Chang Wei Fu (Chang Yi) never should have given Yang Kang (Ku Feng), Ying Tien (Tien Sheng), and Chief Tao Ching Lung (Lam Kau) the directions they needed. Fu is a simple woodcutter. He lives by nature’s rules with his family in an isolated location, outside of the nearest town. He’s friendly to a fault and it’s that friendliness which does his mother, his father, his sister (who is sexually assaulted and kidnapped), and his brother in.
Because these marauders are psychotic and out for blood. This is how The Bells of Death begins, trading a peaceful opening with an absolutely unsettling one as one young woman is raped and kidnapped, while her family - which is also Fu’s - are all killed, including the littlest of them.
They even attempt to kill Fu. The key word is kill because they fail, yet wipe out his entire family in a bloody and relatively gruesome opening which, it seems, left an impression on Quentin Tarantino as he’d use elements of this brutal opening in his own prelude to Inglourious Basterds, by transposing these marauders with nazis.
Directed by Yueh Feng and grounded with a fantastic performance from Chang Yi, The Bells of Death is another unrecognized early Shaw Brothers film, which finds new life on the Shaw Brothers Classics, Vol. 1 from Shout! Factory, which includes 11 classic martial arts films from the famous Shaw Brothers' library, featuring some of their greatest stars Jimmy Wang Yu (One-Armed Swordsman), Cheng Pei-pei (Come Drink With Me), Lo Lieh (King Boxer), Ku Feng (The Five Venoms), and David Chiang (The Boxer From Shantung). Many of these films, like The Bells of Death, are debuting for the first time on Blu-ray.
They say revenge takes time and Fu is going to learn that as he comes across an aging swordsman in the woods and follows him, begging for lessons on how to master the elements and take his revenge. And, impressed by Fu’s determination, the old man agrees.
And what a glorious revenge it is. 
Complete with violently slapping foes with the leaves from the tallest of trees, this wuxia offering is spellbinding in its choreography as Fu takes on all sorts of challengers in his path toward the perfect revenge on these three men and the soldiers who align themselves to their stench. Clocking it at under 90-minutes, The Bells of Death is lean and mean and features Chin Ping as Hsiang Hsiang, Fu’s abducted sister, against a very moody backdrop.
Written by Chiu Kang Chien and featuring an off-the-wall performance from Tien Sheng, The Bells of Death haunts the villains with the constant ringing of tiny bells, a charm bracelet Fu picked up from his dead mother, and entices us with brutal cinematography which transcends one genre, dipping into horror and the western with some its elements.
The disc also contains a new commentary from James Mudge, Veteran Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks and a new Celestial Trailer. Whoosh. Punch. Kick. Chop. Dive into the world of Martial Arts Mayhem with the release of The Bells of Death!
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - June 13, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.35:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: Mandarin: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; 11-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
The Bells Of Death is a whirlwind story about a man embarking on a life-long journey to master the sword, then find and eliminate the three men who killed his family and abducted his sister.
Video
Presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, The Bells of Death gets its hands bloody and never once rinses its sword as beauty is birthed in this same blood, all with its audience in mind. The poetry on display comes through in the lush fields, the crispness of the interiors and the haunting exteriors, and the sudden violence which echoes throughout the film, including its big finale in which a lone figure takes down all manner of soldiers. Black levels are strong throughout, bringing out nice details in both the loud and quiet moments of this epic adventure. The night scenes included here are truly rich with layers.
Audio
For this movie, the audio offered is a Mandarin Mono DTS-HD Master Audio With New Subtitle Translation, as well as an English dub. Everything is front-loaded and works to create a pleasant home viewing experience throughout.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- There is a new commentary from James Mudge, veteran Hong Kong film critic, which is quite detailed.
Special Features:
- NEW Audio Commentary With James Mudge, Veteran Hong Kong Film Critic At easternKicks
- Celestial Trailer
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 88 mins
Director: Feng Yueh
Writer: Kang-Chien Chiu
Cast: Yi Chang; Ping Chin; Hsin-Yen Chao
Genre: Action | Drama
Tagline:
Memorable Movie Quote:
Distributor: Shaw Brothers
Official Site:
Release Date: June 30, 1968 (Hong Kong)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: June 13, 2023
Synopsis: Wei Fu is a seemingly unremarkable woodcutter but when his family is wiped out by psychotic marauders, Wei undertakes extensive martial arts training at the hands of an expert swordsman and sets out to exact revenge on the evildoers.
