Shanghai 13

[gfanikf]

Had a lot funny watching this film today and it got my thinking about some questions.

1. Is there are known copies floating around of the film in collectors circles of a wide print of this film?
2. What actors do you think should have been in the film and why do you think they were not in the film (ie Johnny Wang-Still under contract?), you can only pick logical choices of people who worked with CC (ie no Kurata :) ).
3. How was Andy Lau connected to CC?
4. Who funded this film and do you think if this was made as a Shaw film would it have been "better" in any way?
5. Who owns the rights (the DVD I have is sourced from an Ocean Shore tape)?
6. Is there any hope for a legit release of this film anywhere???
7. Is Beardy the biggest pimp in all of China?

[morgoth]

I heard Andy Lau wasn't doing so well in the movie biz and had been blacklisted by a lot of people and Cheng Cheh gave him break. And Beardy is top pimp in China and top 3 worldwide.

[ironfistedmonk2003]

Kurata did work with Chang Cheh on a couple of movies :D

He would have been cool in Shanghai 13, the film has so many stars in it throwing in a few more wouldn't make much difference

[houndslow]

garrys trading company chinese import i have original

[Linn1]

it's a fave of mine as well.

1. Is there are known copies floating around of the film in collectors circles of a wide print of this film?

No. The HK disc is actually cropped to make it look a little wide. The best version of this is the old Ocean Shores tape. I would LOVE for a company to get this one.

2. What actors do you think should have been in the film and why do you think they were not in the film (ie Johnny Wang-Still under contract?), you can only pick logical choices of people who worked with CC (ie no Kurata :) ).

There's a ton of them, but I don't know if they'd FIT! The movie would be two and a half hours long!! :)

3. How was Andy Lau connected to CC?

He was under contract with TVB, but rumor has it they were not happy with him at the time. Chang helped him out like he did nearly everyone and gave him a part in the film. After this, Lau was considered a bit more of an actor for films.

4. Who funded this film and do you think if this was made as a Shaw film would it have been "better" in any way?

This was actually made so that Chang could retire. The problem is for every one of these retirement films, there's a couple, Chang used the money to make more movies.

5. Who owns the rights (the DVD I have is sourced from an Ocean Shore tape)?

Not sure about this one.

6. Is there any hope for a legit release of this film anywhere???

I wish.

7. Is Beardy the biggest pimp in all of China?

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

Great film.

. Who owns the rights (the DVD I have is sourced from an Ocean Shore tape)?

Actually, the DVD (if it's not a DVD-R your referring to) is a different and inferior version to the Ocean Shores VHS version. I have both and I've been meaning to burn the Ocean Shores version to DVD-R.

6. Is there any hope for a legit release of this film anywhere???

I wish.

That would be awesome.

[Topgun]

Pardon me, guys.

Has there been a discussion about this title at all to see if IVL has already released it or going to? Is IVL done with the SB movies or not? Am I still in the same thoughts?

Please share...

Topgun

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Seeing all the actors involved I was sure this was a SB movie when I first saw it, but it's not.

[vengeanceofhumanlanterns]

This is not a Shaws film. Hopefully Crash, Image, Animego, or some other company will release this one along with One Armed Boxer, One Armed Swordsmen, etc.

[SamuraiDana]

This is not a Shaws film. Hopefully Crash, Image, Animego, or some other company will release this one along with One Armed Boxer, One Armed Swordsmen, etc.


Didn't Ocean Shores have SHANGHAI 13 once upon a time? I'm pretty sure my VHS copy was Ocean Shores. Why hasn't Tai Seng released it?

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I remember I started a thread asking about this movie awhile back, and someone said there was a problem with the rights to it. Chang Cheh got money from a company to make the movie when he had already taken money from another company. Someone probably knows more. I'm only going off of what I read like a year ago.

[venoms5]

The movie never played theatrically in Hong Kong. It did play in Taiwan, however. As far as releases, there's the OS tape, numerous dupes of the OS tape which are very easy to find and a Chinese language VCD release which I presume is OS as well. Most, if not all of CC's Chang Ho movies are available in a digital format, but I'm not sure if all of them (or any for that matter) are available on DVD.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

I think there's only bootleg DVDs.

[venoms5]

I think there's only bootleg DVDs.

I stated that above.

[Morgoth Bauglir]

Sorry, I thought you were not sure-

but I'm not sure if all of them (or any for that matter) are available on DVD.

[Shaolivevil]

I would love to finally see SHANGHAI 13 released remastered and restored in anamorhic widescreen. It's such a rare film and being one of Chang Cheh's few post-Shaw Brothers films, it's historic. We were finally able to get Cheh's last film, NINJA IN ANCIENT CHINA released on DVD earlier this year. Hopefully SHANGHAI 13 is in the works somewhere. I'm still enjoying my Ocean Shores copy I bought over 17 years ago and it remains in my Top Ten Favorites list...

