HKCFN Classics: A Multimedia Overview of Chang Cheh's Career

Note: This was one of the of first articles to appear on the website and such was not read by the vast majority of our current readers. I hope people will enjoy this reprint of our look at Chang Cheh's career.

Thanks to Jessica for reading this over.

Typically when we think of Chang Cheh, we often think of his Shaolin Temple series of films from the mid to late 1970s. The truth is that Chang Cheh had an extremely diverse career marked with many unique periods through his time as a director both in and out of the Shaw Brothers. His career can be divided into four different major periods with a common theme of always trying to further Chinese cinema and the careers of those he worked with. It should be noted these delineations are not always a clean break from the previous one. Often, a film from the previous era would still come out even after a new point in Chang Cheh’s career had begun. Still we can still get a general idea of the path of Chang Cheh’s directorial career. I would like to thank Linn Haynes for his help with this article. Also big thanks to Venoms Chamber and his amazing youtube channel (venomchamber), dvdsaenz and Frankylau.

The first period of Chang Cheh’s career was Jimmy Wang Yu Swordplay Films. These films are what helped lead to Chang Cheh becoming the blockbuster director that we remember of him today. Chang Cheh was the original “millionaire director,” in that his films would gross over 1 million Hong Kong dollars at the local box office alone. This arc of his career often dealt with anti-hero leads, usually played by Jimmy Wang Yu, who were rebelling against the authorities of the time. These films started with The Magnificent Trio and lasted until Return of the One-Armed Swordsman in 1969 but was done by 1968 with Golden Swallow. These films marked a total departure from the Cantonese black-and-white Wong-Fei Hong films which often taught forgiveness and Confucian virtues with very little violence. Cheng Cheh’s films, in contrast, were filled with both bright color and stark violence. Chang Cheh singlehandedly brought the Chinese kung fu film into the modern age with these Jimmy Wang Yu starring, Japanese and American influenced films.

The Magnificent Trio (1966)

The Assassin (1967)

The second period was the Iron Triangle era. The Iron Triangle was a term used to describe the combined power of director Chang Cheh along with stars Ti Lung and David Chiang. This would form one of the most productive and beloved periods in Chang Cheh’s career, possible only rivaled by his Venoms period. This themes shown in these films include the nature of brotherhood and loyalty. These films were often a huge hit at the box office, combining the name talent of the two actors with the technical prowess of Cheng Cheh. The theme of heroic bloodshed (a man fighting in defense of one’s values or brother) would begin to take a prominent role in these films. If this term sounds familiar it is because director John Woo featured many of these similar themes in his own films. It should not be a surprise that John Woo was an Assistant Director on many of Cheng Cheh’s films. As we will learn, Cheng Cheh was always a man looking to teach the newer generation and allow them to learn the techniques of cinema. Films such as Vengeance unleashed a whole new level of violence onto the unsuspecting audiences of Hong Kong. While some were repelled by this new more realistic style of on-screen violence, most audiences loved it. The trailers for Vengeance and Have Sword, Will Travel are testaments to his draw at the box office (as they heavily play up his participation). These films show a further maturation of Cheng Cheh’s style into what was called the “Shaws House Style” that many directors would hope to emulate in their own films. This period would begin with 1969’s Have Sword, Will Travel until The Blood Brothers in 1973, which was soon followed by the foundation of Cheng’s Film Company in Taiwan. The first production of this company was Heroes Two in 1974.

Have Sword, Will Travel (1969)

Vengeance (1970)

The third period in Chang Cheh’s filmography could be called his Taiwanese period. This time in his career was when Chang Cheh relocated to Taiwan to form Cheng’s Film Co. Cheng's Film Co. was really an operation funded by the Shaw Brothers to allow them to use monies stuck in Taiwan that could not leave the country due to government regulations regarding film production. Still, Chang Cheh had a degree of autonomy that he normally would not have under the Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong. One example of this would be on Marco Polo when Carter Wong had a small staring role. Wong had been reported as saying that he wanted the chance to work with Chang Cheh, but did not want to sign a standard Shaw contract. This allowed him the opportunity to work with Cheng Cheh outside of the studio system These films, while still often having Ti Lung or David Chiang (or both), marked the development of future Shaw legends such as Chen Kuan Tai, Alexander Fu Sheng, Johhny Wang, Leung Kar-Yan, Chi Kuan-Chi, and even a young Gordon Liu. In a sense, this period would lead to the development of the leading men for the remainder of the Shaw Brothers studios. This period marked the beginning of the Shaolin cycle of films. Their success led to the large number of Shaolin-themed films by other companies that have long been a favorite of fans, who in turn have Chang Cheh to thank for them. With these films, beginning with Heroes Two (and its mini-documentary that precedes it: Three Hung Fist), there was a new focus on authentic martial arts and artists. Chen Kuan Tai was a Monkey style kung fu champion before he started working at the Shaw Brothers. This period was also defined by the works of his epic productions, noted for featuring Richard Harrison and stories such as Seven Man Army, Boxer Rebellion, and Marco Polo among others. This period in his career lasted from Heroes Two in 1974 to the end of Cheng’s Film Co with Magnificent Wanders (although Naval Commandos and the troubles between David Chiang and Ti Lung on set in many ways marked the end of this period).

