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THE VALIANT ONES; King Hu’s last great masterpiece from the golden age of wuxia cinema; will be released on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, presented from a brand new 4K restoration. Available as part of the Masters of Cinema Series from 27 May 2024 in the UK (home video debut), and from 28 May 2024 in N. America, the first print run of 2000 copies of each format in each territory will feature a Limited edition O-card slipcase. 🇬🇧 Pre-order from Eureka Store Blu-ray / UHD 🇬🇧 Pre-order from Terracotta Distribution Blu-ray / UHD 🇬🇧 Pre-order from Zavvi Blu-ray / UHD 🇬🇧 Pre-order from HMV online Blu-ray / UHD 🇬🇧 Pre-order from Amazon UK Blu-ray / UHD 🇺🇸🇨🇦 Pre-order from MVD Blu-ray / UHD 🇺🇸🇨🇦 Pre-order from Diablolik Blu-ray / UHD 🇺🇸🇨🇦 Pre-order from Grindhouse Blu-ray / UHD 🇺🇸🇨🇦 Pre-order from Oldies Blu-ray / UHD 🇺🇸🇨🇦 Pre-order from Orbit DVD Blu-ray / UHD 🇺🇸🇨🇦 Pre-order from Amazon US Blu-ray / UHD THE VALIANT ONES is perhaps the last true wuxia film directed by celebrated Taiwanese filmmaker King Hu, an undisputed master of the genre. 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). 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. The Masters of Cinema series is proud to present the film on Blu-ray and 4K UHD Blu-ray from a 4K restoration. SPECIAL EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES: Limited edition O-card slipcase feat. new artwork by Gokaiju [First print run 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 | 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 SPECIAL EDITION 4K UHD BLU-RAY FEATURES: Limited edition O-card slipcase feat. new artwork by Gokaijué [First print run 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 | 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 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
