Furious Swords and Fantastic Warriors (Hong Kong, 1967-1983, Eureka!, 5 Blu-rays, NR, 1,013 min.). Distinguished by his penchant for bloodshed and a thematic concentration on the bonds of brotherhood and masculine sacrifice, including the heroes usually dying, Chang Cheh is one of the most prolific and accomplished directors to emerge from the Hong Kong film industry. Often hailed as the "Godfather of Hong Kong Cinema," he enjoyed a career spanning six decades and worked in a multitude of genres, from Chinese opera to kung fu films via wuxia pian, historical epics and tales of the supernatural.

This set includes 10 films that reveal the range and versatility of Chang's career as a filmmaker. Traditional wuxia pian is represented by “King Eagle,” “The Trail of the Broken Blade” and “The Wandering Swordsman.” Choreographed by Lau Kar-leung, “Men from the Monastery” and “Shaolin Martial Arts” are both from Chang's Shaolin Cycle, and are included alongside “New Shaolin Boxers.” “Iron Bodyguard,” released at the dawn of the kung fu era, is representative of changing trends in Hong Kong cinema. Some of Chang's more esoteric work is represented by the opera film “The Fantastic Magic Baby” and the supernatural fantasy “The Weird Man.” Also included is the anthology film “Trilogy of Swordsmanship,” to which Chang contributed a segment alongside his contemporaries Yueh Feng and Cheng Kang.

All the films were produced during Chang Cheh's tenure at Shaw Brothers. This is the first time they have been released on Blu-ray in the United States, and the set is strictly limited to a single pressing of 2,000 copies and will not be reissued once sold out.

Each film is reviewed individually.

Men from the Monastery (1974, 92 min.). The film, which Chang wrote with Ni Kuang, begins with Fang Sheh-yu (Alexander Fu Sheng of “Shaolin Temple,” “The Shaolin Avengers,” “Chinatown Kid”) entering the Shaolin Temple’s Wooden Men Alley test against the brothers of the monastery. He ends up fighting 14 opponents, usually in pairs, and they have increasingly better weapons. Before he exits, there is an assassination attempt as it seems the Wudang School is against him. As Fang leaves the monastery, he helps an old friend, He Da-yong (Tang Tak-cheung).

One of the leading oppressors of the people is Lei Lao-hu (Huang Pei-chih aka Tiger Lei Hu), who battles atop wooden poles, with sharpened bamboo sticks below to kill those who fall. A highlight of the film is when Fang battles Lei in the wooden pole formation. This comes after Fang is attacked by five men, whom he kills despite getting an axe in the stomach.

Hu Huei-chien (the physically impressive Chi Kuan-chun of “The Green Jade Statuette,” “Drunken Monkey”) is the son of casino owner Hu Yiu-ding (Wu Chi-chin), who is killed by the gangsters from the Jin Lun School. Hu tries to avenger his father by fighting members of the Jin Lun School. Two times he is defeated and once thrown in the river, but he is aided in his third attempt by Fang, who continues to help the oppressed.

The film then jumps forward three years during which Hu undergoes Shaolin training. Once finished, Hu destroys the Jin Lun textile factory.

Next, we are introduced to Hung Hsi-kuan (Chen Kuan-tai of “The Man with the Iron Fists,” “Big Brother Cheng”), who fights 56 opponents, with only one surviving. The good guys now are fighting the Qing Dynasty in an attempt to restore the Ming Dynasty, after the Shaolin Temple is burned down.

The three heroes of the individual segments then come together – stripping off their shirts, of course – for the final battle. Chang occasionally switches to black-and-white as the Shaolin fighters get stabbed. The film comes with an English dub option and audio commentary by film critic David West; plus 2:48-worth of VHS footage of the film. Grade: film 3 stars; extra 2 stars

Shaolin Martial Arts (1974, 111 min.). This too stars Alexander Fu Sheng and Chi Kuan-chun and was written by Chang and Ni. The film has Shaolin Temple students defend the temple against soldiers sent by the Manchurian ruling dynasty to destroy the temple.

The fighting starts during a dispute over who should lead the ceremony honoring the God of Chivalry. Master Wu Chung-ping (Chiang Tao) is the most aggressive. Wu uses Steel Armor technique to protect his stomach muscles.

