Many kung fu film fans long for the days of the Shaw Brothers Studios and Golden Harvest Studios going at it in the Hong Kong (and ultimately international) marketplace. Like anything, the movie industry need balance and the Golden Harvest-Shaw Brothers rivalry was a great yin-yang combo for Hong Kong kung fu cinema fans ( whether during the actual time periods or later on home video). Golden Harvest was the brain child of Raymond Chow, a former Shaw Brothers employee, who was a visionary and had the foresight to see a new landscape in kung fu cinema.He is credited with signing Bruce Lee and the two changed the kung fu film landscape!
Golden Harvest Studios was the home to a great many kung fu film stars such as Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Lam Chiing Ying, Angela Mao, Tan Tao Liang, and many others! Action maestro John Woo directed some films for Golden Harvest (check out this link to a review of one of them)!With such a talented roster of stars, stuntmen, camera operators, writers, and directors it is no surprise that the studio cranked out many classic kung fu flicks. Over the years Golden Harvest produced many great kung fu films such as Iron Fisted Monk, Magnificent Butcher, Prodigal Son, Young Master, Broken Oath, Shaolin Plot, and many, many others!
The Film Fan Dojo thanks Raymond Chow and all the employees of Golden Harvest Studios for their contribution to the kung fu film world! Over the next few posts the Dojo will review and discuss some Golden Harvest movies( we are excited about that) and relieve the glory days of Hong Kong Cinema when two tigers stalked the mountains of kung fu movies!
Bonus: Check out this English language interview with Raymond Chow (courtesy Twitchfilm.com)
