Freedom Strikes a Blow (1973) credit images

[Michael Kistner]

New credit images after the first 4:

http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/credits.mhtm ... ay_set=eng

[leecoo]

New credit images after the first 4:

http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/credits.mhtm ... ay_set=eng

http://hkmdb.com/db/people/view.mhtml?id=4101&display_set=eng
I read Ulysses Au-Yeung Jun's interview article in a book published in Japan.
The title of the book is "More Fun Taiwanese Movies Part 1". It's written in all Japanese.
According to the book, the director of this movie is Au-Yeung Jun.
So I think Choy Ta in credit image (not Huang Ta) is aliase name for Au-Yeung Jun.
This meaning probably comes from his real name Choi Yeung-Ming...

[Michael Kistner]

Interesting.
It would be great if you had a translation of the passage from the book where this is mentioned. And possibly a picture of the book cover or/and the page

That's where the info with Huang Ta comes from:

http://www.hkmdb.com/db/movies/image_de ... ay_set=eng

[leecoo]

Interesting.
It would be great if you had a translation of the passage from the book where this is mentioned. And possibly a picture of the book cover or/and the page

That's where the info with Huang Ta comes from:

http://www.hkmdb.com/db/movies/image_de ... ay_set=eng

translation text:

I was invited by Shaw Brothers to make a movie in Hong Kong.
After that, when the Taiwanese film was obsolete, I became a director of the Mandarin film.
First of all, I directed two films in Taiwan, and the work called ????? caught the eye of Shaw Brothers president Run Run Shaw, and he called me to go to Hong Kong.

The Police Force filmed at Shaw Brothers was the first police movie in Hong Kong.
Also, I shoot a Fong Sai-Yuk movie "The Prodigal Boxer". Both were big hits.
The Prodigal Boxer is a kung fu movie, starring Meng Fei. Then I shoot a movie called Freedom Strike a Blow.

Do you know Fu Sheng? He was a student at Shaw Brothers studio and a very cute boy.
The Police Force I appointed him as the protagonist is his debut.
He became a star quickly, but then died.
The Police Force are co-directed with Chang Cheh, but I supervised it in essence.
I used to shoot a movie with his company ??, and then signed with him.
Run Run liked this police movie.

At that time, Shaw Brothers had two major directors, Chang Cheh and Li Han-Hsiang, but Run Run acknowledged me as much as they did. But I wanted to go back to Taiwan.

(interviewer)Didn't you get used to Cantonese?

No, the commercial production system for Hong Kong movies didn't fit.
I was young and burning ideally. So after shooting three at Shaw Brothers, the president said no, but I went back to Taiwan.
He filed a proceeding for breach of contract. I was sentenced to a penalty in the trial and couldn't make a movie.
That's why I used another name Au Yeung-Jun because I couldn't make a movie under the name of Tsai Yang-Ming.

(interviewer)How many years have you stayed in Hong Kong?
One and a half years.
After returning to Taiwan, a movie company called Kai Fa Film evaluated my achievements and invited me to work in Taiwan.

The company said it would solve my Shaw Brothers problem, so I shoot a movie called Valley of the Double Dragon.
It's the first work back in Taiwan.

(interviewer) Is it an action movie?
Yes, I made some movies under the name of Au Yeung-Jun from around 1972 to 1973.
After that, I settled with Shaw Brothers and returned to my real name Tsai Yang-Ming in 1977 or 1978.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quoted from the book interview in 1998.
There was no talk of that interview about his Golden Harvest movies...
So, I think Huang Ta is another person and there may be a typo in that pic.
Does anyone have any info about the director of James Tien's the Shaolin Boxer??..
http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/view.mhtml?id=5513&display_set=eng

[bkasten]

Excellent. Thanks for all this Leecoo!

[heinz Germany]

Thank You very much for the translation and sharing those valuable informations (maybe we never knew without Your support)

[Michael Kistner]

Thank you!!!

More evidence from "my research team" will follow soon

[Oliver Sodemann]

Hi leecoo,

I haven't been here to the forum for quite a while,
but Michael informed me about your discovery on the
pseudonym "Choi Ta" for FREEDOM STRIKES A BLOW.

Congratulations!

"Choi Ta" always seemed like a pseudo for someone else,
mostly a rather known person, not just some one-hit-one-
direct-wonder.