[Topgun]

Forgive me for being curious.

Could someone shade a light to why Chang Cheh leave Shaw?

Topgun

[gravedigger666]

It was also released in UK vhs,dubbed but so many years since saw I do not remember was it widescreen or not(likely not) but quality was fine.Obviously it`s not Shaw film,can tell it immediately.Sets and costumes look damn cheap which is not case with Shaw productions.But it`s almost nonstop quality fighting:)

[DiP]

Trailer to Mikael Håfström's latest movie starring John Cusack, Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li and Ken Watanabe.

oEmU2VcJz24

[DiP]

Trailer 2.

D7jljdEZcR8

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

Shanghai 13.

Re-watched this two nights ago.

Must admit after not seeing this in so many years I was still blown away by the amazing fights that Chang Che orchestrated. Once this thing takes off its off to the races.

I put this in the Shaw's Forum because of the cream of the crop of past Shaw actors in S-13.

I am surprised that Mark has not done a review of this Chang Che masterpiece.

Your thoughts on this gem.

GD Y-Y

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

To be fair, it wasn't really Chang Cheh "orchestrating" the fights in his movies!

In the instance of Shanghai 13, it was Lau Kar-Wing, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, Wong Gwok Chue and Ricky Cheng Tien Chi.

[teako170]

Its unfortunate a wide copy of this has yet to surface. Someday?
A few stills I have ....

http://www.teako170.com/13a.jpg

http://www.teako170.com/13b.jpg

http://www.teako170.com/13c.jpg

http://www.teako170.com/13d.jpg

http://www.teako170.com/13e.jpg

http://www.teako170.com/13f.jpg

http://www.teako170.com/13g.jpg

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

To be fair, it wasn't really Chang Cheh "orchestrating" the fights in his movies!

In the instance of Shanghai 13, it was Lau Kar-Wing, Chiang Sheng, Lu Feng, Wong Gwok Chue and Ricky Cheng Tien Chi.

Thanks for the clarification

And thanks for the stills Teako.

GD Y-Y.

[Shaolivevil]

I cannot clarify how much love this movie... :yociexp56:
I would love to get that Thai poster of Shanghai 13 or any poster of it for that matter...

[thedirtytiger]

I have the Thai poster for Shanghai 13, got anything good to swap for it ?

There is a wide print in existence and the infamous Toby knows where it is, but as to whether anything will ever been done with it....? Toby stopped his releases due to piracy so he won't be releasing it anyway...

[Drunken Monk]

If there is a kung fu film I want to see more than any other, it's "Shanghai 13." Unfortunately, I, of course, have yet to get my grubby hands on it. I'm assuming that there is no legitimate version out there, correct?

[Asmo]

There's a HK DVD out there, but I don't know how legitimate it is.

[18JadeArafats]

Holy crap that movie looks amazing! Wow, Lau kar Wing and the Venoms choreographing together? Badass! I know what movie is tops on my to view list now!

[BaronK]

There is/was a chinese lang/eng subbed dvd and the OS FS english version. The dvd has the subs off of the screen to the left and right ala the old vhs tapes of yore and the quality is not all that good. The OS is the way to go on this.

[spannick]

there's also a Fullscreen OS VHS with remastered Subtitles, which are fully readable. that is the best Version to get if you need a subbed Version (beware, it also exists with lousy Cantonese Dubbing)

[thedirtytiger]

There was also the UK video release from Eastern Heroes.

[66 Mantis]

I own the Ocean Shores vhs. It's fullscreen and horribly dubbed (it literally sounds like one guy did ALL of the voices (without bothering to alter his voice one iota). I had asked someone more knowledgeable than myself many years ago if there was a widescreen print available. He told me that as far as he knew it was filmed in fullscreen and that it was originally made for T.V. Can anyone shed some light on this 'cause that never sounded right.

[Shaolivevil]

I own the Ocean Shores vhs. It's fullscreen and horribly dubbed (it literally sounds like one guy did ALL of the voices (without bothering to alter his voice one iota). I had asked someone more knowledgeable than myself many years ago if there was a widescreen print available. He told me that as far as he knew it was filmed in fullscreen and that it was originally made for T.V. Can anyone shed some light on this 'cause that never sounded right.
Shanghai 13, a made-for-tv movie?! That would be an interesting twist for this film. I don't recall Chang Cheh ever doing television but I could be wrong. If only we could come across someone that was involved in the production of Shanghai 13...

