THE MAGNIFICENT CHANG CHEH Eureka Blu-Ray Review: Essential Viewing For All Fans Of The Classics
The Magnificent Chang Cheh arrives on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment on April 29 from Eureka Classics. Pre-orders are up and running at MVD Shop.
Classic wuxia and kung fu and hijinks are on the menu and for this, we turn to Eureka Entetainment’s latest Eureka Classics packaging, The Magnificent Chang Cheh. First up is the late autuer’s 1966 adventure, The Magnificent Trio boasts the casting of screen stalwarts Jimmy Wang Yu, Lo Lieh, and Cheng Lei, along with Lui Ming, Fanny Fan Lai, Chin Ping, and Margaret Tu.
We firstly meet Lu Feng (Wang Yu), a wandering swordsman who stumbles upon a scene that looks more unsavory than it is. Indeed, it’s a kidnapping of the local magistrate’s daughter, implemented by a villager and his sons desperate to hold him accountable for his tyrannical ways. Wei’s first order of business is to assemble a band of as many henchmen as possible to aid in her search, assisted by the Wei’s jaded, albeit most loyal guardsman, Yen (Lo Lieh).
Included in the mix is a Huang Liang (Cheng Lei), presumably a vagabond who is only incarcerated to have food and shelter. Little do the three know that the ordeal will unite the trio in a series of harrowing events that reunite old friends, unfold tragic twists, and test the boundaries of love and forgiveness, and ultimately, sacrifice.
I grew up largely on Golden Harvest stuff, so Shaw Brothers material was a rare, occasional watch for me most times. To add, I’d never really seen a Chang Cheh joint before until now so The Magnificent Trio was a definite first, although it’s nothing too different from what I’ve seen previously with similar swordplay classics of the sixties like some of these joints.
Chang explores plenty of the common themes that frequent with heroic bloodshed genre, and with leads in Wang Yu, Lo, and Cheng, that offer key performances with varying and interesting dimensions to their characters. They all see something wrong with the leadership structure from the magistrate-on-down, and they each take time to process what they see before making decisions that ultimately paint targets on their backs.
The heroics aren’t limited to the three protagonists here either, with Chang envisioning a handful of female leads lending their own voices and actions – sans fighting – to the overall agenda. They, along with a lot of other villagers and innocent people, end up dying as a result, something that particularly puts a glaring highlight on just how evil Wei is.
I can’t speak too much to the volume of the acting, unfortunately, as most of the drama is pretty monotone and overall serious with how Chang sets his story in motion, so it rests largely on just how evil Wei is. That’s really the reason you kind of just keep watching is to see the villain finally get his just dues – this, and maybe the action depending on your tastes. The choreography is carefully executed and violent enough to feel climatic at times, so it’s an accomplishment for the kind of action Shaw was putting out sixty years ago.
Fast forward about a decade later and we get something of a more tempered stride in Chang’s Magnificent Wanderers. Trading the melancholic heroic bloodshed veneer for a more robust action comedy apercu, Chang directs a cast led by Alexander Fu Sheng, Chi Kuan Chun, and Li Yimin, along with David Chiang, Li Ying, Shan Mao, and Yang Zhongmin.
Shao Yu (Fu Sheng), Da Yong (Chi), and Fei (Li) have only one means of making ends meet these days as street hustlers. Befriended by a man named Chu Tie Xia (Chiang), the trio find themselves in intriguing company learning of Chu’s stature and reputation as a rebel endowed with a sizeable fortune meant to usurp powers from the ruling Mongols.
Their newfound friendship is a timely one as well, with Chu’s allies proving only to be involved to get their hands on his millions in gold, jewels and currency. With the meek and stuttering Mongol leader (Li Ying) bent on acquiring either Chu or his elusive fortune, it’s up to the conmen-turned-freedom fighters to help Chu unite with the rebels once and for all, applying their lithe and whipsmart fighting skills to the battle at hand.
The cast delivers an electric performance with Fu Sheng contributing to the puckish mannerisms of Shao Yu, against Li’s upbeat Fei, and Chi’s more stern Da Yong. They package a delightful combo in one another that plays handily alongside Chiang’s charismatic portrayal of Chu, and with each character bringing their own style to the action as well, featuring hand to hand kung fu, and sleek choreo and gymnastics. Chu can move just as well, while his best weapon of choice – a bow he uses to sling gold pellets to his enemies – is also just as brilliant.
Li Ying’s Mongol leader is an overdressed noble who wears chest armor to present himself as a strongman. It’s wild that his two best guardsmen, played by Shan and Yang, remain as obedient as ever to their Lord, but it’s a gag the film sticks to, even long after the jig is up. It’s no stretch to say that it falls pretty flat, but the performances are outlandish enough that you can forgive Chang for stretching things out some here.
These applications are certainly something to bear in mind when pondering Chang as a director coming into himself at this point of his career. This is a topic that film scholar Gary Bettinson goes into in “Chang Cheh Style,” which runs for about a half-hour talking up Chang’s career and legacy, and more for the only other extra on the disc.
The Magnificent Trio comes with insightful audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and martial artist and filmmaker Michael Worth, as well as Mandarin mono audio. Audio tracks for Magnificent Wanderers include Mandarin mono and English dub, and commentary by Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. Both films are presentented in 1080p HD on Blu-ray from masters supplied by Celestial Pictures, and packaged in limited edition O-card slipcasing.
There are plenty of ways to own these films being reprinted and allocated on high-def Blu-Rays from the Shaw library. Streaming is a viable option for shorthand ownership, while there are plenty of outlets as of this article to nab boxsets for collections of these. If you don’t own any Chang Cheh yet, The Magnificent Chang Cheh out of Eureka is as good a place to start as any.
