Public domain martial arts films in the Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is well-known for the Wayback Machine it hosts and they also have a very large selection of public domain media*, relevant to IMDB are the films they have and this is a list designed to bring together the science-fiction ones. I largely made the list for myself, so I could keep a track of some of these early classics as I work through their catalogue (some are classic for being good, others for being so bad they are good and some are just bad) but I'm making it public as I'm sure there are other people out there who'd be interest - if nothing else you can grab the bad ones, some beer, some friends and hold your own MST3K (a number of them have appeared on the show).
So here we have the classic Master of the Flying Guillotine along with a couple of Bruceploitation films, some reasonable kung-fu films and the oddity that is The Impossible Kid.
See also: the equivalent lists for horror and science-fiction.
Further reading: If you want to track down other PD films outside of these genres then a good place to start is Wikipedia's list of public domain films in the US, which also explains the situation. Their page on public domain films has a wider focus. There are numerous sites offering public domain films but I can't really vouch for their checks (just Google them up).
* I can't check the copyright status of each one but they are pretty diligent (although not perhaps as careful as the Gutenberg Project, but they might be being over cautious some times) so there are unlikely to be any legal issues, although you'd want to check the copyright situation in your own country to be sure (America has longer copyright period than somewhere like Australia, for example. So if you go by what is available in the US you should be fine). There are other places online with PD films but IA is the most trustworthy source.
So here we have the classic Master of the Flying Guillotine along with a couple of Bruceploitation films, some reasonable kung-fu films and the oddity that is The Impossible Kid.
See also: the equivalent lists for horror and science-fiction.
Further reading: If you want to track down other PD films outside of these genres then a good place to start is Wikipedia's list of public domain films in the US, which also explains the situation. Their page on public domain films has a wider focus. There are numerous sites offering public domain films but I can't really vouch for their checks (just Google them up).
* I can't check the copyright status of each one but they are pretty diligent (although not perhaps as careful as the Gutenberg Project, but they might be being over cautious some times) so there are unlikely to be any legal issues, although you'd want to check the copyright situation in your own country to be sure (America has longer copyright period than somewhere like Australia, for example. So if you go by what is available in the US you should be fine). There are other places online with PD films but IA is the most trustworthy source.
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- 12 titoli
- RegistaFeng HuangStelleAngela MaoYi ChangYing BaiA young female martial artist reluctantly decides to help a man who is being pursued by a vicious gang, so that she would have the pleasure of killing him herself as revenge for causing the death of her sister.
- RegistaShigehiro OzawaStelleShin'ichi ChibaGoichi YamadaYutaka NakajimaAfter failing to reach a deal with her enemies, a mercenary karateka protects the daughter of a recently-deceased oil tycoon from the evil conglomerate gunning for her inheritance.Link (single film) and a triple feature of the full trilogy
- RegistaShigehiro OzawaStelleShin'ichi ChibaClaude GagnonYôko IchijiMercenary karate master Tsurugi gets mixed up in a plot by the American mafia to take over the karate dojos in Asia, aided by a corrupt dojo master.
- RegistaShigehiro OzawaStelleShin'ichi ChibaReiko IkeKôji WadaMercenary karate master Tsurugi is hired to retrieve a cassette tape which holds a very sensitive recording of governmental corruption. A back and forth game of who got the tape ensues.
- RegistaKazuhiko YamaguchiStelleEtsuko ShihomiShin'ichi ChibaAsao UchidaA young martial artist is on a mission to rescue her brother who's being held captive by a sadistic drug lord.
- RegistaJimmy Wang YuStelleJimmy Wang YuTien Wu ChuKang ChinAfter his students are killed by the One Armed Boxer, a vengeful and blind Kung Fu expert travels to a village where a martial arts contest is being held and vows to behead every one armed man he comes across.
- RegistiChi-Lien YuKang YuStellePolly Ling-Feng Shang-KuanChung Chien LiSing ChenGolden City, capital of wondrous Phoenix island, is attacked by an evil despot and his sorcerer ally and conquered, with the Emperor and his three generals killed by the invaders. The young princess and the three children of the generals are hidden away from the invaders with the hope that they one day will return to avenge the deaths of their fathers and reclaim the island paradise. Almost twenty years pass and the grown children do finally return to confront the despot and the sorcerer but, will they be successful?
- RegistaLee Doo-yongStelleJun ChongDeborah DutchSu-cheon BaeA kung Fu expert travels to America to take out a gang of mysterious villains responsible for the murder of his best friend.Bruceploitation and it is probably for the best that the resurrected Bruce Lee doesn't hang around too long.
Link - RegistaKuen YeungStelleBruce LiDanaJohn CheungA band of counterfeiters wants to make Hong Kong their new territory. The disgraced leader of the Special Squad will have to team-up with a group of Hong Kong police officers in an attempt to stop the dirty business of crime lord Han Tin Lung, but Han's problem not only is the interference of the Police force, his Japanese ally Kimura is not happy with his 'cut' in the counterfeit deal and will try to put Donna (a relative of Han) on his side a make Han's business his own property. Both policemen and criminals are highly trained Martial Arts fighters and they will have the chance to prove who has the best Kung Fu techniques.
- RegistaChi LoStelleFei MengNancy YenChung Chien LiTwo Ming patriots spend their days helping the weak and rescuing damsels in distress. This alum gets them in trouble, though, as they are captured and then volunteered to go after the fearsome Dragon Gang, a tribe of bandits that have been terrorizing the land. They must fight their way through the ranks, including a Taoist monk and his nearly invulnerable "demon," before they can finally face off against the beautiful and sinister leader of the Dragon Gang.
- RegistaEddie NicartStelleWeng WengRomy DiazNina SaraWeng Weng is now working for the Manila branch of Interpol. The Chief sends him in the pursuit of Mr X, an arch villian with a white sock on his head, who is holding the Philippines to ransom. Two businessmen, Maolo and Simeon, pay the demands but Weng Weng suspects foul play and goes deep undercover to reveal the identity of Mr X.
- RegistaJoseph KuoStelleAlexander Rei LoFei MengTiger is the owner of a brothel who moonlights as a kung fu artist under the watchful eye of "Master." They run into serious trouble when ninjas inexplicably show up and jeopordize Tiger's prostitution ring.Link - also includes Ninja Death 2 and 3, which don't currently seem to have IMDB entries.