[66 Mantis]

Shanghai 13, a made-for-tv movie?! That would be an interesting twist for this film. I don't recall Chang Cheh ever doing television but I could be wrong. If only we could come across someone that was involved in the production of Shanghai 13...

This was what I was told about 15 years ago and my guy wasn't 100% sure about it. He may well have been wrong but judging by the way the film looks, it's food for thought.

[June]

hello all,

i heard many years ago this film was made because Cheng Cheh was broke. all $$ was giving to him. but this rumor came out in the 80's. i'm an old collector.

[spannick]

Shanghai 13 being a TV-Fullscreen Movie is absolute Rubbish. the Credits on my VCD are in 2.35, the DVD i have is HORRIBLY cropped on both sides so the Subs are not readable (how could they be cut off it is'a Fullscreen Print Movie originally?). also the OS VHS is Pan-Scan to show the best Viewing Angle of the cropped Frame. it also has a splice line in every shot change which only unmatted 2.35 Movies have.

whoever claimed that must be a nut or lying.

[popsjnr]

Ref:June's above assertion:

Shanghai 13 wasnt the movie that was made to get money for finacially stricken Chang Cheh, that was the mediocre Heroic Bloodshed John Woo/Wu Ma directed Just Heroes. Thats why so many of Chang's proteges-including the directors were involved-hell they even got antagonistic Ti Lung to shake his former comrade David Chiang by the hand-instead of by the neck which I am sure Ti Lung would have preferred.

As for Shanghai 13 looking (or being) like a TV movie, no it just looks like an average cheapo Taiwan flik with one of the greatest casts ever assembled and stunning fight action.

[66 Mantis]

Shanghai 13 being a TV-Fullscreen Movie is absolute Rubbish. the Credits on my VCD are in 2.35, the DVD i have is HORRIBLY cropped on both sides so the Subs are not readable (how could they be cut off it is'a Fullscreen Print Movie originally?). also the OS VHS is Pan-Scan to show the best Viewing Angle of the cropped Frame. it also has a splice line in every shot change which only unmatted 2.35 Movies have.

whoever claimed that must be a nut or lying.

Well, that certaintly dispells that myth....

[GOLDEN DRAGON YIN-YANG]

I re-started this S-13 thread.

A lot of interesting thoughts on this movie and its format have come to light.

Could someone tell me what other Chang Cheh movies were made in Taiwan?

GD Y-Y

"As for Shanghai 13 looking (or being) like a TV movie, no it just looks like an average cheapo Taiwan flik with one of the greatest casts ever assembled and stunning fight action". popsjnr

You got it right popsjnr!

GD Y-Y

[massa_yoda]

I watched this for the first time yesterday. I loved it! Pretty much non-stop action. As a kung fu spectacle, it's 10/10. As a film I would go down to a 7.5/10 just because I didn't understand what was going on half the time. I partially blame that on the dubbing though. I just wished I'd gotten to know the '13' a little more. And there's no big payoff shot of all 13 together in one scene, which would've rocked. Maybe a flashback before everything went down. If this movie had the structure of something like Bodyguards and Assassins, it would've been the greatest film ever! But it's still awesome.

Also, was it just me or was the end fight really sped up? The choreography was great, but it seemed to be moving just a bit too fast!

[BaronK]

Actually the dubbing should have made things clear as day. Confusing where? Gao has documents that will hurt his now former employer, so to speak. He needs to get away. The 13 Rascals will help get him away. They are secret undercover type folks, not friends, but tied by association. That's why they would never have been together.
Each one passes off, as one loses to fate. Loved that about it. Really drawns you in as you really don't expect it to go like that, to these guys that you know so well.

CC made Joyful Goddess, Shanghai 13, Death Ring with Lu Feng and Nine Demons in Taiwan, before going to the mainland to create his final team. I think Dancing Warrior was partially done in HK.

[massa_yoda]

Actually the dubbing should have made things clear as day. Confusing where? Gao has documents that will hurt his now former employer, so to speak. He needs to get away. The 13 Rascals will help get him away. They are secret undercover type folks, not friends, but tied by association. That's why they would never have been together.

It was the characters I was having a hard time with. Who's double crossing who now? I barely got to see their faces in the first place. And I think someone else pointed out that the dubbing sounds like the same guy doing all the voices. I had a hard time getting into the movie at first because of the dub.

I appreciate you clarifying that they aren't actually friends. I must have missed that.

[popsjnr]

It's ashame they didnt do the real story of the Shanghai 13, they didnt steal anything to do with the Japanese army-they stole the Jade Seal from the Forbidden City and got it to Taiwan, a symbolic victory that kicked off the 1911 revolution against the Ching

Maybe they changed the basis of the legend so that Wang Yu could bash up some more Japs!!!