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| FOUND: Poison Rose with Julie Yeh Feng |
Singapore multimedia company Creative has released the ZiiEagle Movie Box (天鹰宝盒), which contains a "complete" (I'll explain the quotation marks later) collection of 668 Shaw Brothers films, among which are a good many that never made it to DVD. I haven't yet done a complete count of the previously unreleased titles (although it's definitely not "around 200" as cited in this article). What I can tell you is that there are a good two dozen that I'd love to see, such as Poison Rose (1966), pictured above. Conspicuously absent from the collection, however, is Operation Lipstick (1967) and The Brain-Stealers (1968), two spy thrillers by Inoue Umetsugu starring, respectively, Cheng Pei-pei and Lily Ho. (Is that because there are plans to release those titles on DVD?)
The ZiiEagle is priced at S$1,070 (US$813) but is currently selling on promotion for S$888 (US$675). I'm not going to lie — that's a lot of dough. But considering how much I've spent on Shaw DVDs over the past eight years, I'd exchange in a flash all of my DVDs for this handsome little box. It's a moot point for me, however, since the ZiiEagle cannot be ordered outside of Singapore. Nonetheless, I'm quite excited about the arrival of this product, because it gives me hope that I may yet see these "no longer missing" (in Singapore, at least) Shaw films.
Of course, there still remain the truly missing titles: Shaw's black-and-white films (melodramas and comedies mostly) from the late 50s and early 60s and the entirety of the studio's Cantonese productions. Speaking of which, next month the Hong Kong Film Archive will be hosting a rare screening of Sweet Girl in Terror (1958), starring the "Jewel of Shaw", Patricia Lam Fung. This seminal movie is just one of the many treasures you won't find in the ZiiEagle Movie Box.
Still, if Santa could smuggle a ZiiEagle out of Singapore for me, it would make this Shaw fan *very* happy.
10 comments:
Hi duriandave --
Great news re the formerly missing Shaw Brothers movies. And while I won't be rushing to buy that ZiiEagle Movie Box, like you, it gives me hope that those films might get released in other sets or formats at some point in the hopefully not too distant future.
A quick damper though re the Hong Kong Film Archive: seems like an increasing number of its Hong Kong films are being shown sans English subtitles -- not just such as "Sweet Girl in Terror" but even "Full Moon in New York" and "Cageman" even though a DVD version of FMiNY exists, ditto a VCD (though, alas, no DVD) version of "Cageman".
It's brings new meaning to the term 'boxed set'! I guestimated that even at SD (4.5gb) the box has to be a minimum 3Tb drive. They say it's in 780p so maybe double that size?
I think the films are also available via VOD in SG so probably bootlegs will eventually surface, for better or worse. Maybe they will eventually offer them in smaller individual themed 'volumes'?
-- YTSL, I'd gladly watch "Sweet Girl in Terror" without English subtitles. Frankly, I'm quite accustomed to viewing films at the HKFA sans subs. What I really miss, though, are the English editions of the HKFA publications. Seems like those have gone almost completely by the wayside. :(
-- Dennis, in hullabaloo on their website, Creative claims to have solved the "perennial video piracy problem" with the ZiiEagle, but I think they underestimate the cleverness of those pesky pirates! But if Creative ever wants to make a few bucks and sell me individual downloads, my wallet is ready and willing. ;p
Links to various unreleased Shaw movies uploaded to the streaming video site youku were being posted on various forums. They had a few I'd never thought I would see, like Pan Lei's Purple Darts. No subs, but still a nice find.
I'd like to see the few pre-60's martial arts films produced by the Shaws, but it seems like the audience for older wuxia/kung fu movies is as small that of older melodramas, comedies, and musicals, and there's probably a significant overlap between them anyway. I don't understand the reasoning behind the ZiiEagle thing; you'd think that they could make the most money by making as many films available as widely as possible, but they expect the interested parties to buy in bulk and have a Singapore IP? Are these guys even trying to make money?
Wow, I would love to get this too.
I think you remember that Operation Lipstick and The Brain Stealers were listed as being part of the released titles on the early DVDs that had filmographies of the stars and director Umetsugu Inoue.
I think something must have gone wrong as, to the best of my knowledge, they never came out.
-- Golden Pigsy, I also came across that link to Purple Darts but haven't had the time to watch it yet.
As far as I can remember, the following are the pre-1965 martial-arts films released by Shaw Brothers. Like you, I'm dying to see them. They would certainly complicate the myth that Shaw's martial period began with Chang Cheh and King Hu.
* The Adventure of the 13th Sister (1959), directed by Li Han-hsiang and starring Betty Loh Tih
* Revolutionary Heroine (1960), starring Patricia Lam Fung [Republican-era story]
* The Swallow Thief (1961), directed by Yueh Feng and starring Lin Dai and Chao Lei [Republican-era story]
* Angel of the Wilderness (1962), directed by Yan Jun and starring Li Lihua. [Not sure if this was actually completed]
* Revenge of a Swordswoman (1963), directed by Yueh Feng and starring Betty Loh Tih and Pat Ting Hung
-- Glenn, I suspect that Celestial might have DVD plans for those two titles and thus didn't want to license them to Creative. They are probably the most potentially profitable among the unreleased Shaw films. Hope I'm right!
Hello;
duriandave;
First{新年進步}
I have own a Ziieagle by creative.
This make many of my dream come true.
It is lucky I life in Singapore when I first own it in my mind.
But than after I have watch the movie inside.....
Lot of dispointed .
May be it is Singapore Censor Board to be reconsider.
Most of the movie with M18 have been censor... using a HD TV to watch, but censor.... worse than the DVD screen which I have compared.
I think for such type which to claim as SB movie in a box, It shall be as origin,no censor.
It have a 4digit password to protect... I don't know why It censor.......
I write this to tell who want own this ziieagle, better do not happy first.
Hi lynphiu! Thanks for the feedback about the ZiiEagle. Too bad about the censoring. Makes no sense for Creative to do that if they already have parental controls on the box. Definitely a reason for not buying it.
BTW, have you watched Fanny's film The Mating Season? That is one I'm dying to see.
Hi;
duriandave;
I seen The Mating Season this morning; movie code"0037"
Very funny movie.So sexy, fanny wear
golden color and at beach wear black swimming suit...
A happy ending movie which I consider for every movie shall have.
Why we watch movie? for entertainment, so better not a sad movie.
Dave, what do you think?
Bye.
I actually don't mind sad endings. A lot of great movies have sad endings.
Anyway, I wish I could see The Mating Season. I hope it becomes available in some format or another for folks outside of Singapore.
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