Chang Cheh

In thisChinese name,thefamily nameisChang.

Chang Cheh
Born	Trương dễ dương (Chang Yi-yang) (1923-02-10)10 February 1923 Shanghai,China
Died	22 June 2002(2002-06-22)(aged 79) Hong Kong
Years active	1947–1993
Awards	Asia Pacific Film Festival 1970 Best Director (Vengeance!)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	TrươngTriệt
Simplified Chinese	TrươngTriệt
Transcriptions

Chang Cheh(pinyin:Zhāng Chè;10 February 1923 – 22 June 2002) was aChinesefilmmaker,screenwriter,lyricistand producer active in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Chang Cheh directed more than 90 films inGreater China,the majority of them with theShaw Brothers Studioin Hong Kong. Most of his films are action films, especiallywuxiaandkung fufilms filled with violence.

In the early 1970s he frequently cast actorsDavid ChiangandTi Lungin his films. In the late 1970s he mainly worked with a group of actors known as theVenom Mob.Chang Cheh is also known for his long-time collaboration with writerNi Kuang.

Career

Referred to as "The Godfather of Hong Kong cinema", Chang directed nearly 100 films in his illustrious career at Shaw Brothers, which ran the gamut from swordplay films (One-Armed Swordsman,The Assassin,Golden Swallow) to kung fu films (Five Shaolin Masters,Five Venoms,Kid with the Golden Arm) to more modern period dramas (Chinatown Kid,Boxer From Shantung,The Generation Gap) to lavish costume epics (The Water Margin,The Heroic Ones,Boxer Rebellion).

After graduating fromNational Central University(Nanjing University) inChongqing,where he studied politics, Chang moved toHong Kong,where he became a film critic.Chang got his start in the film industry as a screenwriter; his first script wasGirl's Mask,a movie fromShanghaiwhich was released in 1947. He wrote several more scripts before making his directorial debut in 1949 withHappenings in Ali Shan.His first big hit came with 1967'sOne-Armed Swordsman,the first film in Hong Kong history to gross HK$1 million. The film catapulted actorJimmy Wang Yuto stardom and cemented Chang's status as one of Hong Kong's top directors. In the same year, he releasedThe Assassin,another early Chang classic, and in 1968 he followed up withGolden Swallow,a sequel toKing Hu's classic wuxia pictureCome Drink With Me.

Chang often co-wrote scripts with fellow screenwriterNi Kuang,and occasionally co-directed films with directors such asBaau Hok-li,Wu MaandGwai Chi-hung.He even occasionally wrote and co-wrote music for his films. In addition to his film related work, he also wrote novels, poetry and non-film related articles under numerous pseudonyms.

Chang was heavily influenced by directorsAkira Kurosawa,Hideo Gosha,Sergio Leone,andSam Peckinpah,Cheh brought elements from these movies into his own work, revolutionizing Hong Kong filmmaking. His swordplay films of the 1960s (includingOne Armed Swordsman), filled with bloody scenes of the hero cutting his way through a roomful of opponents, were considered at the time by Westerners to be violent trash but are now looked back on as masterpieces of the genre.

In the early 1970s Chang began making kung fu films (includingFive Shaolin MastersandFive Venoms) sometimes filming four or five movies in a single year. His earlier kung fu movies were often done in collaboration with choreographer (and future director)Lau Kar Leung,who Chang had worked with, along with choreographer Tong Gaai, on earlier films. After falling out with Lau on the set ofDisciples of Shaolin,Chang started featuring a troupe of actors made up ofSun Chien,Chiang Sheng,Philip Kwok,Lo Meng,Lu Feng,Wei Pai(andYu Tai Ping), who would come to be known as "The Venoms",as actors and choreographers in his films. His films from this period, includingFive Deadly Venoms,Kid with the Golden Arm,andCrippled Avengers,feature a heavy influence from thewuxiamovie genre, and are considered his most popular films in the west – not counting 1982'sFive Element Ninjas,akaChinese Superninjas.

Chang was a pioneer of what is known by some as "heroic bloodshed";films that emphasize brotherhood, loyalty and honor, and several of his films, includingVengeance,Boxer From ShantungandChinatown Kid,can be seen as clear influences on the later work of directors such asJohn WooandRingo Lam.His influence on future filmmakers such asQuentin Tarantino(who listed Chang as a dedicatee in the end credits ofKill Bill: Volume 2),Robert RodriguezandZhang Yimouis unquestionable.John Woo,who lists Cheh as his chief filmmaking inspiration, worked as assistant director on many of the master's films, includingBoxer From Shantung,The Water MarginandThe Blood Brothers.

