Shaw Brothers in 1969

For Shaw Brothers 1969 looked a lot like 1968, though that seeming consistency hid the massive changes that were about to significantly disrupt the studio. As if timed to the arbitrary numbers on the calendar the end of the 60s set the stage for a dramatically different decade

If you look at the films they released the line up is much the same as the previous year. There are a near-equal number of Classical and Modern films (14 and 16, respectively). And the Classical films are almost entirely wuxia (13 of the 14). As the decade ends so does the haungmei diao genre. The Three Smiles was the sole non-wuxia Classical film and the last appearance of the genre until 1977.

The Modern films are, as they were in 1968, a mix of musicals, melodramas and action films. The one difference here is that the spy films of 1967 and 1968 have been replaced by a harder edged (and more nude) bunch of Crime Thrillers. This genre will last for a few more years before being phased out in favor of more erotic fare in the early 70s.

But if you take a closer look at the crew that made these movies you’ll see some changes from 1968. The most obvious is Chang Cheh, who directed 6 (or 20%) of Shaw Brothers’ 1969 movies. In one year Chang released almost as many movies as he had the rest of the decade combined. And from here on out his pace does not slacken. He averages almost 6 films a year throughout the 1970s.

This may or may not have been his choice. The studio’s core directors throughout the 60s was departing. Doe Ching and Chun Kim both died in 1969. Pan Lei, Lo Cheng, Lo Wei all left the studio between 1969 and 1970. Of the studio’s experienced and interesting directors only Chang Cheh and Ho Meng-Hua remained. They may have had no option but to churn out the work to keep the studio factory humming.

With this turnover in directing also comes a turn over in actors. David Chiang and Ti Lung get their first starring roles in 1969. Li Ching converts from a musical actress to a wuxia heroine. The actors and actresses who started their 7 year contracts in the early 60s are departing, replaced by the next crop of stars.

And for young actors looking for fame in Hong Kong there’s not a lot of options beyond Shaw Brothers. Cathay pictures continues, releasing about 17 movies in 1969. But they will close soon. There are a few smaller operations, but nothing on Shaw Brothers scale.

That will change. 1969 is the last year that Run Run Shaw is assisted by his two long-time lieutenants, Raymond Chow and Leonard Ho. They will both leave the studio in 1970 striking out on their own to form Golden Harvest, a studio that will surpass Shaw Brothers and reinvent Hong Kong filmmaking.

Ian Whitney
Published: 2025-10-19