Sheng plays Li Yao and Chi is Chen Bao Rong, both Shaolin-trained fighters. Both later learn separate advanced skills from at-first unwilling masters.

The film comes with an English dub option and audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng and martial artist/filmmaker Michael Worth. There also is a look at Chang’s Shaolin films (15:45) by Jonathan Clements, author of “A Brief History of China.” Grade: film 3.25 stars; extras 2.5 stars

King Eagle (1971, 84 min.). A reclusive hero, Jin Fei (Ti Lung of “A Better Tomorrow,” “Drunken Master II”), known as King Eagle, inadvertently gets involved in the internal conflicts of the Tien Yi Tong society, after he falls in love their 7th chief, An Yu-lien (Li Ching of “Jing Jing,” “Have Sword, Will Travel”). Ni again was the screenwriter.

The film is filled with treachery. Bad guy Chief Fan (Wang Chun of “The Informer”) has a metal hand. Another is known as “Deadly Fingers” Wan Hau-ba (Ching Miao of “Too Late for Love,” “The Devil’s Mirror”).

The film comes with audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema. Grade: film 2.5 stars; extra 2 stars

Iron Bodyguard (1973, 98 min.). “Big Blade” Wang Wu (Chen Kuan-tai) operates a security company. He has made an enemy of “Iron Fist” Yan Feng (Lu Ti of “Chinatown Kid”), who seeks retribution for what Wang did to his three sons. Tan Sitong (Yueh Hua of “Come Drink with Me,” “The Monkey Goes West”), the son of a governor, watches and eventually helps Wang in a fight against four. Tan also is a government reformist. With his friends, he has talked the emperor into making reforms, but the empress is against the reforms.

After Tan and the other Privy Council reformists are arrested, sent to Grand Prison and condemned to be beheaded, Wang schemes to free them while they are enroute from the prison to the execution grounds. Only, Wang is betrayed, leading to a bloody massacre of the would-be rescuers and death for the reformers. One continues to battle with a dagger in his chest. The fighting only proves that kung fu is no match for rifles.

The film comes with an English dub option and audio commentary by Djeng and Worth. Clements does a video essay about the film and how it compares to the real history it includes, that is the “100 Days Reform” (15:08). Grade: film 3.25 stars; extras 3 stars

The Fantastic Magic Baby (1975, 100 min.). This is a weird film – half seemingly aimed at children and half a presentation of a Chinese opera. Director Chang weaves a wild yarn about how the legendary Monkey King (Lau Chung-chun, who leaps a lot, as Sun Wukong) and Goddess of Mercy (Chao Li-chuan) battle and defeat the child god Hung Hai-erh, then point him down the road to righteousness.

The film is based on Wu Cheng’en’s novel “Journey to the West” and specifically the story of Red Boy (Ting Wa-Chung), who comes to collect a tribute from the humans who worship the gods Princess Iron Fan and Ox Demon King, his parents. He ends up kidnapping Tripitaka (Teng Jue-Jen), a monk whose flesh is said to add thousands of years to your life when consumed, which means that Monkey King and Pigsy (Chen I-Ho) need to fix things. This portion is filled with long fights, musical sequences, little dialogue and wild costumes, as there are stone men and tree people.

After an hour, the fantasy, with too-fake mountain backdrops and elements of cannibalism, changes to a presentation of a Peking opera.

The film comes with two audio commentaries, one by Leeder and Venema and the other by Djeng. Grade: film and extras 2 stars

The Weird Man (1983, 91 min.). Written and directed by Chang, in the film Taoist Priest Yu Ji (Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi of “Ghostly Love,” “Seven Steps of Kung Fu”) is a victim of Magistrate Xu Gong's (Wong Lik) desire to kill General Sun Ce (Chiu Gwok) in a grab for power. Gong's plans go awry, as Yu Ji's spirit seeks revenge, after he is publicly executed. The time is at the end of the Han Dynasty, when the kingdoms of Shu Han, Cao Wei and Hu were fighting each other.

Yu is executed despite making it rain. When he becomes a spirit, there is some comedy as he arouses a priest’s desire for women. Yu also makes sister-in-law Madam Zhou come onto to Gen. Sun, before both fight him. One fight involves flying furniture.

