Yet another fantastical wuxia tale from Chor
Yuen with flying figures galore, exploding lasers from their fingers, coffins
smashing through the air, magical lanterns, spinning umbrellas, fog machines
on high as if in a London Jack the Ripper movie, bizarre extravagant colored
interior sets and near constant action. But his time at Shaws was coming
to a close as were his astonishing series of wuxia films that revolutionized
the genre. In this same year, Tsui Hark made Zu Warriors which is often given
the label of genre shifting, but once you have seen Chor's wuxia's, you realize
how influenced Tsui was by Chor's films.
He had an amazing career; directing over
60 films in the Cantonese industry; spy, drama, melodramas, crime with all
their big stars, but when Cantonese films died out at the end of the 1960s,
he had to jump over to the Mandarin film industry; first at Cathay and then
found a home at Shaw Brothers. Suddenly after all the low budget black and
white films in Cantonese, he had the enormous resources of the Shaw Studio
and glorious color. Up to that time Chang Cheh was the wuxia master directing
big hits with Jimmy Wang-yu that were very male oriented, masculine and ultra
violent. Chor created his own space, a parallel production unit with great
action choreographers, set designers and actors. His films were very different
than Chang's; more in tune with the great wuxia novels, elegant, highly artificial
sets, conflicted heroes, complex plots, enormous wire work, intricate choreography
and many more female characters. All which this film has plenty of.
It is a little lacking in emotional content
and a standout heroic character, but it is a hypnotic barrage of images and
a never ending supply of characters showing up. Many Shaw veteran actors
pop in and out during the film. More than the film really needs. And hard
to keep track of. The logistics of having so many people, all in various
sects and all fighting and flying at the same time had to be a nightmare.
No wonder there were three choreographers - Yuen Bun, Yuen Wah and Huang
Pei-chih. Throw in more special effects than Chor normally would utilize.
The plot is simple on one level - a woman seeking revenge - but complicated
by the sheer number of characters, minor and major. What is interesting is
that in the world of martial arts tradition, the woman is perfectly in the
right to seek vengeance but she is the villain and is dead.
In a mystical place named Moonlit Sky often
covered in fog, a zither can be heard at night. Many martial artists have
gone into it but all are found dead the next day floating in the water, drained
of blood. This does not stop Feng Xiwu (a colorless Max Mok) from investigating;
more out of stupidity than courage. He spots a young woman in a lavish cave
playing the zither in light green colored silks. She is Shiuling played by
newcomer Yung Jing-jing who was to marry Lau Kar-leung the following year
and drop out of acting. He is immediately smitten and when a group of men
come to kill her, he saves her. Though in truth she needs little saving.
She invites him to meet mom. Dearest mom. Who looks to be the same age as
her daughter. That isn't a big enough hint for the dull witted Feng and he
gladly accepts a cup of tea. That knocks him out and makes him ready to be
sucked of his blood. Mom is a spirit living on blood and her desire for revenge
against the entire martial world.
Shiuling saves Feng but this is just the
beginning as mom (Bonnie Ngai) goes on a revenge tour murdering and possessing
those that grieved her. Some 18 years earlier, she was a Japanese Princess
who came to China along with a hundred samurai to learn Chinese martial arts.
She fell in love with Lan Tianyu (Lau Wing) and had a child and he swore
his love forever. But the martial artists decided to kill all the samurai
and the Princess and he went along with his clan. Now her ghost wants to
kill them all including Tianyu. On the revenge tour we come across Lo Lieh,
Yuen Hua, Norman Tsui and many many others. The amount of wire work is overwhelming
and lots of chaotic action, but the problem with the film is that the vengeful
ghost is in the right and the supposed heroes are not. And sad Tianyu is
still in love with her. As she tries to kill everyone.
