4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray Release: The Valiant Ones

4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray Release Date: June 11, 2024
Price: 4K Ultra HD $38.81, Blu-ray $29.99
Studio: Eureka!/MVD

This week, Eureka!/MVD released the 1975 wuxia film The Valiant Ones, King Hu’s last great masterpiece from the golden age of wuxia cinema. Presented from a brand new 4K restoration on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and part of the Masters of Cinema Series, the first print run of 2000 copies of each format in each territory will feature a Limited edition O-card slipcase.

Directed by celebrated Taiwanese filmmaker King Hu, The Valiant Ones  was shot back-to-back with The Fate of Lee Khan (but not released until two years later), it stands as a worthy follow-up to his earlier works Come Drink with Me, Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen.

During the reign of the Jiajing Emperor (Chao Lei), China’s coastal regions have come under attack by wokou – Japanese pirates under the leadership of the infamous Hakatatsu (Sammo Hung, The Bodyguard). To combat this threat, the Emperor tasks a trusted general, Zhu Wan (Tu Kuang-chi), with assembling a group of skilled warriors to find and eliminate the pirates.

Under the command of General Yu Dayou (Roy Chiao), the band of soldiers – including husband-and-wife sword-fighters Wu Ji-yuan (Wing Bai) and Wu Ruo-shi (Feng Hsu) – set out to draw Hakatatsu, his ally Xu Dong (Han Ying-chieh) and their pirate clan into a series of spectacular showdowns.

Inspired by historical events and featuring several storied figures drawn from Chinese history, The Valiant Ones is a standout wuxia film produced during the dying days of the genre, as audience tastes were shifting towards more grounded kung fu cinema.

Here’s a breakdown of the copious features found on the releases:

SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES:

• Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) [First
  print run of 2000 copies only]
• 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a 4K digital restoration of  the original negatives gifted by director King Hu to the Hong Kong Film Archive
  • Uncompressed original Mandarin mono restored from the original soundtrack negative
• Optional English subtitles newly translated for this release
• Brand new audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
  • Tony Rayns on The Valiant Ones– Brand new interview with critic and Asian film expert Tony Rayns
  • Tsar of all the Wuxia– Brand new video essay by David Cairns
• The Life of a Lucky Stuntman– Brand new interview with stuntman Billy Chan
• My Father and I– Brand new interview with actor Ng Ming-choi
• Archival 2003 interview with actress Hsu Feng by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Archival 2003 interview with Roger Garcia (Hong Kong International Film Festival Society) by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Archival 2016 interview with actor Ng Ming-choi by Frédéric Ambroisine
• PLUS: A collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jonathan Clements

SPECIAL EDITION 4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY FEATURES:

• Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Grégory Sacré (Gokaiju) [First
  print run of 2000 copies only]
• 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation, presented in Dolby Vision HDR from a 4K digital
  restoration of  the original negatives gifted by director King Hu to the Hong Kong Film Archive • Uncompressed original Mandarin mono restored from the original soundtrack negative
• Optional English subtitles newly translated for this release
• Brand new audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
• Tony Rayns on The Valiant Ones– Brand new interview with critic and Asian film expert Tony Rayns
  • Tsar of all the Wuxia – Brand new video essay by David Cairns
• The Life of a Lucky Stuntman– Brand new interview with stuntman Billy Chan
• My Father and I– Brand new interview with actor Ng Ming-choi
• Archival 2003 interview with actress Hsu Feng by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Archival 2003 interview with Roger Garcia (Hong Kong International Film Festival Society) by Frédéric Ambroisine
• Archival 2016 interview with actor Ng Ming-choi by Frédéric Ambroisine
• PLUS: A collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Jonathan Clements