The film comes with an English dub option and audio commentary by West. Grade: film 3.25 stars; extra 2 stars

The Trail of the Broken Blade (1967, 108 min.). For the life of me, I do not understand the title, as there is no broken blade in the film, which Chang directed and wrote. In the film, young aristocratic knight Li Yueh (Jimmy Wang Yu of “Master of the Flying Guillotine,” “One-Armed Boxer”) renounces his sword, identity and the woman he loves (Chin Ping of “The Magnificent Trio” as Liu Chen) after going on the lam for assassinating a corrupt official responsible for his father's demise. He kills four with one sword stroke.

While living incognito as a lowly stable-hand in a country tavern, Li's past catches up with him when he has a chance meeting with Fang Chun Chao, a platonic benefactor of Li's betrothed, whom he assists to reunite with Li. Meanwhile Fang himself is trailed by his own sworn enemies, the Tu clan of Flying Fish Island, led by the cruel Tu Qianqiu (Tien Feng of “A Better Tomorrow,” “Five Fingers of Death”) and his son Tu Long (Chen Hung-Lieh of “Come Drink with Me,” “Two Graves to Kung Fu”), who all converge on Li's sanctuary and force him out of his undercover existence and back to the way of the blade.

The film comes with an English dub option and audio commentary by West. Grade: film 3 stars; extras 2 stars

The Wandering Swordsman (1970,108 min.). This is a martial arts twist on Robin Hood, with a charismatic highwayman with formidable sword skills deciding to help the poor by robbing from thieves and distributing the wealth. The hero, only named The Wandering Swordsman, is played excellently by David Chiang (“Dynasty of Blood,” “Five Shaolin Masters”), who smiles a lot and is a leaper. His first theft of silver is given to the 800 survivors who were washed out of their village by river flooding.

There is humor with the action when he visits a gambling house, but he gets tricked by gangsters, led by “Fail Safe” Kung Wu (Chang Pei-shan of “One-Armed Swordsman”), into the wrong robbery. During the final large fight, the swordsman fights with a blade sticking through his back and out his front and, a bit later, with a second sword in his body.

The film comes with an audio commentary by Leeder and Venema. Grade: film 3.25 stars; extra 2 stars

Trilogy of Swordsmanship (1972, 112 min.). Three directors united for this unique anthology film that showed how Hong Kong cinema could honor the past, while at the same time showing where it could be going. Yueh Feng writes and directs a clever love-and-kung-fu triangle in “The Iron Bow.” Cheng Kang both writes and directs kung-fu courtesans battling brigands in “The Tigress,” and Chang Cheh creates a cliff-hanging, swashbuckling mini-movie in “White Water Strand.”

In “The Iron Sword,” Master Shi (Tin Shing), a magistrate’s son, wants to marry Ying-ying (Shih Szu), daughter of a tea house owner. Ying-ying’s mother says her husband’s last wish before he died was that the man who would marry Ying-ying would have to shoot an arrow using the heavy iron bow. Shi, of course, cannot, but Kuang (Yueh Hua), who shows up and fights Shi and his men, can use the bow. Both daughter and mother are able to fight well, as is young Doggie (Meng Yuen-man), who also works with them.

Shi is a slow learner, as he shows up next leading a wedding procession that includes a band. That leads to another brawl. The well-done piece only disappoints because it lacks a true ending.

In “The Tigress,” bandits attack, looking for Shih Chung-yu (Lily Ho Li-li). The bandits are led by Pang Xunn (Lo Lieh), whom Gen. Wang (Tsung Hua) has to capture. Women get to fight in the film, including a group of courtesans who seek respect.

In “White Water Strand,” set oceanside, prisoner Xu Shi-ying (Ti Lung) is being transported by soldiers, when a group attacks to rescue him. Along comes Mu Yu-ji (David Chiang), a deliveryman, who initially fights Xu’s rescuers. When Minister Liu resigns and is named king of Qi by the Jin Dynasty, Xu and his people, including his sister (Li Ching as Xu Feng-ying), decide to fight, and Mu joins them.

