Liu Chia-liang's SHAOLIN & WU TANG

[abbot]

According to an interview I had with Gordon Liu, he said he never directed a single shot of SHAOLIN & WU TANG (and he never directed any movie at all), and he has no idea why he was credited as a director on the US print of the movie. Liu Chia-liang directed SHAOLIN AND WU TANG.

http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=6492&display_set=eng

[calros]

mmmm... the problem is that he appears as director in the chinese credits and in the chinese poster of the movie... what can we do?

[MrBooth]

Add it as an editor's note?

[calros]

But the editors notes can only be seen by the editors.

It is just I cannot believe Lau Kar-Leung directed that movie and he did not appear in the credits as director or, at least, as an action director.

[dassault]

As you can see, the executive is a quite new name called Kung Fu Liang. This guy is the man behind and seems to be a controller. Wild guess can be made that this is an alias of Liu Chia-Liang and he is the man who directed this movie. I think this movie is one of Liu's tricky products outside SB while he was gaining his power beyond Chang Cheh after short stints in Taiwan. However, because of contract regulation, he borrowed Gordon's name for the director and used his alias as an executive. He was under tight contract with SB, and could not direct any movies outside Shaw studio. However, since Gordon's contract is just covering the role of actor, he is totally free from the contract of SB limiting the role behind the camera.

According to Chang Cheh's memoir. Liu has been always in and out of SB studio in order to seek for his own way of making movies, and this seems to be a result of this struggle. The movie itself is very much Shawbrother-esque, even using the title music of the 36 chamber of Shaolin.

Liu also cooperated with Korean producers. He and Gordon made a Korean movie titled "Chui Pal kwon and Guang Pal Kwon" which is currently available in North America under the title of "Shaolin Drunken Monk", wrongfully written to be directed by notorious "Godfrey Ho". This movie is directed by Kim, Hyo-cheon, a trendy director of Korea specialized in melodrama and historic chronicles rather than martial art genre. This movie is also starred by Eagle Han and Chang, Il-do, two renowned Korean actioners. The production year is 1982 when Liu and Gordon were still under the contract with the SB.

It can be concluded that Liu, at least, made some unheralded movies with Gordon outside SB while still under his tight contract. The very reason why he did so is still unclear, but the unfavorable condition of contract between SB and him triggered this external shady production. I attach the original Korean poster of Shaolin Drunken Monk


http://cafefiles.naver.net/data3/2004/5 ... iders7.jpg

[calros]

Very interesting and also believably theory.

Somebody added Lau Kar-Leung as "executive director" (maybe the best solution) and I am thinking we could add your explanation in the Summary of the movie as "Note"...

[MrBooth]

But the editors notes can only be seen by the editors.

Really? I thought they were "notes from the editors to the reader"?

[calros]

No, they are "editors notes to the editors". You can test them.

For example, if you do not want somebody remove Cynthia Khan from "Crocodile Hunter" you can write in the 'editors notes' of this film : "I will kill the next one I find removing my Cynthia" etc.

[bkasten]

Calros is correct. They are intended to be editor's notes to the other editors. I can certainly make the Editor's notes visible.

I can also set up an additional information field.

[MrBooth]

They are intended to be editor's notes to the other editors.

That's what I thought originally, but then I concluded they weren't for some reason...

I can also set up an additional information field.

That would be cool

[Teddy Wong]

How about asking about it Liu Chia Liang himself?
http://www.laukarleung.com/

[calros]

Yes, I will send him an email.