The Shaw Brothers: Four Films by Lau Kar-Leung (Challenge of the Masters / Executioners of Shaolin / Heroes of the East / Dirty Ho) (Blu-ray)

After masterminding the spellbinding martial arts choreography on dozens of Shaw Brothers' biggest hits, Lau Kar-Leung became an extraordinary director in his own right, using his inimitable talents and deeply-felt understanding of kung fu history to create his own idiosyncratic and often humorous take on the genre. Lau's second film, the thrilling and deeply personal Challenge of the Masters, draws upon the legend of the real-life Cantonese folk hero Wong Fei-hung, played here by Lau's soon-to-be-legendary adoptive brother Gordon Liu in his first starring role. Having choreographed the action for many of Chang Cheh's 'Shaolin Temple' films, Lau took on the same historical legends in Executioners from Shaolin, jam-packed with extraordinary fight scenes and unforgettable characters, not least the evil Bai Mei, the White-Browed Hermit! Lau's trademark mix of high-kicking kung fu choreography and knee-slapping physical comedy is on full display in one of the director's most acclaimed films, Heroes of the East, which pits Japanese and Chinese martial arts against one another and ultimately celebrates both. Last but not least is Dirty Ho, Lau's take on the odd couple buddy comedy, which shows off some of the most inventive action set-pieces in the Shaw Brothers canon and is not to be missed!

• DISC ONE - CHALLENGE OF THE MASTERS / EXECUTIONERS OF SHAOLIN
• 2K restoration of Challenge of the Masters from the original negative by Arrow Films
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Uncompressed Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films, plus Cantonese mono for Challenge of the Masters
• English subtitles for both films, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
• Appreciation of Lau Kar-Leung by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
• Interview with star Gordon Liu, filmed in 2002 by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Interview with star Chen Kuan-Tai, filmed in 2007 by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Textless opening credits for Challenge of the Masters
• Alternate English credits for Executioners from Shaolin
• Trailers
• Image galleries for both films
• DISC TWO - HEROES OF THE EAST / DIRTY HO
• 2K restoration of Dirty Ho from the original negative by Arrow Films
• High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
• Uncompressed Cantonese, Mandarin and English original mono audio for both films
• English subtitles for both films, plus English hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English dubs
• Commentary on Heroes of the East by Jonathan Clements, author of A Brief History of the Martial Arts
• Appreciation of both films by film critic and historian Tony Rayns
• Interview with Heroes of the East star Yasuaki Kurata, filmed in 2003 by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Alternate opening credits for Shaolin Challenges Ninja, the international version of Heroes of the East
• Alternate English credits for Dirty Ho
• Trailers
• Image galleries for both films