Magnificent Bodyguards

Magnificent Bodyguards is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts film directed and produced by Lo Wei.^[3] The film stars Jackie Chan, James Tien, Leung Siu-lung, and Wang Ping. Chan, along with Luk Chuen also worked as stunt coordinators. This film was well received in Hong Kong, but Chan himself doesn't like it. He puts it down to Lo Wei not giving him any creative freedom. This was the first film in Hong Kong to be filmed using 3-D technology,^{[citation needed]} and it features music from Star Wars.^[3]

Magnificent Bodyguards
Theatrical poster
Traditional Chinese	飛渡捲雲山
Simplified Chinese	飞渡捲云山
Hanyu Pinyin	Fēi Dù Juǎn Yún Shān
Jyutping	Fei1 Dou6 Gyun2 Wan4 Saan1
Directed by	Lo Wei
Screenplay by	Gu Long
Produced by	Lo Wei
Starring	Jackie Chan James Tien Leung Siu-lung
Cinematography	Chen Yung-shu
Edited by	Vincent Leung
Music by	Frankie Chan
Production company	Lo Wei Motion Picture Company
Distributed by	21st Century Distribution
Release date	27 April 1978 (1978-04-27)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	Mandarin
Box office	HK$775,522 (Hong Kong)[1] 228,626 tickets (Seoul)[2]

Plot

Lord Ting Chung is hired to escort a woman's sick brother to the doctor, but he does it for free. To get there they must pass through "Stormy Hills", an area of Ancient China controlled by criminals. Then the sick man turns out to be the king of the criminals and is not really sick; he is just trying to reclaim his throne from an imposter. The king had previously murdered Ting Chung's father, and now Ting Chung has to fight for his life to get out and also to avenge his father.

Cast

• Jackie Chan as Lord Ting Chung
• James Tien as Tsang / Chang Wu-yi
• Leung Siu-lung as Chang
• Wang Ping as Lady Nan
• Lau Ming as Old Lady of Ma Por Inn
• Lee Man-tai as Bearded Shaolin Abbot
• Luk Chuen as King
• Fang Fang as Liu Chin-lien
• Ko Keung as Wen Liang-yu

Home media

• The Japanese Laserdisc is said to be the only version containing the 3D version, though the only audio language option is Japanese and it is missing 10 minutes of footage.
• On 22 March 2002, Eastern Heroes released it on DVD cropped from 2.35:1 to 1.78:1 and an English dub (edited to remove Star Wars music) with no other language options.
• On 28 October 2005, Universal Japan released their DVD in 2.35:1. However, it has no English subtitles.
• On 5 March 2007, Hong Kong Legends released their DVD in 2.35:1 in Cantonese with newly translated English subtitles. However, the Cantonese "mono" is a downmix from the 5.1 remix. Mandarin is the correct language.
• In 2010, Fortune Star/Shout Factory released the film as part of the "Jackie Chan Eight Film Collection" DVD set. It is in 2.35:1, features the mono English dub, as well as the Star Wars music cues edited out of other versions.
• On 23 September 2024, 88 Films Presents 88 Asia Collection released their Blu-ray in 2.35:1 in Mandarin with newly translated English subtitles. However, the Cantonese "mono" is a downmix from the 5.1 remix. This is the first 3D home release since the Japanese Laserdisc.

See also

• Jackie Chan filmography
• List of Hong Kong films

References

1. "Magnificent Bodyguards (1978)". Hong Kong Movie Database. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
2. "영화정보" [Movie Information]. KOFIC (in Korean). Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
3. Maçek III, J.C. (2 October 2013). "It's Pure Kung Fu Theatre and Somehow, 'Star Wars' in 'Jackie Chan Beginnings'". PopMatters. Retrieved 17 July 2014.

External links

• Magnificent Bodyguards at IMDb