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Thread: Shaw Brothers Celestial Film Library

  1. #1

    Shaw Brothers Celestial Film Library

    Anyone know what the status is on the Shaw Bros. Celestial Film library being made available for DVD Region 1? I've tried researching it, and I keep finding old info dating back to '02 making it sound like these movies would be released very soon. Here we are, well into '05 and still no DVD Region 1 Shaw Bros. flicks. The most recent news I've heard is that Miramax was going to release these movies at some point. Anyone out there know more?

    For those of you who might not know what I'm talking about, a while back Celestial, an overseas film distributor bought up most if not all of the Shaw Bros. film library. They remastered all of them and re-released them. The quality is greatly improved over VHS and bootlegs. Most of those DVD's from Crash Cinema or the myriad of others that bought the rights to a lot of the old classic kung fu flix (and a lot of really terrible ones, too) that go for cheap at your local video place are of VHS or worse quality. Waste of money, avoid them like the plague.

    Anyway, I'm asking because I've almost broken down and bought a region free DVD player, just so I can get all those great old flicks in region 3. However, if Miramax or someone else out there is really going to release them in region 1 anytime reasonably soon, then I can wait. Unless of course, they butcher them like they did with Hero......

  2. #2
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    I've been waiting for the same thing.

    I usually just burn the Region 3 discs and crack the software region code so I can watch them. Region Free players tend to have poor picture quality unless you buy an expensive one.

  3. #3
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    not philips dvp642. you can make it region free very easily. and it plays divx and all these other avi files. and its like 70 dollars at amazon.
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...=UTF8&v=glance
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    Wal-Mart sells that model for like $50. I looked at it, but it looks cheaply made and the remote was pretty crappy.

    I love Sony electronics. My TV, Stereo, Satellite Receiver, VCR and DVD player all function with one remote. You can make a Sony DVD player region free by using one of those pre-programmed remotes, but it's kind of a hassel. It's much easier for me just to burn them on a new DVD and break the encryption.

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    Quote Originally Posted by MasterKiller
    Wal-Mart sells that model for like $50. I looked at it, but it looks cheaply made and the remote was pretty crappy.

    I love Sony electronics. My TV, Stereo, Satellite Receiver, VCR and DVD player all function with one remote. You can make a Sony DVD player region free by using one of those pre-programmed remotes, but it's kind of a hassel. It's much easier for me just to burn them on a new DVD and break the encryption.


    nah the player is pretty nice. i have had it for a year or so. i ugraded the firmware and now it plays even more stuff. . you have to enter a code once on the remote to get it to be region free, but its hot man. i would get it.
    Quote Originally Posted by Psycho Mantis View Post
    Genes too busy rocking the gang and scarfing down bags of cheetos while beating it to nacho ninjettes and laughing at the ridiculous posts on the kfforum. In a horse stance of course.

  6. #6
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    If you go to yesasia.com you can get a good multi-region player for not to much money. I have been getting the Region 3 DVDs for a few years now and have my collection up to about 50 movies. There are a lot of movies that I have never seen before that were not part of the black belt theater stuff I grew up with.

    We have a karaoke dvd player so my wife could get stuff from Hong Kong. The picture quality is very good and I only have it hook up with S-video. It would be even better with component but I use that for my regular dvd and my HDTV set top box.

    Make the investment because I have heard recently that Celestials sales have not been as good as they would have liked. With that in mind I don't see them putting on a full court press for Region 1.

    Also I have been able to hack all of my DVD players in my home with the exception of my Sony Dream System so that is another option.

  7. #7
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    no plans to release those in region 1

    sorry to break it to you, but there's no plans as far as i've heard for those to be released in region 1. my advice....cave in and buy a region free player. get one from hkflix.com....they'll ship it to you in about 2 days, and you won't regret it....my JVC player is absolutely wonderful, and i have no compaints about it at all. the celestial releases of the shaw brothers films are worth buying a region free player alone, nevermind the numerous other movies that are only available in foreign countries, or the movies that you can get before anyone in the states just because they have already been in and out of the theatres someplace else.
    almost half of my rather large collection are DVD's that are not region 1.

