Hurry up and don't let your holidays get in the way this year, because the gifts will arrive early. On December 22, Mubi, the highly curated, cinema-forward streaming service, will release a collection of films celebrating Shaw Brothers Studio's impressive fight films. Founded in 1958, the Chinese studio became synonymous with martial arts films, with classics ranging from straight-up wushu fighting dramas to more fantastical wuxia odysseys.
The program, called Shaw Brothers: Wuxia Warriors and Kung Fu Masters, features 14 fighting films all in one place. Here's the full overview:
The one-armed swordsmandirected by Cheh Chang
The five deadly poisonsdirected by Cheh Chang
Ninjas with five elementsdirected by Cheh Chang
Mangled Avengersdirected by Cheh Chang
The Boxer from Shantungdirected by Cheh Chang
Hsueh Li Pao Five fingers of deathdirected by Jeong Chang-hwa
Come drink with medirected by King Hu
Clan of the White Lotusdirected by Lieh Lo
The 36th Chamber of Shaolindirected by Liu Chia-Liang
Dirty Hodirected by Liu Chia-Liang
Legendary weapons of Chinadirected by Liu Chia-Liang
The Arctic Hunter with eight diagramsdirected by Liu Chia-Liang
Heroes of the Eastdirected by Liu Chia-Liang
Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesandirected by Yuen Chor
While Quentin Tarantino and the Wu-Tang Clan get a lot of credit for converting everyday American pop culture devourers into martial arts fans, the big crossover moment for the Shaw Brothers happened much closer to the studio's actual heyday. To hear more about the exact moment kung fu exploded in the United States, read this excerpt from the fantastic book: These Fists Break Stones: How Kung Fu Movies Swept America and Changed the World.
Shaw Brothers: Wuxia Warriors and Kung Fu Masters premieres on Mubi on December 22. Watch the trailer for the collection above.