The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter 五郎八卦棍 Basically The Kung Fu Von Erich's

The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is a 1984 Hong Kong film by Shaw Brothers, directed by Lau Kar-leung and starring Gordon Liu, Kara Hui and Alexander Fu (in his final film appearance). It was released as The Invincible Pole Fighters outside of Hong Kong and Invincible Pole Fighter in North America. Alexander Fu died in a car accident before the filming of The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter was finished. The script was partly re-written after his death and Fu's character does not appear in the final showdown as originally written in the script.[1] The film is based on the Generals of the Yang Family (Yeung family in Cantonese) legends. Plot With help from the treacherous Song dynasty general Pun Mei, the Khitan-ruled Liao dynasty army succeeds in trapping the loyal Song general Yeung Yip and his seven sons at Golden Beach. Yeung Yip and his sons are all killed or captured in the ambush, except for the 5th son and the 6th son, who manage to escape. The 6th son returns home, but is severely traumatised by the events, resulting in tantrums. Meanwhile, the 5th son seeks refuge in a monastery in Mount Wutai, but the monastery leaders initially do not consider him calm enough to be a Buddhist monk. As blades are not allowed inside a monastery, he uses his training in spears to practise with a pole, eventually developing the unique eight diagram pole fighting technique. When he finally appears to have put his anger and past behind him, news breaks that the Khitans have captured his younger sister, Yeung Baat-mui, who has been looking for him. Now he must break his Buddhist vows, which include not killing any living being and not being bothered by worldly affairs, to save Baat-mui and exact his revenge. Cast Note: The characters' names are in Cantonese romanisation. Cast Role Description Lily Li Se Choi-fa "Taai-gwan", Yeung Yip's wife Wong Yue Yeung Ping "Daai-long", Yeung Yip's 1st son Lau Kar-wing Yeung Ding "Yi-long", Yeung Yip's 2nd son Mak Tak-law Yeung On "Saam-long", Yeung Yip's 3rd son Hsiao Ho Yeung Fai "Sei-long", Yeung Yip's 4th son Gordon Liu Yeung Dak "Ng-long", Yeung Yip's 5th son Alexander Fu Yeung Chiu "Luk-long", Yeung Yip's 6th son David Cheung Chin-pang Yeung Zi "Chat-long", Yeung Yip's 7th son Kara Hui Yeung Kei "Baat-mui", Yeung Yip's daughter and 8th child Yeung Jing-jing Yeung Ying "Gau-mui", Yeung Yip's daughter and 9th child Lam Hak-ming Pun Mei Song dynasty general Wang Lung-wei Ye-leut Lin Liao dynasty prince Chu Tiet-woh Gun Kwai Liao dynasty general Ko Fei abbot of the Ching-leung Monastery Ching Chu Master Ji-hung senior monk at the Ching-leung Monastery Yuen Tak Yang Loyalist with the golden blade Lau Kar-leung hunter Production Actors Alexander Fu Sheng, his younger brother David Cheung Chin-pang and Wong Yue were involved in an automobile accident in which Fu Sheng died. At the time of his death, he had not finished filming his role, after which the director rewrote Fu's parts for Kara Wai's 8th child character.[2] I always hesitate a little bit when posting reviews of kung fu films here at Forgotten Films. Fans of the genre would probably argue that my selections are not “forgotten.” On the other hand, the average film viewer is not well versed in martial arts cinema – so most films of this genre could be seen as “forgotten” in this way. The film we’re looking at today is certainly well-regarded by kung fu fans, but most folks have probably never heard of it. It’s a 1984 effort from the renowned Shaw Brother Studio, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter. The film is inspired by some tales from Chinese folklore regarding the Yang family. The film opens with a massive battle between the Yangs and the army of the evil general Pan Mei. The Yang’s end up hopelessly outnumbered. Most of the seven sons end up dying horrible deaths. When faced with death at the hands of his enemies, the patriarch of the family slams his head into a tall stone monument, killing himself…yuck. The only survivors are Yang #5 (Gordon Liu) and Yang #6 (Alexander Fu). While the fifth brother ends up wandering across the wilderness, the sixth brother returns home. Having gone completely bat poo-poo, #6 starts screaming and kung fu fighting with everyone back at the homestead, including