The Mighty Pen
There’d be no Story to tell, if someone didn’t write them. As most of us sat and watched kung-fu films of the 70’s and 80’s, we would be enjoying this man’s work without even knowing it. As every movie has a story to tell, then it can be said that he was the ultimate Story-teller. Said to have written over (400) scripts, he is undoubtedly the greatest writer of martial-arts films. The sheer volume of films that his written, is amazing. It's hard to fathom his outstanding work-rate, during a time, when the studio didn't have a great deal of writers, putting out scripts.
Early on in his career, he often co-wrote scripts with his good friend Chang Cheh. With movies like Avenging Eagles, Challenge Of The Masters, Shaolin Challenges Ninja, Mad Monkey Kung Fu and just about everything The Venoms starred in. All of Shaw Bros' major martial-arts films were written by him in addition to a great deal of their Swordplay films. It's amazing how he basically churned out script after script with relative ease and kept each story and its concept interesting and new.
His input can seemingly be felt in the films he wrote, as he was an integral part of the Shaw Bros' and their dominance over the competition starting from 1967. This was the year they produced his script for One-Armed Swordsman, which went on to help establish stars of Jimmy Wang-Yu , Chang Cheh, and himself. He was one of the most sought-after writers in Asia during this time and by almost every studio in the Orient. When he became an Independent contractor, where his services went to the highest bidder, he virtually had major studios in his pocket.
Early on in his career, he often co-wrote scripts with his good friend Chang Cheh. With movies like Avenging Eagles, Challenge Of The Masters, Shaolin Challenges Ninja, Mad Monkey Kung Fu and just about everything The Venoms starred in. All of Shaw Bros' major martial-arts films were written by him in addition to a great deal of their Swordplay films. It's amazing how he basically churned out script after script with relative ease and kept each story and its concept interesting and new.
His input can seemingly be felt in the films he wrote, as he was an integral part of the Shaw Bros' and their dominance over the competition starting from 1967. This was the year they produced his script for One-Armed Swordsman, which went on to help establish stars of Jimmy Wang-Yu , Chang Cheh, and himself. He was one of the most sought-after writers in Asia during this time and by almost every studio in the Orient. When he became an Independent contractor, where his services went to the highest bidder, he virtually had major studios in his pocket.
He even wrote films for the various film companies, even penning Bruce Lee's The Big Boss and The Chinese Connection, for Golden Harvest. He worked with different directors as well, like Shaw veteran Chu Yuan, scripting a number of his films. Considering the girth of his work, it's still honest to say that he was still a very underpaid man. If he were making about $1-million per script (as some of Hollywood's writer's do now), he would have owned most of Asia, in the 1970's. Yet, his contributions to the kung-fu genre (most) definitely can't be overlooked or overshadowed. It's safe to say that his pen, was mightier than any sword in Hong Kong.
[ 36 Most Influential ]