There is an audio commentary by Leeder and Venema, and an interview with Wayne Wong on the film and what was being attempted (18:27). Grades: Iron Bow 3.5 stars, Tigress 3 stars, White Water Strand 3.25 stars; extras 2.5 stars

New Shaolin Boxers (1976, 100 min.). The film, cowritten by director Chang and Ni, is a treat for fans of Alexander Fu Sheng, who plays the usually shirtless Zhong Jian. The film is all about Zhong learning Tsai Li Fu fighting technique, also known as Choy Li Fut.

First though, Zhong encounters several bumps in his taxi cart service. He rescues a woman, but is stabbed and then is ousted from his training school because Master Zhou (Shan Mao) says he is too naïve. Zhong then beats up three members of the Feng gang, but their leader (Johnny Wang Lung-wei as Feng Tian-shan) goes after Zhong, wounds him and would have killed him, had not Master Zhou prevented him.

Then, Zhong is brought to Master Zhu (Chen Hui-lou), a monk who will teach him Choy Li Fut. Meanwhile, Feng uses his iron claw, that he keeps in a case carried by a gang member, to kill Master Zhou, who had been closing his school anyway.

Later, Li Ting (Stephen Yip Tin-hang), a former Feng gang member, is dating a girl related to Zhong’s landlord, but several of the gang members force him to lure the girl to where they can rape her.

Highlights of the action have Zhong using a crutch-like piece during a fight and his final fight against Feng and the iron claw.

The film comes with an English dub option and audio commentary by Djeng and Worth. Grade: film 4 stars; extra 2 stars

The set also comes with a 36-page illustrated booklet, with cast listings, poster reproductions and new writing on Chang and the films by film critic James Oliver.

Rating guide: 5 stars = classic; 4 stars = excellent; 3 stars = good; 2 stars = fair; dog = skip it

Summer Stock (1950, Warner Archive Collection, Blu-ray, NR, 109 min.). When reviewing the Judy Garland Collection last week, I left out this film, so here is the review. With most of the songs by Harry Warren and Saul Chaplin, the story is about a pre-Broadway show setting up home in the barn owned by Jane Falbury (Judy Garland of “A Star Is Born”) in hopes of earning financial backers from a one-time performance.

The show is the brainchild of Joe D. Ross (Gene Kely of “Singin’ in the Rain”) and the female lead is Abigail Falbury (Gloria DeHaven of “Summer Holiday,” “The Thin Man Goes Home”), Jane’s sister, who failed to tell Jane she was going to have 24 guests. Abigail also is dating Ross. The show’s leading man is Harrison I. Keath (Hans Conried of “Peter Pan,” “The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.”).

Other important characters are Jane’s maid/helper/friend Esme (Marjorie Main, who played Ma Kettle in several films); Jane’s boyfriend Orville Wingait (Eddie Bracken of “Hail the Conquering Hero,” “National Lampoon’s Vacation”), whose father Jasper G. Wingait (Ray Collins of “Citizen Kane,” “Touch of Evil”) owns the feed and farm equipment store; and Herb Blake (Phil Silvers of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World,” TV’s “The Phil Silvers Show”), Ross’ accountant.

During the movie, Blake wrecks Jane’s new tractor, but the show’s Artie (Carleton Carpenter of “Up Periscope,” “Two Weeks of Love”) manages to fix it; Orville proposes to Jane; and Abigail fights with Ross over rehearsals and leaves the farm. The latter leads to Jane replacing her in the show and Ross stepping into the lead opposite her.

Overall, the dances are more memorable than the songs. Highlights include Kelly using a squeaky floorboard and a sheet from a newspaper in a dance, and Garland's career highlight "Get Happy" (filmed several months after the rest of the film, after she had lost 15 pounds). “Get Happy” is the most memorable song too, while the silly “Heavenly Music” by Silvers and Kelly with lots of dogs is the worst.