his grieving mother and sisters. Eventually, the fifth brother makes his way to a shaolin temple. Here the monks meditate and train in their fighting skills, however they do not use blades, focusing instead on using pole fighting techniques. They have also vowed never to kill. #5 asks them to make him a monk, but the abbott (Ko Fei) refuses, insisting he is not calm enough. This doesn’t stop the young warrior, however. He shaves his own head and burns those little dots onto his head himself. Even when he is not allowed to practice with the monks, #5 takes it upon himself to learn their techniques. At the same time, he gradually starts to calm his spirit, earning a place among the monks. Trouble starts to brew, however, when the abbott pays a visit to the Yang family. He is killed by Pan Mei’s men as he returns to the mountain. Then, #5 learns that his younger sister, sister #8 (Kara Hui), has been kidnapped by the enemy after she was sent out to find her brother. He then has no choices but to leave the monastery and unleash his 8 diagram pole fighting skills on Pan Mei and his men, despite his vow not to kill.Even when he is not allowed to practice with the monks, #5 takes it upon himself to learn their techniques. At the same time, he gradually starts to calm his spirit, earning a place among the monks. Trouble starts to brew, however, when the abbott pays a visit to the Yang family. He is killed by Pan Mei’s men as he returns to the mountain. Then, #5 learns that his younger sister, sister #8 (Kara Hui), has been kidnapped by the enemy after she was sent out to find her brother. He then has no choices but to leave the monastery and unleash his 8 diagram pole fighting skills on Pan Mei and his men, despite his vow not to kill. The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter is among the best martial arts films I have ever seen. You always know you’re in for a treat when you see the bright blue Shaw Brothers shield at the beginning of a film, but this one is jaw-dropping. From the very first sequence, the kung fu action is superb. Gordon Liu had tremendous skill and it is put to full use here. The other actors are also amazing. In fact, where the action really kicks into high gear is late in the movie when Kara Hui has some real stand-out fight sequences. The actions scenes the fill the earlier parts of the movie, however, are just a warmup for the epic and bizarre battle sequence at the film’s conclusion. It begins with enemy having created a pyramid of coffins, one of which holds Yang’s sister. He battles his way up the structure with the caskets sliding and shifting around like blocks in a giant Jenga game. Baddies pop out of the coffins swinging their weapons. Then, when Yang finally finds his sister, he does battle while she is slung over his back like backpack. But we’re just getting started! Soon the monks show up to help out. Since they refuse to kill, they use their pole fighting techniques to de-fang the enemy. They literally do movements intended to rip out the teeth of the bad guys. It’s ridiculous and glorious all at the same time – not to mention painful to watch. As I was watching the film I kept thinking that I never would’ve pegged it for being released in 1984. It feels more like the Shaw Brothers films of the 70’s, which just helps give the film a great look at atmosphere. There are a few moments that drag a bit in the film’s mid section. Also a bit strange is the way that brother #6’s story is pretty much abandoned as the film moves on. He is completely absent from the final battle. This is actually because actor Alexander Fu was killed in a car accident during the film’s production. The film’s rough patches are minor, though. On a whole, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter is an amazing piece of martial arts cinema. The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (1984) Posted in Reviews by Ben Johnson - October 19, 2019A near-perfect kung fu film, this wrought, embittered battle for justice is very much the zenith of Lau Kar-leung‘s extraordinary filmmaking talents, and pushes the form into new realms. It tells the story of the noble, pious, pole-fighting Yang family soldiers; they have the respect of the people, but are seen as a menace to the governing Mongol government who see them as a threat to their plans for wide-scale invasion. An ambush is set-up by the