Angela Mao: Hapkido & Lady Whirlwind (Eureka Classics)

Angela Mao and director Huang Feng (The Shaolin Plot) were a superstar pairing that produced an incredible series of top tier kung-fu classics including Deadly China Doll, When Taekwondo Strikes and the two films presented here - Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind.In Hapkido (aka. Lady Kung Fu in the West), a group of martial artists (Mao, Sammo Hung, and Carter Wong) start their own school to teach the Korean martial art, Hapkido, but a rival Japanese academy attempts to crush them - deeming Hapkido inferior to their Japanese fighting style.Similar to the plot of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (a canny decision by the filmmakers, capitalising on Mao often being referred to as a female Bruce Lee ), Hapkido was a huge hit in the West, even briefly beating Lee's Enter the Dragon at the North American box office.Perhaps her most iconic film, Lady Whirlwind (bizarrely re-titled as Deep Thrust in the US, to capitalise on the success of Deep Throat, which probably made its tag lines- The Deadly Stroke of Bare Hand Combat and Mistress of the Death Blow -a tad misleading) stars Mao as a deadly fighter out for revenge on the man who wronged her sister (played by Shaw Brothers veteran Chang Yi).After tracking the man down, she finds he is on his own vengeful path against a gang of Japanese thugs and agrees to help keep him alive - as long as she gets to take her revenge when it's all over!Two excellent martial arts films make their debuts on Blu-ray-and the first time Lady Whirlwind has ever been available in the UK-from brand new 2K restorations!Limited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling (First run of 2000 copies only)1080p presentations of both films across two Blu-ray discs, from new 2K restorationsLimited Edition Reversible Poster featuring original theatrical poster artwork (First run of 2000 copies only)Hapkido - Original mono Mandarin and English audio options, including two variations of the classic English dubHapkido - DTS-HD MA 5.1 English dub (newer dub originally created for the film's original DVD release)Lady Whirlwind - Original mono Mandarin and English audio optionsOptional English Subtitles, newly translated for this releaseHapkido - New feature length audio commentary with Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) & Michael WorthHapkido - New feature length audio commentary with Frank Djeng & martial artist / actor Robert Bobby SamuelsLady Whirlwind - New feature length audio commentary with Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) & Michael WorthLady Whirlwind - New feature length audio commentary with Frank Djeng & martial artist / actor Robert Bobby SamuelsLady Whirlwind - New feature length audio commentary by film journalist and author Samm DeighanBrand new interview with Angela Mao, filmed in 2022Archival interview with Angela MaoArchival interview with Carter WongArchival interview with Sammo Hung and Yuen BiaoHapkido - Alternate opening creditsSelection of trailers and TV spotsStills GalleriesReversible sleeve featuring original Hong Kong poster artworkPLUS: A Limited-Edition collector's booklet featuring new writing by James Oliver (First run of 2000 copies only) *All extras subject to change