Challenge of the Masters (1976)

Teenager Wong Fei-hung is sent to train in the art of hung gar kung fu from his father's teacher, Luk Ah-choy. With training complete, Wong must fight an assassin and regain the honor of his school.

Director:

Chia-Liang Liu

Writer:

Kuang Ni (screenplay)

Stars:

Chia-Hui Liu, Kuan Tai Chen, Yue Wong

Cast

Credited cast:
Chia-Hui Liu	...	Huang Fei Hung
Kuan Tai Chen	...	Lu Ah Tsai
Yue Wong	...	Lin Tu-chiang
Lily Li	...	Ho Hsiu-lien
Chia-Liang Liu	...	Chen Erh-fu
Yang Chiang	...	Huang Chi-ying
Chung Tien Shih	...	Peng Yun-kang
Chia Yung Liu	...	Yuen Ching
Tao Chiang	...	Kuo Jen-liang
Kang-Yeh Cheng	...	Tseng Hsing
Hark-On Fung	...	Yang Chung (as Ko-An Fung)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Billy Chan	...	Master Pang's student
Lung Chan
Ming-Wai Chan	...	(as Ming-Wei Chen)
Ti-Ko Chen

Storyline

Slow moving kung fu flick that focuses more on plot than martial arts what a novelty! Basic story of the village kung fu chump who leaves his village and does the horse stance for two years under the supervision of a grand master. Having conditioned his legs and fought endlessly with a wooden coat rack, our hero is ready to return to his village and take on the bad guys.

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Plot Keywords:

kung fu | martial arts | hung gar | spear | stick fight | 

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Taglines:

Street fighters duel in a blast of death!

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese Mandarin

Release Date:

7 May 1976 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Challenge of the Masters

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shaw Brothers

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Night Patrol (1984)

User Reviews

kung fu classic

This is the "other" Wong Fei Hung coming-of-age film that 'fu film fans rave about whenever the subject of Jackie Chan's far more famous "Drunken Master" comes up. And there's good reason for the raving. Director Liu set out to make a film about the discipline of kung fu, not a "fight film." There's action aplenty here, don't worry about that; but it is significant that there is only one death in the whole film, and this brought about by a gimmick rather than skill. Liu successfully makes the case that kung fu is a matter of self-discipline, requiring prolonged and constant study, and not a weapon for beating people up (although of course it can do that too).

The acting is excellent, the production values high, the script solid. Finally, it must be remarked that this film is considerably more true to the memory of the real Wong Fei Hung than Jackie Chan's. Definitely a classic of its genre.