traitorous Pai Mei and five of the seven Yang family brothers are slain, causing their master to take his own life. They die standing up; defiant to the very end. The two surviving brothers – fifth and sixth brother – are left traumatised from the event. Sixth brother (Alexander Fu Sheng) is driven insane by the experience, protected by his highly influential, newly widowed mother and his two sisters. Fifth brother (Gordon Liu), instead, deals with his trauma by taking a more spiritual route, absconding to a Buddhist temple and becoming a monk. The abbott and the teachers are skeptical about the political ramifications of harbouring a wanted man, as well as training a soldier with a fatalistic temperament. “How can we teach him how to fight if he wants to kill?” asks one of the monks. As a result, fifth brother is respected but never fully embraced by the monks; he symbolically shaves and brands his own head, and ultimately displays his devotion by fighting to avenge the abbot after an attack. It is impossible to judge this film subjectivity without taking into account its troubled production. It is a film forged in grief. The tragic death of its 28-year-old star, Alexander Fu Sheng, in a car crash mid-way through production hangs over the latter half of the film like a spectre, with Lau having to redraft the script after a brief hiatus, and a visibly affected cast having to finish the film without their close friend and colleague. For Lau, to lose such an enigmatic and trusted muse at a time when the two were rekindling their working partnership must have seemed like a double tragedy for the filmmaker, with Lau seemingly channelling much of this anger into the final product. Gordon Liu’s vengeful retribution killing of the traitorous Prince Yeh (Wang Lung-wei) and his Mongol hoards is depicted in a circle of stacked coffins, where he is joined by Phillip Ko and his brotherhood of monks who forgo their piety and neutrality in support of the fight against tyranny and deception. There is no happy reunion; Gordon Liu’s resolution is to shun his home and what remains of his family to live out his life in isolation, devoted only to god. The film’s emotional resonance is only confounded by the fact that, in 1986, Shaw Brothers would decide to dismantle its long-running filmmaking enterprise to concentrate solely on television, forcing Lau and many others out of a job. This would prove to be Lau’s final film for Shaw Brothers, and as swan-songs go, they don’t get more powerful than this. The legendary Yang dynasty’s patriarch and all but two of his sons are brutally wiped out in a bloody battle. One surviving son (Alexander Sheng Fu) returns to his mother and two sisters, deeply traumatized, and the other (Gordon Liu) escapes to join a nearby monastery. Once he learns that his sister (Kara Hui) has been captured by their enemies, however, the warrior-turned-monk realizes he must renounce his peaceful ideals in order to mount a rescue mission and avenge his family. (From Arrow’s official synopsis) The ‘60s and early ‘70s were Shaw Bros.’ golden era, when the studio ruled the Hong Kong movie scene, producing hundreds upon hundreds of films and redefining martial arts cinema. Often slavish to their formulas, their influence waned into the late ‘70s and early ‘80s as trends changed and rival studios, like Golden Harvest, took over. In response, Shaw Bros. embraced gimmicks, infused wuxia with other genres, and ballooned the scope of their action and violence. Some might consider this era too desperate for attention and too detached from the studio’s core filmmaking, but, if you, like me, love grand spectacle and exploitation cinema, it’s hard to top Shaw Bros. at the beginning of the 1980s. One of the key contributors of this period was Lau Kar-leung (aka: Liu Chia-Liang), who, after acting as fight choreographer for some of Chang Cheh’s greatest films, struck out as first-unit director on enduring hits, like The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (aka: The Master Killer and Shaolin Master Killer, 1978) and Heroes of the East (aka: Challenge of the Ninja and Shaolin vs. Ninja, 1978). Lau’s best film as director was (arguably) his major collaboration with Jackie Chan, Drunken Master II (aka: Legend of the Drunken Master for its re-edited US release, 1994), but, as far as his Shaw Bros. output goes, it’s hard to beat 1984’s