Filmography

Films

Year	English title	Original title	Director	Writer	Notes
1947	Girl's Mask	Gương mặt giả nữ lang	Fang Peilin	Yes
1949	Happennings in Ali Shan	Ali gió núi vân	Yes	Yes	co-directed with Cheung Ying
1951	Never Separated	Vĩnh không chia lìa	Chu Hsin Fu	Yes
1957	Wild Fire	Lửa rừng	Yes	Yes	co-directed with Helen Li Mei
1960	Tragic Melody	Đào hoa nước mắt	Lo Wei	Yes
	The Tender Trap of Espionage	Son phấn gián điệp võng	Lo Wei	Yes
	Black Butterfly	Hắc con bướm	Lo Wei	Yes
1961	Song Without Words	Vô ngữ hỏi trời xanh	Lo Wei	Yes
	The Girl with the Golden Arm	Tặc mỹ nhân	Tang Huang	Yes
	You Were Meant for Me	Du hí nhân gian	Wong Tin-lam	Yes
1962	It's Always Spring	Đào lý tranh xuân	Evan Yang	Yes
	Come Rain, Come Shine	Hoa dại luyến	Tang Huang	Yes
	Her Pearly Tears	Trân châu nước mắt	Wong Tin-lam	Yes
1964	The Amorous Lotus Pan	Phan Kim Liên	Chow Sze-loke	Yes
	The Female Prince	Song phượng kỳ duyên	Chow Sze-loke	Yes
	The Warlord and the Actress	Huyết bắn mẫu đơn hồng	Ho Meng Hua	Yes
1965	The Mermaid	Cá mỹ nhân	Kao Li	Yes
	The Butterfly Chalice	Con bướm bôi	Yes	Yes	co-directed with Yuen Chow-fung
	Crocodile River	Cá sấu hà	Lo Wei	Yes
	Inside the Forbidden City	Tống cung bí sử	Kao Li	Yes
	Call of the Sea	Giận hải tình thù	Lo Wei	Yes
1966	Tiger Boy	Hổ hiệp tiêm thù	Yes	Yes
	The Knight of Knights	Văn tố thần	Hsih Chun	Yes
	The Magnificent Trio	Biên thành tam hiệp	Yes	Yes
	The Perfumed Arrow	Nữ tú tài	Kao Li	Yes
1967	The Trail of the Broken Blade	Đoạn trường kiếm	Yes	Yes
1967	One-Armed Swordsman	Một tay đao	Yes	Yes
1967	The Assassin	Đại thích khách	Yes	Yes
1968	Golden Swallow	Kim Yến Tử	Yes	Yes
1969	The Singing Thief	Đạo tặc ca vương	Yes
	Return of the One-Armed Swordsman	Một tay đao vương	Yes	Yes
	The Flying Dagger	Phi đao tay	Yes
	The Invincible Fist	Thiết thủ vô tình	Yes
	Dead End	Góc chết	Yes
	Have Sword, Will Travel	Bảo tiêu	Yes
1970	The Wandering Swordsman	Du hiệp nhi	Yes
	Vengeance	Báo thù	Yes	Yes
	The Heroic Ones	Thập Tam Thái Bảo	Yes	Yes
	The Singing Killer	Tiểu sát tinh	Yes
1971	King Eagle	Ưng vương	Yes
	The New One-Armed Swordsman	Tân một tay đao	Yes
	The Duel	Đại quyết đấu	Yes
	The Anonymous Heroes	Anh hùng vô danh	Yes
	Duel of Fists	Quyền anh	Yes
	The Deadly Duo	Song hiệp	Yes
1972	The Boxer From Shantung	Mã vĩnh trinh	Yes	Yes	co-directed with Pao Hsueh Li
	Angry Guest	Ác khách	Yes
	The Water Margin	Thủy Hử Truyện	Yes	Yes
	Trilogy of Swordsmanship	Quần anh hội	Yes	Yes	co-directed with Cheng Kang
	Young People	Người trẻ tuổi	Yes	Yes
	Delightful Forest	Sung sướng lâm	Yes	Yes	co-directed with Pao Hsueh Li
	Man of Iron	Thù liên hoàn	Yes	Yes	co-directed with Pao Hsueh Li
	Four Riders	Bốn kỵ sĩ	Yes	Yes
1973	The Delinquent	Phẫn nộ thanh niên	Yes	Yes	co-directed withKuei Chih-Hung
	The Blood Brothers	Thứ mã	Yes	Yes
	The Generation Gap	Phản nghịch	Yes	Yes
	Police Force	Cảnh sát	Yes	Yes	co-directed with Tsai Yang-ming
	The Pirate	Đại hải tặc	Yes	Yes	co-director
	The Iron Bodyguard	Đại đao vương năm	Yes		co-directed with Pao Hsueh Li
1974	Heroes Two	Phương thế ngọc cùng Hồng Hi quan	Yes	Yes
	The Savage Five	Ngũ hổ đem	Yes	Yes
	Men from the Monastery	Thiếu Lâm con cháu	Yes	Yes
	Friends	Bằng hữu	Yes	Yes
	The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires		Yes		English-language film, co-director