Three Hung Fist (aka Three Hung Style) (1974)

Heroes Two (1974)

Shaolin Martial Arts (1974)

Seven Man Army (1976)

New Shaolin Boxers (1976)

The next period in Cheng Cheh’s career is perhaps his most beloved by many and possibly can be summed up in one small, yet immortal phrase, ”Poison Clan Rocks the World!” Yes, this period can be called the Venoms era. This time, Chang Cheh was looking for new stars to further his hopes of remaining dynamic and fresh while passing on his teachings to a new generation, and at the same time entertaining his audiences. This team of actors set the world aflame with their amazing action skills and highly entertaining plots and characters. This era alone has had a huge influence on American rap groups, such as the Wu-Tang Clan and many others. Phillip Kwok, Lu Feng, Lo Meng, Sun Chien, and Chiang Sheng began together in the landmark film Five Deadly Venoms in 1978 and began one of the most well-remembered teams of martial artists the world has even known! Though some in Hong Kong have viewed this period as marking the beginning of the downfall of Cheng Cheh in terms of budget and “quality,” nothing can be further from the truth as these films unleashed a new level of martial arts talents and exciting stories. The films ranged from tales of revenge and honor in Flag of Iron and Crippled Avengers to mystery and suspense in Masked Avengers, Kid with the Golden Arm and Five Deadly Venoms. For many people, these films represented the golden age of the Shaw Brothers. This period started in 1978 with Five Deadly Venoms and ended with 1982’s House of Traps, which, aside from 1983’s The Weird Man, was his final picture for the Shaw Brothers.

Five Deadly Venoms (1978)

Crippled Avengers (1978)

Kid with the Golden Arm (1979)

Sword Stained with Royal Blood (1981)

The final period of Cheng Cheh’s career could be called the Baby Venoms era. This period was marked by the end of Cheng Cheh’s active career, but in many ways should not be viewed as a sad event. Several of the people who trained under Cheng Cheh began to have very fruitful careers. John Woo and Wu-Ma have stayed busy since their early work with Cheng Cheh and Philip Kwok remains an in-demand action chorographer. Ti Lung, Jimmy Wang Yu, David Chiang brought up by Chang Cheh at the Shaws along with other co-stars are regarded as legends. This thanks to their work with Cheng Cheh. The Baby Venoms were an attempt by Cheng Cheh to find and promote new stars continuing what he had done in the past. This period started with Attack of the Joyful Goddess in 1983 and concluded with 1990’s Hidden Hero. The career of Cheng Cheh ended as he started trying to further Chinese cinema and his actors. Many of the Baby Venom films were remakes of his older films. He hoped to bring his stars the same success as previous Shaw Brother films. Sadly, Baby Venom films did not achieve worldwide success financially, but often feature exciting martial arts talent. They still have a cult following and the Baby Venoms still find work through the success of working with Chang Cheh, often appearing on TV and film, such as Stephen Chow’s Kung Fu Hustle. Cheng Cheh’s stature only grew over time, receiving acclaim from those whom he influenced directly to fans worldwide who watch his pictures (from musical arts, directors, and actors). Cheng Cheh was even granted a lifetime achievement award by the Hong Kong Film Association in 2001. He passed away in 2002 after making nearly 90 films. Even though he has passed away, his legacy will always be remembered with the release of re-mastered Shaw Brothers films that started shortly before his death. Now a new generation of fans can enjoy and learn from these films—just as the master himself would have hoped.

Note: Baby Venoms footage is sometimes hard to find, but it will be added in the next few days, as I have to transfer it myself. For now, please enjoy this trailer for Just Heroes produced by many of his former stars and crew to help finance his retirement. Chang Cheh (along with editing a Chinese version himself that sadly has still not appeared on home video) donated all of the profits to the study and teaching of film. This stayed true to his goal of teaching and helping the next generation of filmmakers that was always part of his moral character. Cheng Cheh remains a model example of a good person for future directors, actors, and even just fans.

Just Heroes (1989)

HKCFN Classics: A Multimedia Overview of Chang Cheh's Career