Film Descriptions
Blood Brothers
Hong Kong (1973), 35mm 118 minutes, Mandarin with English subtitles
Director: Chang Che
Cast: David Chiang, Ti Lung, Chen Kuan Tai, Cheng Lee, Tian Qing
Producer: Run Run Shaw
Show Time: 4/18 at 8:30 at the Metro State Auditorium
This widescreen epic of love, loyalty and betrayal is based on actual events surrounding the assassination of a general in the waning years of the Qing Dynasty (late 19th century). Set at the end of the Qing Dynasty, two bandits (David Chiang and Chen Kuan Tai) set out to rob an oncoming rider, Ma (Ti Lung), but are instead persuaded by his fighting ability and bravery to join him. Ma soon leaves his friends for the army to pursue a career as a high-ranking officer. Later reunited with his brothers, he rekindles the flame between Ma and his friend's wife, Ma-lin. This forbidden love drives Ma to wield his power as an army General for his final decision of betrayal, which has drastic consequences.
David Jiang Dawei (David Chiang)
The son of thespian parents, David Jiang graduated from child actor to stuntman to superstardom in the early '70s with a string of box-office hits directed by Zhang Che, including The Heroic Ones (1970), Vengeance! (1970) and The Boxer from Shandong (1972). Jiang was frequently honored for his acting ability as well as his martial arts skill, and his slender frame, fierce agility and urbane screen presence further set him apart from the Shaw Brothers pack. Jiang remains active as an actor in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Di Long (Ti Lung)
As a young actor Di Long earned the attention of director Zhang Che, who cast him in Return of the One-Armed Swordsman (1969) and later paired him with David Jiang in such hits as Vengeance! (1970), The New One-Armed Swordsman (1971) and Blood Brothers (1973). The actor, a Wing Chun exponent, also headlined a number of the Chu Yuan-Gu Long films, most notably The Magic Blade (1976) and The Sentimental Swordsman (1967). After a career lull in the early '80s, Di Long made a triumphant comeback opposite Chow Yun-fat in John Woo's A Better Tomorrow (1986).
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