RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2023
In January 17, 2023, Arrow is releasing the Blu-ray (Region A) for 1972’s Hapkido and Lady Whirlwind, collectively directed by Huang Feng (Stoner) and starring Angela Mao (A Queen’s Ransom), Sammo Hung (Incredible Kung Fu Master), Carter Wong (The Skyhawk), Wang In Sik (Fist of Unicorn) and Bruce Leung (Bruce and the Iron Finger).
Note: An alternative slipcase, featuring original artwork, will be available exclusively through Arrow’s official website.
Official details:
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!
Limited Edition Contents:
- Brand new 2K restorations by Fortune Star
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentations of both films
- Original lossless Mandarin mono audio for both films, plus lossless English dubbed mono audio
- Optional newly translated English subtitles for both films
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
Disc 1: Lady Whirlwind:
- Commentary by Frank Djeng & Robert “Bobby” Samuels
- Commentary by Frank Djeng & Michael Worth
- Commentary by Samm Deighan
- Lady Whirlwind Speaks, the first part of a newly filmed interview with Angela Mao
- Kung Fu Cooking, a newly filmed conversation with Mao’s son Thomas King
- Alternate English credits
- Hong Kong theatrical trailer, plus US theatrical trailer and radio spot
- Image gallery
Disc 2: Hapkido:
- Three options of English dub: vintage “kung fu” and “hapkido” dubs in lossless mono, plus 2006 DVD dub in 5.1 surround
- Commentary by Frank Djeng & Robert “Bobby” Samuels
- Commentary by Frank Djeng & Michael Worth
- Lady Kung Fu Speaks, the second part of a newly filmed interview with Angela Mao
- Archive interviews with Angela Mao, Carter Wong and Sammo Hung & Yuen Biao
- Original vintage featurette showing Ji Han-jae teaching the lead actors hapkido, newly restored in 2K by Fortune Star
- Three alternate opening credits sequences (textless, English and US)
- Hong Kong theatrical trailers plus US theatrical trailer and TV spot
- Image gallery
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the films by critic James Oliver via
This title will soon be available at The Goodie Emporium, a U.S.-based online store that currently has many Import Shaw Brothers/Golden Harvest/martial arts DVD/Blu-ray movies in-stock – with New titles being added regularly!
Watch Eureka’s New Trailer for the release below (which is exactly what you’ll get with the Arrow release):
