In 1972, chop-socky purveyors The Shaw Brothers Studio pulled out all the stops to make The 14 Amazons, about a family of warrior women who defended China from a barbarian invasion during the Sung Dynasty.
One of the first successful films to feature females putting the beat-down on male baddies, The 14 Amazons was a major hit. It earned multiple awards, including Golden Horseshoes for Best Director (Ching Gong), Best Supporting Actress (Lisa Lu) and Best Sound Recording, plus an Outstanding Lead Female Performance award for Lily Ho Li Li (who, ironically, played a boy in the movie) at the 1973 Asian Film Festival.
Now FUNimation brings this Shaw Brothers classic to DVD. Those who seriously love Chinese films, or fans of vintage kung-fu flicks, will find plenty to love in this forgotten classic.
FUNimation Reissues The Shaw Brothers' The 14 Amazons on DVD
When the last general of the Yang family falls in battle against a wave of barbarian invaders, the clan's matriarch (Lisa Lu Yan) and her grieving daughter-in-law Mu Kuei Ying (Ivy Ling Po) resolve to take up arms and protect their country. Assembling 12 other Yang widows and the household guard, plus the underaged heir (Lily Ho Li Li), the two women resolve to succeed where their fallen husbands have failed.
But, thanks to the interference of a corrupt official (Ching Miao), the 14 amazons swiftly find themselves on their own. Can this desperate band of warrior women defeat the enemy king and his sadistic sons?
While the notion of martial arts maidens bringing the kick-ass has serious appeal to a certain type of person (guilty!), The 14 Amazons is more a historical tale than a "femsploitation" flick. The women's gender is less important than the fact that they have resolved to maintain the patriotic fighting spirit of the Yang family.
Thanks to some good digital restoration, this film looks a lot better than other Shaw Brothers films from the same period. The 14 Amazons was a big-budget film for the Shaws, and its special effects were state-of-the-art for Hong Kong cinema, circa 1972. Much of the film was shot on location with lush photography, plenty of blood, and thousands of extras engaging in complex battle sequences. The action is nicely handled, with plenty of weapons battles to keep the fight fans entertained, although there are some over-enthusiastic edits that detract from the combat sequences.
On the downside, there are far too many women in the cast to keep track of, especially since there's little to no character development and they're all dressed the same. However, the warrior women do get removed from the cast at regular intervals. And the sequences where the Yang army forms human pyramids to cross a gorge or scale an enemy fortification does bring the cheeseball factor.
The 14 Amazons DVD Extras
DVD Extras? Ernie the Ninja steal them all! Ha-ha! And he drink your milkshake! Ha-ha!
The Shaw Brothers' The 14 Amazons a Forgotten Chop-Socky Classic
Despite FUNimation's packaging, this movie is less a chop-socky cheesefest than a serious historical epic. However, it will entertain people in both camps. Whether you you love vintage kung fu films, or prefer more classy fare like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero, The 14 Amazons is for you. It gets a 4/5.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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