The One-Armed Swordsman

1967 1h 51m ZH

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 114

ActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A noble swordsman, whose arm had been chopped off, returns to his former teacher to defend him from a villainous gang of rival swordsmen.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Jimmy Wang Yu
Fang Kang
Lisa Chiao Chiao
Xiao Man
Tien Feng
Qi Ru-Feng
Violet Pan Ying-Zi
Qi Pei-Er
Yang Chi-Ching
Long-Armed Devil
Tang Ti
Smiling Tiger Cheng Tian-Shou
Fan Mei-Sheng
Guo Sheng / Brother Hua
Wang Shih-Chieh
Qin Da-Chuan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Chang Cheh
Writers: Chang Cheh, Ni Kuang
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

59 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The One-Armed Swordsman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Chang Cheh, shot by Yuen Chang-Sam. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Wang Fu-Ling. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chiang Hsing-Lung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Jimmy Wang Yu and Lisa Chiao Chiao and Tien Feng carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0061597 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Chang Cheh directs. Yuen Chang-Sam behind the camera. Wang Fu-Ling scores. Chiang Hsing-Lung cuts. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

159 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Part of the "The One-Armed Swordsman Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Chang Cheh, shot by Yuen Chang-Sam. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Wang Fu-Ling. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Chiang Hsing-Lung shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jimmy Wang Yu and Lisa Chiao Chiao and Tien Feng carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0061597 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 13 themes, including "martial arts", "kung fu", "ambush", "sword".
9Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Yuen Chang-Sam
Original score: Wang Fu-Ling
Editing: Chiang Hsing-Lung
Makeup / hair: Fong Yuen
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: ZH
IMDB: The One-Armed Swordsman (1967)

Part of

The One-Armed Swordsman Collection

One-Armed Swordsman is a 1967 Hong Kong wuxia film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio. Directed by Chang Cheh, it was the first of the new style of wuxia films emphasizing male anti-heroes, violent swordplay and heavy bloodletting. It was the first Hong Kong film to make HK$1 million at the local box office, propelling its star Jimmy Wang to super stardom. This film eventually became the first in the One-Armed Swordsman trilogy. A sequel was released in 1969 called Return of the One-Armed Swordsman, followed by The New One-Armed Swordsman in 1971, all directed by Chang Cheh. It has since achieved classic status in Hong Kong cinema. In the Hong Kong Film Award's 2005 poll, One-Armed Swordsman was voted as the 15th best Chinese language film. The first and second movies are the same director, writer, and stars, while the last has the same director but a new lead actor.