Extras include a 2006 featurette on the movie, featuring DeHaven and Carpenter (16:31; Garland and Kelly first movie together was “For Me and My Gal”); the audio outtake “Fall in Love” (2 min.); the Ted Avery cartoon “The Cuckoo Clock” (7:06); and the Pete Smith Specialty “Did‘ja Know?” (7:50). Grade: film 3.25 stars; extras 2.5 stars

Greta Garbo Collection (1930-1939, Warner Archive Collection, 4 Blu-rays, NR, 408 min.).The collection of four of Garbo’s best performances includes 1930's “Anna Christie,” her first sound film, which was adapted from Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1922 stage play in two versions, one English and one German, both included here; 1933's “Queen Christina,” which reunited Garbo with John Gilbert under the direction of Rouben Mamoulian; 1936's “Camille,” with Robert Taylor in director George Cukor’s timeless love story; and 1939's “Ninotchka,” her penultimate performance before her retirement from acting at age 36. The latter romantic comedy was directed by Ernst Lubitsch.

In “Anna Christie,” Garbo plays Anna, who returns home to visit her father, Chris Christofferson (George F. Marion), after a 15-year absence and two years of working in a brothel. The film comes with a vintage "MGM Parade" program that celebrates Garbo's early career; a Lux Radio Theater Broadcast program of the story; and the Looney Tunes cartoon "The Booze Hangs High," starring Bosko.Grade: both films 3.5 stars

“Queen Christina” is very loosely based on the life of the 17th century Queen of Sweden, a title she inherited at age six after the death of her father, King Gustavus Adolphus. The film depicts Christina as a well-educated but reticent leader who does not really to keep the job. The extra is another "MGM Parade" program that highlights Garbo's later career. Grade: film 3.75 stars

“Camille” is based on Alexandre Dumas' 1848 novel "The Lady of the Camellias." Garbo gives a steady portrayal of doomed French courtesan Marguerite Gautier in the somber period melodrama. The extras include a full-length 1921 silent version of the film; and a "Leo Is on the Air" radio program promoting the film. Grade: Garbo film 3.5 stars

Finally, in “Ninotchka,” Garbo plays a stern Soviet woman sent to Paris to supervise the sale of jewels seized from Russian nobles. She finds herself attracted to a man who represents everything she is supposed to detest. The film is light and frothy. The extras include the 1939 short "Prophet Without Honor" and the MGM cartoon "The Blue Danube." Grade: film 3.75 stars

Touche Turtle and Dum Dum: The Complete Series (1962-63, Warner Archive Collection, 2 Blu-rays, NR, 275 min.). In September 1962, Hanna-Barbera debuted the variety show “The Hanna-Barbera New Cartoon Series,” which featured the trio of “Wally Gator,” “Touche Turtle and Dum Dum” and “Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har.” The half-hour show included one short from each property. There are 52 episodes with the swashbuckling Touche Turtle and his faithful sheepdog companion, Dum Dum. The episodes have been remastered and restored.

Long-time radio personality Bill Thompson (best known for Droopy) voices Touche Turtle and Alan Reed (the then-current voice of Fred Flintstone) voices Dum Dum. Both characters use their limited wits and some luck to save people in distress during each five-minute adventure. There is some fun here. Grade: collection 3 stars

Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires (DC/Warner Bros., 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, R, 90 min.). Similar to the Batman Japanese adventures, including “Batman Ninja,” this one takes place during Aztec times. Tragedy strikes Yohualli Coatl, a young Aztec boy, when his father is murdered by Spanish conquerors about the year 1520. To warn King Moctezuma and high priest Yoka of imminent danger, Yohualli escapes to Tenochtitlán. There, he trains in the temple of the bat god Tzinacan with his mentor, developing equipment and weaponry to confront the Spanish invasion and avenge his father's death. Along the way, he encounters the fierce Jaguar Woman and the enchanting Forest Ivy.

The animated film is a joint venture between the Mexican studio Ánima and WB Animation, written by Ernie Altbacker and director Juan Meza-León. Rogues' Gallery villains such as Two-Face, The Joker, Poison Ivy and others eventually show their faces, but they are integrated well. Some creative revelations stem from the film's heavy focus on religious imagery.

Extras are two shorts: “The Battle Cry of Aztec Batman,” with English dub actor Jay Hernandez (Yohualli) providing his thoughts on doing the vocal and brief comments from voice director Wes Gleason (3:46); and “The Batman Mythology and Aztec Inspiration,” a behind-the-scenes featurette that focuses on transplanting Batman's origin story to the early 16th century with brief comments from Jay Hernandez and writer Ernie Altbacker. Grade: film 3 stars; extras 1.5 stars