Old films are the best -- that goes for kung fu too

While it might have seemed like something new to Hollywood fans, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was nothing new in Hong Kong cinema. It was merely the first of its kind to achieve blockbuster status at box offices worldwide, and as such it represents the culmination of years of work and experience by professionals in the Hong Kong martial arts film genre, and pays homage to the martial arts paradigm which originated in Hong Kong in the 1970s.

The Shaw Brothers Film Festival is a retrospective of this era. Advance tickets are already on sale for the festival, which will screen six classic martial arts films at Breeze Center's Ambassador Cinema starting Dec. 20.

Shaw Brothers, a dominant player in Hong Kong film in the 1970s, once owned the largest film studio in Asia, producing 800 films. This festival brings a few of their classic film back to life, updated with digital effects and Dolby surround sound.

One can enjoy King Hu's (胡金銓) classic Come Drink with Me (大醉俠, 1966) and realize that many of the scenes from Crouching Tiger originated in this film, such as the massive rumble in the inn where Zhang Ziyi mowed down one opponent after another. Also, there are two Shao-lin monk martial arts films by Chang Cheh (張徹), Hong Kong's most respected director and also John Woo's mentor, who has made more than 40 martial arts films in his life. And for those who appreciate Chinese musical period drama with gorgeous scenes and refined costumes, there are two films by the revered Lee Han-hsiang (李翰祥), The Kingdom and the Beauty (江山美人, 1959) and The Empress Dowager (傾國傾城, 1975).

Tickets for the Shaw Brothers Film Festival are available at Acer ticketing outlets or Ambassador Cinema, tel (02) 8772-1234.