The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter (aka: The Invincible Pole Fighters) – a spectacular showcase of choreography and martial arts skill that, in many ways, marked the end of the studio’s dominance, as well as a bridge between the Shaw house style and the Hong Kong New Wave era that overtook it. Lau continued doing what he did best, namely tight choreography and breakneck pacing, but he and cinematographer An-Sung Tsao also adopted a more cinematic look, trading brightly-lit, super-wide-angle images for moody and dynamic photography. The incentive may have been desperation, as the studio was struggling to stay afloat and aging directors began looking to next generation filmmakers for inspiration, but you wouldn’t know it from Eight Diagram Pole Fighter’s pitch perfect blend of Lau’s typical aesthetic with New Wave heroes Sammo Hung, Tsui Hark, and Yuen Woo-ping’s favorite techniques, like extensive wire-work and slo-mo photography. Hong Kong kung fu grew gorier during the ‘80s, seemingly in an attempt to compete with the likes of practical effects-heavy horror films and slasher movies. For instance, Chang’s Five Element Ninjas (aka: Super Ninjas, 1982) famously includes a scene where one of the heroes loses a battle after stepping on his own spilled intestines. Eight Diagram Pole Fighter more than meets the new, brutal standard, but with a balletic flair that anticipates the splashy bloodshed of John Woo’s groundbreaking ‘gun-fu’ epics, like A Better Tomorrow (1986) and Hard Boiled (1992). The most graphic highlights are relegated to the opening and closing battles, including hundreds of arrow strikes, dozens of bamboo impalements and lacerations, and a whirling rampage of monks who ‘relieve’ Mongol invaders of their teeth. The behind-the-scenes difficulties extended far beyond the filmmakers and studio merely striving for relevance, to the point that a major tragedy wound up defining the film for far too long. The screenplay, by Lau and novelist Ni Kuang (aka: Yiming), is based on folk tales of the Yang Family – a military dynasty that itself was based on historical figures Yang Ye and his progeny. Parts of the legend had previously been used for Cheng Kang’s sublime The 14 Amazons (1972), another Shaw production that followed the woman generals of the family. Young star Alexander Sheng Fu, who was an extra in The 14 Amazons and had recently appeared in Lau’s Legendary Weapons of China (1982), was hired to play Luk-long, traditionally one of the main heroes of the piece, but he died tragically in a car crash during production. Lau was then forced to rewrite the script and move some of his character's responsibilities over to Kara Hui’s character (Eighth Sister). The plot is conventional enough that most viewers – especially those of us unfamiliar with the folklore – wouldn’t notice the last minute structural issues brought about by Sheng Fu’s untimely death. * Historians reportedly believe that Yang Yanzhao (sometimes Yanlang), the historical figure Luk-long is based on, was actually Yang Ye’s second son, but storytellers had cast him as the sixth son for so long that it stuck. VideoEight Diagram Pole Fighter was released during the early home video era, so you’d assume there was an official stateside VHS, but I can only find evidence of the typical grey market clamshell tapes from Hong Kong. DVDs were easier to find, thanks to budget label Venom Mob Films’ non-anamorphic, 1.33:1 disc and a 2010 anamorphic release from the Weinstein Company’s Dragon Dynasty imprint. The film made its Blu-ray debut in 2020 via 88 Films, followed by this US disc from Arrow (though 88 Films still holds the UK license). On average, the Celestial Pictures-produced HD Shaw Bros. scans, which have been used for various streaming and Blu-ray releases for a while now, are nice, but overly scrubbed. Also, the overlapping 88 Films and Arrow Shaw BD releases have looked basically the same, additionally matching HD streaming versions. According to the included booklet, Eight Diagram Pole Fighter had a couple of extra steps between Celestial’s vault materials and this 1080p, 2.35:1 transfer. The original 35mm negative was scanned in 2K resolution at L'Immagine Ritrovata Asia, restored at L'Immagine Ritrovata Bologna, and then graded at R3Store Studios in London. While I don’t have the 88 Films disc on hand for a direct comparison of artifacts, I do