    -christopher

    BTW.....buy a player that is not only region free, but one that also does correct NTSC to PAL / PAL to NTSC conversion. that comes in handy when watching european releases of films.
    "It's better to be dead and cool....than alive and uncool." - Mickey Rourke in "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man"

  8. Thumbs up Shaw Brothers movies re-mastered

    5 fingers of death, 36 Chambers (wich i had a hard time finding) my young auntie and one more i believe...released tuesday june 19th....
    Last edited by PunkRockMantis; 06-15-2007 at 01:43 PM. Reason: wrong shift
    martial arts and music share the same principles, both wrestle with complex chords and rare melodies.
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  9. #9
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    Yup, just saw the ad on TV. I'm glad to see Dragon Dynasty is joining Image in releasing classic Shaw Brothers films. If the other films they've released are any indication, including some of the '80s Golden Harvest ones they've released already, the quality should be top-notch, and they should be true to the films (i.e., no change of the music, opening credits, sound effects, etc.). One thing I hope but doubt will be on them: an option for both the subtitled Chinese versions AND the original English dubbed versions. Though I prefer original language w/good subtitles, the original English dubs were usually well-done, had 'character', and were often funny, too.

    I hope Dragon Dynasty really gets into the very best SB kung-fu films. The majority of what Image has released are not the very best...maybe interesting historically, but IMO, w/the exception of Legendary Weapons of China, most released by them have been so-so. I'd like to see all the Lau Kar-Leung works and the Shaolin series by Chang Cheh get treated to proper releases, among others.

  10. #10
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    I saw the screencaps for 36th Chamber and it looks AMAZING. And I can't wait to finally see My Young Auntie. I imagine if these first 4 sell well, they will come out with more Shaw movies.

    http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/dvdcom...6thchamber.htm

    King Boxer- http://hkfilmnews.blogspot.com/2007/...creencaps.html
    Last edited by jethro; 06-16-2007 at 01:27 AM.
    "For someone who's a Shaolin monk, your kung fu's really lousy!"
    "What, you're dead? You die easy!"
    "Hold on now. I said I would forget your doings, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Take his head."
    “I don’t usually smoke this brand, but I’ll do it for you.”
    "When all this is over, Tan Hai Chi, I will kick your head off and put it on my brother's grave!
    "I regard hardships as part of my training. I don't need to relax."

  11. #11
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    Looks like some good stuff. I'm glad they're finally willing to put the time and effort into doing some of these films justice. Those grainy, stretched-out, english-dub-only copies floating out there just weren't cutting it...
    "Prepare your mind..." "For a mind explosion!"
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  12. #12
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    Most of the Shaw films were remastered a few years ago. You just have to either have a region-free DVD player or, do what I do and rip the region 3 to a region 0.

    I got 36 Chambers probably 2 or 3 years ago.

    There is no English track, but the video is awesome.

    http://us.yesasia.com/en/Browse/Prod...id-1002426052/

  13. i snagged "legendary weapons of china" a few weeks back and the transfer looks awesome. hopefully Shaolin mantis makes its way through the process, ive been hunting down 36th chambers with no luck recently, im sure i could have picked it up online, but there would be no" thrill of the hunt" that way. im glad i waited
    martial arts and music share the same principles, both wrestle with complex chords and rare melodies.
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  14. #14
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    The English dub is a big deal MK, and the pic quality on the DD version is a little better than the IVL.
    Last edited by jethro; 06-16-2007 at 12:03 PM.
    "For someone who's a Shaolin monk, your kung fu's really lousy!"
    "What, you're dead? You die easy!"
    "Hold on now. I said I would forget your doings, but I didn't promise to spare your life. Take his head."
    “I don’t usually smoke this brand, but I’ll do it for you.”
    "When all this is over, Tan Hai Chi, I will kick your head off and put it on my brother's grave!
    "I regard hardships as part of my training. I don't need to relax."

  15. #15
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    You guys should check out www.jaman.com They've got like 50 some old Shaw Brothers flicks from Celestial Pictures on there. Most of them are wu xia, but they're great. Sentimental Swordsman, Return of Sentimental Swordsman. Alot of the Cheng Pei Pei films.

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