It's official! New release: Some of the marvelous 1960s spy-style films from Hong Kong are finally coming to Blu-ray: Angel with the Iron Fists, The Golden Buddha, and The Singing Thief. From the press release: "Following the enormous international success of Dr No and From Russia with Love, Bondmania swept the globe and initiated a cycle of Bondsploitation movies. Studios all over the world sought to capitalise on James Bond and the concept of the super-spy - including Hong Kong's venerable Shaw Brothers, who began producing tales of intrigue, espionage, and grand theft in the mid-1960s. Eureka Classics presents three of their best in this special-edition set: The Golden Buddha, Angel with the Iron Fists and The Singing Thief. In The Golden Buddha, businessman Paul (Paul Chang Chung, Police Story) finds himself in the crosshairs of the Skeleton Gang after he picks up the wrong briefcase on a flight to Singapore - one containing a small golden Buddha that might just play a part in a vast criminal conspiracy. In Angel with the Iron Fists, a mysterious woman (Lily Ho, Lady with a Sword) arrives in Hong Kong carrying a cache of stolen diamonds and quickly becomes embroiled with the infamous Devil Girl's Gang. Finally, in The Singing Thief, a master cat burglar (Jimmy Lin Chong, Tropicana Interlude) makes the decision to go straight and pursue a new career as a singer - that is, at least, until he becomes. a suspect in a series of jewel heists. Directed by studio regulars Lo Wei (The Big Boss) and Chang Cheh (The One-Armed Swordsman), The Golden Buddha, Angel with the Iron Fists and The Singing Thief filter a craze for films centered on super-spies and master criminals through the inimitable style of the Shaw Brothers Studio. All three films are presented on Blu-ray for the first time from HD masters supplied by Celestial Pictures." this is SUPER EXCITING news. I'm hoping we'll also see the sequel to Angel with the Iron Fists, as well as the Black Rose films, the Dark Heroine Muk Lan-Fa trilogy, Operation Lipstick, Temptress of a Thousand Faces, etc.
More:
Limited edition of 2000 copies only;1080p HD presentations on Blu-ray from masters supplied by Celestial Pictures; Original mono audio tracks, plus:
• Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release •New audio commentaries by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema • International Super Spies - A new interview with James Bond expert Llewella Chapman on global Bondmania in the 1960s • A new interview with Hong Kong cinema scholar Wayne Wong, editor of Martial Arts Studies • Reversible sleeve featuring individual sleeve artwork for each film • Original trailers • Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling • Limited edition collector's booklet featuring new writing on all three films by lain Robert Smith, author of The Hollywood Meme: Transnational Adaptations in World Cinema