This post and interview material made it most probable that
FREEDOM was directed by Tsai Yang-Ming!

It caused me, these days, to have a look (after two ore more decades)
in a rather thin bookthat I once bought in Taipeh when I was there in 1996.

Having not paid any in-depth attention to it back then,
I just discovered that FREEDOM was also already mentioned
there in the filmo of Tsai!

So, I would say: everything safe here with that discovery now.

I have uploaded a scan of that page on Tsai,
and commented everything as I would put it and sum it up
in the caption there

http://hkmdb.com/db/movies/image_detail ... ay_set=eng

Of course, something always gets lost with interviews in another
language, or the interviewed person does not remember things correctly.

As I never heard of Tsai having done movies for Chang Film Co., I would suppose
he confused it with the South Sea Film Co. for which he directed the Meng Fei
movies. South Sea was somehow connected with Chang Cheh, especially as
Chang Cheh had helped Kung Min with THE KING OF BOXERS, starring Meng Fei,
and made it rather look like a bloody Shaw Chang Cheh movie.

Of course, the Japanese text says "Chang's Film Co." but this is just
how it goes, even in the most original sources.

Seems that I have become a member of Michael's "research team",
as he called it -:-)

Greetings from Germany,
Oliver

[leecoo]

Thank you everyone. It took me a while because I had been interested in it for many years, but I translated it simply.

Oliver,
Thanks for your upload.

It's very valuable info. and I've never seen it.
Have you ever stayed in Taipei?
I have no experience, but I would like to visit second-hand bookstores.

I read your caption page on Tsai.
Sounds good and the detailed explanation is very easy to understand.
I'll continue to look for info about "Huang Ta".

Then,I don't understand the description of "Chan's Film Co." in that book.(mistake in his memory???)
Still, I need to find out more about the Police Force. I'd like to read the info at that time.

BTW,I was a little surprised that there is such a team of Michael.

Well, I'm glad we're able to ID the original director on this movie!!

[Oliver Sodemann]

Hi leecoo,

thank you for your support again, too.

I am in the genre for about for decades
of loving these movies with their tremendous action
and skills. So, I have been to HK rather often,
and once, in 1996, to Taipeh. Long story.

Nowadays, in HK oder Taiwan, you may not find
too many things anymore. But I don't really know.
Maybe more chances on Ebay. Main goals in HK or
Taipeh would be, for me, the Film Archives they have
down there, implemented by their governments.

About memories:
You'll never know. I had always special topics
and questions. But not much hope that directors
or actors remember exactly or at all, and you cannot
ask them English movie names anyway.

On Tsai Yang-Ming here the same:
MY personal researcher told me about THE PRODIGAL
BOXER being released just when cameras began to roll
on POLICE FORCE. So, shooting orders would be a problem too.
And Kai Fai contacting or approaching Tsai in Taiwan?
They just had done FREEDOM with him. So they knew him.

Something else:
I have added some more screenshots of original credits
on FEARLESS HYENA, maybe you have seen it. I am not into
any competition here, and this had nothing to do with you
or criticising your work.

I prepared some stuff and the screenshot credits (from my
original VHS) on HYENA since autumn, and normally
I am not into any credits' uploads – if not for a special reason.

In this case, this was to point out the actress in the credits
that does not finally appear in the movie. I have marked it.
(I will also have a still of a deleted scene which may
indicate a scene with her!)

As it seems, you concentrate on credits which I appreciate
very much as a valuabe basis of research. I very often have to
have a look into credits or portrait to confirm something.

As you can see, I am rather here for stills, lobbies and posters,
to let editors and visitors have fun with good and rare shots
or complete sets, especially from foreign countries.

So, we all have our special jobs here, great!

Best,
Oliver

[leecoo]

Hi Oliver.

Thank you very much.I'm very pleased with the meaningful your reply.But,I would like to reply to you by PM.
Now,There is one thing I can say to you.I've just uploaded a pic of Lung Chun-Erh in the IMMORTAL WARRIORS behind scene.


BTW:I'll change the following if no one objects.

(1)Change director to Au-Yeung Jun
(2)Add ??(Choy Ta) to Au-Yeung Jun's alias
(3)Delete ??(Choy Ta) from Huang Ta's alias

[leecoo]

Changed.