Complete Tan Tao Liang Filmography?

[mickey]

Greetings,

Does anyone know of films that Tan Tao Liang has done beyond those listed here?

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0848903/



One that comes to mind is Dynasty, a 3D kung fu movie that played in the US in 1977.

Are there others?

Does anyone know whether he was the star of "36 Tan Tui" , a Taiwan release?

Thank you for your contributions.


mickey

[jethro]

I will get to this when I am not at work man, don't worry mickey!

Check out 8 escorts, boxer's adventure, and showdown at teh cottonmill(don't know if those are on the list).

[Li Kao]

Mickey,

You must have overlooked it, but Dynasty is on the IMDB list -- entry #25.

I looked over the list and can't for the life of me think of any omissions, but the IMDB is not always infallible. Might want to check at the Hong Kong Movie Database http://www.hkmdb.com. You do have to register there to get full access to the database -- I am at work now and don't remember my login info as I haven't used that site in a while, but it's a better resource for Asian cinema than IMDB.

Here is a short bio with filmography:
http://www.megspace.com/entertainment/highimpact/stars/male/delontan.html

If you're looking to purchase DVD's I would recommend HKflix (http://http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/person.dorian+tan%2DOR%2Dtao+liang/qx/titles.htm) -- have always had good luck with them. Just be mindful of the region codes in case you don't have a region-free player though they are really good at identifying the various codes for multiple versions of the same movie.

Wish I had something concrete for you :(

[jethro]

good list


just to name one that isn't on there-Kung Fu Emporer

it is almost a good flick with ti lung and dorian and chen sing



It is funny to see that list, he was doing REALLYwork for 5 years. Not a whole lot to go on there. And Breathing Fire is an odd choice as hsi only producing job. Horrible movie! And just an fyi, DO NOT watch teh movie Mask of Vengeance!!!!!!!!! I would rate Shaolin Super Dragon Above that piece.

[mickey]

Thank you both for your assistance.

Li Kao,

The link you provided shows an average of 5 movies a year:possibly contracted; if this is true, there may be some movies missing from the 1973-1975 period.

I wonder if he did any Taiwan television series during his career.


mickey

[Li Kao]

Another link I'm sure you've seen: http://www.kungfucinema.com/people/dorian_tan_tao_liang.htm

There could be some missing films from those early years -- hard to say how active he was initially or if his movie count per year gradually increased with his stardom. I'm not aware of any television work he did in Taiwan but someone from there might know of something.

As a kid, my first exposure to kung fu cinema was through Shaw Brothers and while I liked all of the early heroes (Jimmy Wang Yu, Lo Lieh, Gordon Liu, Ti Lung, David Chiang, Alexander Fu Sheng, etc) I really got into the Five Deadly Venoms gang (especially Kuo Chiu -- he was my hero as a kid) and I used to track down every appearance by them. Over the course of about a decade, I think I probably came close to at least owning all of their Shaw Brothers stuff (when I started collecting movies it was much harder and most of the stuff I got back then was mail-order through some Hong Kong distributors -- it wasn't like it is today where you can walk into any Best Buy and find 50 or more releases all in its own Martial Arts section), but after talking to Ric Meyers at a convention a few years ago, I find out that alot of them had went on to do TV work in Hong Kong and Taiwan, which was probably something I would never see. Alot of the movies they are in are just cameos as well, which is not as rewarding as seeing them in the lead or support roles, but I can definitely relate to wanting to see *everything* by your favorite star. It would be nice if there was one all-encompassing and complete site, but the reality is you have to do a little research and searching if you want the whole picture. Good luck in your own pursuit =)

[mickey]

Hi Li Kao,

Though Tan Tao Liang is one of my favorites, it is the films that are unique that star him that I like. He does pretty much the same kickiing combinations in every movie: it is just a matter of changing the camera angles. This can be said for a lot of actors. I would consider the "Venoms" to be an exception to this rule; they really pushed the envelope of ingenuity in every movie. My inquiry came after seeing a fight scene on youtube form Young Hero of Shaolin. Strangely, his character name is the reverse of yours. It is Kao Li. What is interesting is that he moves more like a Hapkido practitioner than a Tae Kwon Do practitioner:
notice the body shifts and dodges-- he really literally plays with position like a cat with a ball of yarn and I really don't think that was choreographed. That was all him. And the result is beautiful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1jsFr4SoZs&NR

The choreograpghy, here, for him seems fresh and he applies himself energtically, unlike his later movies where he seemes complacent to do the same moves over and over. That is why I am interested in finding out more, especially with the earlier movies.

The movies that stand out for me that feature him are:


Dynasty (I just love the Temple training sequence)

The Leg Fighters (His character is technically vulnerable in this one)

The Secret Arts of the Snake and Crane

Kung Fu Emperor: I enjoyed his ground fighting sequence with Sun Jung Chi.



Thank you again for your assistance,


mickey

[Jimbo]

The movies starring him that I have seen include:

Invincible Kung-Fu Legs
Showdown at the Cotton Mill
Blooded Treasure Fight
Dynasty
Shaolin Deadly Kicks
Countdown to Kung-Fu (with Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung)
The Revenger
Kung-Fu Emperor
Tattoo Connection (with Jim Kelly)
Challenge of Death
Duel with the Devils
The Hot, the Cool, and the Vicious
General Stone
The Himalayan (I saw only part of this)
Pearl River Fighte
Secret of the Shaolin Poles (vs. Yasuaki Kurata)

I suppose there could be more but don't remember. His movies can be really fun to watch or really bad. He was definitely one of the best real martial artists of the old-school era.