know that this new remaster corrects the first Celestial restoration’s “frame cutting error,” which lost frames at each negative splice point and resulted in about two minutes of missing footage. This new restoration has used the entire film negative so as to not lose anything. The image quality is definitely an upgrade on the majority of Celestial Shaw transfers, including deeper black levels (important, given the occasional bleakness of this particular film), higher contrast, and more natural grain structure. Additionally, all the good things about the Celestial Shaw transfers are present as well, such as vivid colors and tidy elemental separation. AudioEight Diagram Pole Fighter is presented with English, Mandarin, and Cantonese audio options, all in uncompressed DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0 mono sound. Being a Hong Kong-based studio at a time when Hong Kong was still a British colony, the classic Shaw Bros. movies would have needed English, Mandarin, and Cantonese audio & subtitle options. I personally have fond memories of watching these movies in English, so I opted to watch the majority of the film that way, but bounced around to compare. The English track is actually the weakest of the three, featuring a more muffled tone, while the Mandarin track is a bit overly sharp, especially at higher volume. I’d definitely recommend first-time viewers stick with the Cantonese dub for the superior layering, better representation of Stephen Shing score, and fact that the cast was speaking it on set, leading to superior lip-sync. For the record, there was a 5.1 remix of the Mandarin and Cantonese tracks made for IVL’s 2004 HK DVD. I haven’t listened to it myself, but assume it is unnecessary. ExtrasCommentary by Jonathan Clements – Not surprisingly, the author of A Brief History of China: Dynasty, Revolution and Transformation (Tuttle Publishing, 2019) discusses the film largely from a historical and literary standpoint, breaking down the Yang family’s history and legend, the traditional theater representation of the story, how Lau paid homage to that theatrical tradition, the political context of the story and connections to modern political censorship, the history of the Song Dynasty (the period in which the stories take place), Buddhist/Shaolin culture/practices, and the base moral themes. Clements also offers up plenty of information about the cast & crew and the recycled Shaw Studios locations. Tony Rayns on The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter (22:54, HD) – Rayns, whose other work includes writing for BFI, Sight & Sound, and Time Out, and regular commentary track recorder for Criterion and Masters of Cinema, talks about Lau’s career at Shaw, Eight Diagram Pole Fighter’s lack of comedy/levity, how the film became a tribute to Alexander Sheng Fu, the history and legend behind the story, and gives the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan credit for the film’s modern rediscovery (they named their fifth album 8 Diagrams). He also explains the Taoist meaning of trigrams. The 8 Diagram Tragedy (20:06, HD) – In this 2004 interview by Frédéric Ambroisine, star Gordon Liu recalls the the tragedy of Sheng Fu’s death (he used the pain to fuel his performance), changes made after the accident, technical aspects of the production, Lau’s storytelling/directing style, and compares his character to the one he played in 36th Chamber of Shaolin. Martial Mom (32:43, HD) – Another Ambroisine interview, this time with actress Lily Li, who chats about the process of becoming a 70 year-old at only 30, studying the character, the eclectic nature of her career, sentimentally looking back at her Shaw Bros. films, Sheng Fu and other members of the cast & crew, and her old training regime. The Shadow Heroine (32:09, HD) – The last Ambroisine interview features actress Yeung Ching-ching, who chronologically explores her Shaw career as actress and stunt performer, and discusses the specific martial arts she practices, and working with Lau, Cheh Chang, and various Shaw Bros. cast regulars. A Tribute to Fu Sheng (6:12, HD) – A 1984 short film that played before several screenings of Eight Diagram Pole Fighter in order to commemorate Sheng Fu’s death. This particular version is derived from a German language dub. Alternate The Invincible Pole Fighters opening credits (4:04, HD) Trailer and digital