Two Of A Kind
If you a big Shaw Bros' fan then you already know these (2) guys and you'd know that together they were the top stars at Shaw Bros' from the late 60's to the mid 70's. The 'lean and suave' David Chiang, an actor to be reckoned with and then there's the 'talented and very skillful - Ti Lung. Together, they would turn Shaw Bros. studios into the place to be, if you were an actor/fighter/stuntman, looking for work at a major studio. Under director Chang Cheh, they would the most famous duo in the kung-fu genre. Having worked with actor Jimmy Wang-Yu and made him a star, he soon would leave Shaw Bros' to work for rival film company Golden Harvest.
It was during this time that the director began working with two actors who had been in films with Wang-Yu (David had a small role in Golden Swallow and Ti Lung had appeared in Return Of The One-Armed Swordsman) and he felt that they had potential, to become great actors. Though neither was thought to be able to surpass what Wang-Yu had done, Chang decided to cast them together in the beginning, which took the pressure off of both men. He noticed that they worked well together, they seemed to relate to each other, and most importantly, they shared certain chemistry when they were onscreen. What most thought to be a simple pairing of two "up-and-coming" actors, turned out to a goldmine for director Chang and a franchise for Shaw Brothers.
He found out early on that David was a somewhat better actor and began casting him as the Lead in their films, with Ti Lung as his co-star. Their movies were intense and very dramatic, and injected with enough kung fu to keep even the hardcore fans happy. Films such as Duel Of The Iron Fists, Anonymous Heroes, The Deadly Duo, Have Sword, Will Travel, and Wandering Swordsman are all perennial favorites and some of their best work together. Though they slowly drifted in different directions they still managed to carve out careers for themselves.
It was during this time that the director began working with two actors who had been in films with Wang-Yu (David had a small role in Golden Swallow and Ti Lung had appeared in Return Of The One-Armed Swordsman) and he felt that they had potential, to become great actors. Though neither was thought to be able to surpass what Wang-Yu had done, Chang decided to cast them together in the beginning, which took the pressure off of both men. He noticed that they worked well together, they seemed to relate to each other, and most importantly, they shared certain chemistry when they were onscreen. What most thought to be a simple pairing of two "up-and-coming" actors, turned out to a goldmine for director Chang and a franchise for Shaw Brothers.
He found out early on that David was a somewhat better actor and began casting him as the Lead in their films, with Ti Lung as his co-star. Their movies were intense and very dramatic, and injected with enough kung fu to keep even the hardcore fans happy. Films such as Duel Of The Iron Fists, Anonymous Heroes, The Deadly Duo, Have Sword, Will Travel, and Wandering Swordsman are all perennial favorites and some of their best work together. Though they slowly drifted in different directions they still managed to carve out careers for themselves.
Ti Lung stayed with Shaw Bros' until they stopped film productions in the mid '80s, eventually working with director John Woo on the blockbuster A Better Tomorrow. David would appear in such films as Where's Officer Tuba with Samo Hung and What Price Survival, featuring former Shaw actor Hsu Hsao-Chang. They have amassed a great volume of work together and it's this type of loyalty that has still kept a legion of fans hunting for their films for over (3) decades. Regardless of what they did after they left the studio, fans will always remember them from their heyday, as Shaw Brothers greatest duo, to ever grace the silver-screen.
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