Product Details

• Actors: Jimmy Wang Yu, Huang Chung Shun, Pin Yin Tze
• Directors: Chang Cheh
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Chinese
• Subtitles: English, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Dragon Dynasty
• DVD Release Date: June 19, 2007
• Run Time: 117 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000MM0LF0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,114 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The One-Armed Swordsman" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

(Action/Comedy) A young woman marries a dying senior member of a martial arts family in order to protect her family’s fortunes, leading to a duel with a greedy relative.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pioneering swordplay classic starring Jimmy Wang Yu, October 14, 2001

By 

Brian Camp (Bronx, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The One-Armed Swordsman [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Jimmy Wang Yu starred in many Shaw Bros. swordplay films in the 1960s, but it was THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967), directed by the prolific Chang Cheh, that put him on the map as the leading action star of Hong Kong cinema at the time and shifted the direction of HK sword films to a harder-edged, bloodier style with a greater emphasis on martial arts. It was the first film of its type to stress the training aspect of swordplay and gives the hero a half-burned manual which teaches him left-hand sword techniques after his right arm had been chopped off in a jealous pique by his master's beautiful but impetuous daughter. Having gone into hiding with a loyal farm girl (whose father had been a swordsman and was the original owner of the manual), Wang Yu goes back into action, after the requisite training period, to aid his former master when his school comes under attack from evil swordsmen led by Long-Armed Devil and Smiling Face.

The villains have a lethal device on their swords which locks on to the sword of their opponent and enables them to deliver the killing blow with a dagger held in their right hands as they fight. Only Wang Yu's broken sword (left to him by his dead father, who was killed when he was a boy) can counteract the effects of the sword-lock.

Wang Yu had the proper dark and brooding quality for such a role and he is well served by the violent, bleak tone of the film. He returned to the role in one official sequel, the nonstop slaughterfest, THE RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1968), and later went to a rival studio to star in ONE-ARMED BOXER (1971). Shaw Bros. countered with THE NEW ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1971), starring David Chiang in the title role, which had less intensity and more spectacle.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars INCREDIBLE SWORD FIGHTING FILM !!, July 2, 2007

By 

The Critic "Movie Maniac" (Windsor) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The One-Armed Swordsman (DVD)

The Weinstein Company has to be commended for finally releasing "The One-Armed Swordsman" completely restored on DVD. The video and audio restoration that went into this release is truly amazing. This 1967 Martial Arts Classic is presented in it's 2.35:1 Widescreen format and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. This is without a doubt the best version of "The One-Armed Swordsman" I've ever seen. The video transfer is just spectacular and the colors are sharp and vibrant. The sound is clean and crisp albeit in mono. The sound options include original Mandarin or English dubbed version and choice of Subtitles.

The special features I found most interesting were the Interview with Jimmy Wang Yu and the Stills Gallery and Trailer Gallery. Sadly the commentary of Quentin Tarantino listed on the rear cover under the special features section of the DVD is missing.

Martial Arts fans will be amazed by the incredible quality of this release and the non-stop blood filled action. The One-Armed Swordsman is filled with magnificent swordplay, incredible Kung Fu and it's a definite must see for any fan of the Kung Fu genre. Outstanding Martial Arts Movie, Highly Recommend !!

DVD Bonus Features:
* Feature commentary by film scholars David Chute and Andy Klein
* Interview with Star Jimmy Wang Yu
* Interview with film scholars David Chute and Andy Klein
* The Master: Chang Cheh
* Stills gallery
* Trailer gallery
* Commentator biographies

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first of the true Martial arts movies, June 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The One-Armed Swordsman [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A long time ago in Asia before Bruce Lee, there was another superstar. His name was Wang Yu. The movie that started all the other martial arts movies was this one, the one armed swordsman. I saw it when it first hit the theaters in Asia in the year 1967. The movie griped me to my seat and I could never forget it. Even after 32 years it feels like I just saw it yesterday. This movie is a collectors item, and you'll be amazed at the incredible sword play. Its also very bloody but in an artistic way. The critics missed this one as one of the all time greatest martial arts movies. But what do they know, they have a short memory. If you wants to see how martial arts movies started in Asia, they were called Mandarin movies, this was the best of them all.