release trailer Image gallery The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter is a 1984 Shaw Brothers Martial Arts Movie starring Gordon Liu (of The 36th Chamber of Shaolin fame), Kara Wai (as Liu's onscreen sister) and Alexander Fu Sheng in his final film appearance. Very loosely based on the Generals of the Yang family during the Song Dynasty, the story is told through the perspective of Yeung Ng-long, the fifth and only surviving brother of the Yang family after being ambushed by their enemies, and his subsequent training at the Shaolin Temple to avenge his family's defeat. The historical backdrop is pretty much an Excuse Plot for setting up all sorts of martial arts action and set-pieces though. This film provides examples of: Action Prologue: The film starts with the Yeung family of brothers and their fathers, being cornered by an entire horde of Mongol soldiers, and the entire family of outnumbered warriors fighting off wave after wave of enemies. Actor Allusion: Gordon Liu training at a Shaolin Temple to become a Warrior Monk? Never heard that one before... Badass Family: The entire Yeung family, where all their brothers, led by their father, are generals and warriors. Their sisters are also trained spear fighters, and Eighth Sister in particular gets in her own licks when she's not tied up. The Cavalry: In the climax, Ng-long's battle against a whole legion of Imperial traitors and enemy spies are quickly reinforced when legions of Shaolin monks who trained him in the temple comes to assist him. Creator Cameo: The Hunter who saved Yeung Ng-long's life and inspired him to train at the Shaolin temple, is played by director Lau Kar-Leung. Eye Scream: During the climax, IMMEDIATELY after The Tooth Hurts example below, Ng-long immediately dispatches two mooks behind him by ramming the same wooden staff into their eyes. The way they clutch at their eyesockets after, it's implied that the very same teeth were stabbed into their eyes. Heroic Sacrifice: The Hunter, in order to allow Ng-long to escape, deliberately collapses a section of an underground cavern he's in, burying himself and several Mongol soldiers alive. Human Pincushion: One of the Yang brothers gets hit by over a dozen arrows in the opening fight against the Mongol army. Martial Arts Staff: After starting his training in the Shaolin Temple, Ng-long starts using this (forfeiting his default spear) as his weapon. Martial Pacifist: The Shaolin monks who follows this value in their hearts. No Name Given: The Hunter, played by Lau Kar-Leung, despite having a Small Role, Big Impact that plays a crucial role in the story, is never named throughout his entire 8 minutes of screentime. Roaring Rampage of Rescue: The final scene, which is Ng-long mounting a One-Man Army to rescue his sister who's been captured by enemy spies. Shaolin Monk: The film is loosely based on Generals of the Yang Family. Said family of Generals was massacred save for the fifth son, Yeung Ng-long, who then joins the Shaolin sect to be trained by monks. The climax is a massive battle where Ng-long and a legion of ass-kicking monks takes on legions and legions of Mooks. Sole Survivor: Yeung Ng-long, only surviving member of the Yeung brothers. The Tooth Hurts: In the climax, Ng-long defeats several mooks... by shoving his wooden staff into their mouths, twisting it, and ripping out their teeth in shockingly graphic details. OUCH!!!! Training from Hell: Ng-long invokes this on himself to hone his skills in pole-fighting to avenge his family's defeat. Warrior Monk: The Shaolin monks, as expected. By the end of the film Ng-long has fully became one of their members. What Happened to the Mouse?: Ng-long's younger brother and the sixth member of the Yeung family, Luk-long, didn't die in the opening fight scene, but he disappears in subsequent scenes without an explanation given. The reason for this is because Alexander Fu-sheng died in real life (see Trivia for explanation). We Hardly Knew Ye: The entire Yeung family, despite taking a huge chunk out of the Mongol army, dies one after another in the opening ambush until Ng-long The Hero is the Sole Survivor. They aren't random extras by the way, being played by prominent martial arts and kung-fu cinema actors, yet they didn't get any characterizations throughout their screentime (all 5 minutes of it).

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