for the magazine but can't seem to find a link to the article.
YTSL, I honestly can't tell if you liked the film or not. Were you being polite because you had interviewed Carol Lai? ;)
In any event, it doesn't sound like the kind of movie I'd normally seek out, but I am curious just because I liked her previous two films.
Hi again duriandave --
It was so long ago but yeah, I think I was being polite. Not a horrible film but not a great one either.
Great photos of a great screen presence! I think Lo's talent was seriously underutilized by the Shaw machine but c'est la vie - he wasn't the only wasted talent. I'm a big fan of his own movie "Clan of the White Lotus" - it's quirky and fun.
Hi achillesgirl! Lo Lieh's smoldering looks certainly made it hard for him to be a studio leading man, but he had more than his share of great villain roles. I recently caught the Black Magic movies, which he pretty much owns. Thanks for recommending Clan of the White Lotus. I'll be sure to check it out!
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