	Shaolin Martial Arts	Hồng quyền cùng vịnh xuân	Yes	Yes
	Na Cha the Great	Na Tra	Yes	Yes
	Five Shaolin Masters	Thiếu Lâm năm tổ	Yes
1975	All Men Are Brothers	Đãng khấu chí	Yes	Yes	co-directed withWu Ma
	Disciples of Shaolin	Hồng quyền tiểu tử	Yes	Yes
	The Fantastic Magic Baby	Hồng Hài Nhi	Yes	Yes
	Marco Polo	Mã ca sóng la	Yes	Yes
1976	Boxer Rebellion	Liên quân tám nước	Yes	Yes
	7-Man Army	Tám đạo lâu tử	Yes	Yes	co-director
	The Shaolin Avengers	Phương thế ngọc cùng hồ huệ càn	Yes	Yes	co-directed withWu Ma
	The New Shaolin Boxers	Thái Lý Phật tiểu tử	Yes	Yes	co-directed withWu Ma
	Shaolin Temple	Thiếu Lâm Tự	Yes	Yes	co-directed withWu Ma
1977	The Naval Commandos	Hải quân đột kích đội	Yes		co-director
	Magnificent Wanderers	Giang hồ hán tử	Yes	Yes	co-directed withWu Ma
	The Brave Archer	Bắn điêu anh hùng truyền	Yes
	Chinatown Kid	Phố người Hoa tiểu tử	Yes	Yes
1978	The Brave Archer 2	Bắn điêu anh hùng truyền tục tập	Yes
	Five Venoms	Ngũ Độc	Yes	Yes
	Invincible Shaolin	Nam Thiếu Lâm cùng bắc Thiếu Lâm	Yes	Yes
	Crippled Avengers	Tàn khuyết	Yes	Yes
1979	Life Gamble	Sinh tử đấu	Yes	Yes
	Shaolin Rescuers	Phố xá anh hùng	Yes	Yes
	Shaolin Daredevils	Tạp kỹ bỏ mạng đội	Yes	Yes
	Magnificent Ruffians	Bán mạng tiểu tử	Yes	Yes
	Kid with the Golden Arm	Kim cánh tay đồng	Yes	Yes
	Ten Tigers from Kwangtung	Quảng Đông mười hổ cùng sau ngũ hổ	Yes	Yes
1980	Heaven and Hell	Đệ tam loại đánh nhau	Yes	Yes
	2 Champions of Shaolin	Thiếu Lâm cùng Võ Đang	Yes	Yes
	Flag of Iron	Thiết kỳ môn	Yes	Yes
	The Rebel Intruders	Đại sát tứ phương	Yes	Yes
	Legend of the Fox	Phi hồ ngoại truyện	Yes	Yes
1981	Sword Stained With Royal Blood	Máu đào kiếm	Yes	Yes
	Masked Avengers	Chắp tay trước ngực	Yes	Yes
	The Brave Archer 3	Bắn điêu anh hùng truyền đệ tam tập	Yes	Yes
1982	House of Traps	Trùng Tiêu Lâu	Yes	Yes
	The Brave Archer and His Mate	Thần điêu hiệp lữ	Yes	Yes
	Five Element Ninjas	Năm độn nhẫn thuật	Yes	Yes
	Ode to Gallantry	Hiệp khách hành	Yes	Yes
1983	The Weird Man	Thần thông thuật cùng tiểu bá vương	Yes	Yes
	Attack of the Joyful Goddess	Đâm quỷ	Yes
1984	Death Ring	Lôi đài	Yes
	The Demons	Cửu tử Thiên Ma	Yes
	Shanghai 13	Bến Thượng Hải Thập Tam Thái Bảo	Yes	Yes
1985	The Dancing Warrior	Sét đánh tình	Yes
1986	Great Shanghai 1937	Đại Thượng Hải 1937	Yes	Yes
1987	Slaughter in Xian	Tây An giết chóc	Yes	Yes
	Cross the River	Quá giang	Yes	Yes
1990	Hidden Hero	Giang hồ kì binh	Yes	Yes
1991	Go West to Subdue Demons	Tây hành bình yêu	Yes	Yes
1993	Ninja In Ancient China	Thần thông	Yes	Yes

TV series

In 1992, Chang producedTaiwan Television'sMa's Assassination( thứ mã ), which tells the same story as his 1973 filmThe Blood Brothers.The series is directed byLu Fengand stars, among other actors,David Chiang.

As lyricist

Chang Cheh wrote the lyrics of more than 70 Chinese songs that have appeared in his films. The theme song of his directorial debutHappenings in Ali Shan,"Ali Shan de Guniang" ( Ali sơn cô nương; "Alishan Range's Girls "), also known as" Gao Shan Qing "( núi cao thanh;" The Green High Mountain "), is a particularly famous song in the Sinophone world.

External links

• Chang ChehatIMDb
• Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
• Chang Cheh: the Godfather of the Kung Fu Filmwebsite
• Chang Cheh and other Shaw Bros. reviews at Cityonfire