Witch from Nepal

The Witch From Nepal was a pre A Better Tommorrow vehicle for Chow Yun Fat , at this time was a popular television actor, but had a hard time with success on the big screen. The film itself is a weird mix of fantasy, horror and romance and is held together by director Ching Sui Tung who (at this point) was best known for making cult swordplay/martial arts masterpiece Duel To The Death, as well as being action choreographer on a lot of the Hong Kong movies that you like. Sometimes the film gets a little confusing or hard to follow, but visually looks great with excellent action choreography. Chow Yun Fat's performance and screen presence is good. The Witch From Nepal is not the best film or the easiest to get into, but is still a decent watch and one of Chow Yun Fat's most unusual films.

I really love magic cinema of film maker Ching Siu Tung, the martial arts director/choreographer and director genius of films like A Chinese Ghost Story series, Swordsman series, Terra Cotta Warrior and Duel to the Death, his debut. His films are as fast paced and over the top at the fight department as you'll ever experience in any film. So I was very curious to see Witch From Nepal aka Nepal Affair as it is one of his earlier works as a director, and I'd read some positive comments about the film.

Then I ordered the DVD from Hong Kong at ridiculously low price and watched the film. It stars Chow Yun-Fat as Joe, an artist who is visiting Nepal with his incredibly beautiful girl friend Ida, played by more than sweet Kit Ying Lam. Soon Joe meets mysterious girl Sheila, played by Emily Chu, and he learns that with the help of the girl, he has become able to commit supernatural things with the power of his mind, like lifting things on the table and do other things with the power of thought. That is fine with Joe as he plays with his new skill (watch the funny dinner scene!), but soon things start to go to wrong direction as Joe falls in love with Sheila and some very evil force/demon/The Warrior (played by Dick Wei) is after Sheila..

So what if the story seems not to make too much sense? These films are not watched and made because of believable story and plot; these are fantasy films without any need to follow rational rules but many people seem not to understand or accept this for some reason. They should not watch these films (applies to horror films, too, of course) because they don't understand those films and thus cannot review them noteworthy and find the films' real merits. Witch From Nepal is a combination of horror, fantasy, martial arts and mere action, but the result is not as great as I was hoping.

There are great fight scenes and action choreography, and the director's early wire work is fantastic. Camera angles are weird and the photography is great and original, so the film looks fine, and Ching Siu Tung shows once again his abilities as visually talented film maker. There is one memorable horror sequence, that ranks very high in the most scary moments in Hong Kong cinema, and the scene is near the end, where a misty cemetery becomes possessed and soon zombies start to wake up. And these are not hopping ghosts and ghouls like in Mr. Vampire (very great film!), but similar to Italian flesh eaters and so they reminded me of Lucio Fulci's work in zombie films. That scene is very fantastic with all its horror atmosphere and possessed evil and is not likely to be easily forgotten.

There are, however, many negative points in the film, too, and that's why this was a minor disappointment for me. The demon/warrior is some cat like human, so he sounds like cat, too. But as he screams all the time he's in picture, it becomes first very irritating, and then laughable, as it is meant to sound scary and threatening. The film is also occasionally too slow moving after the very promising and interesting first 30 minutes. The films looses its interest and becomes boring to watch. The last fight and last 10 minutes are again pretty interesting and very stylish, so it saves the film from leaving a total taste of disappointment in the mouth.

The music is okay, but occasionally reminded me DISTANTLY of Fabio Frizzi's music in Lucio Fulci's immortal Italian horror films, but I'm not saying Witch From Nepal copied Frizzi or something; it is just interesting to hear such a similarities that are probably purely coincidental and non-intended. The main merits of the film are photography and great fantasy elements which together create the atmosphere of the film, and because of those merits, this film is worth watching for Hong Kong fans.

Witch From Nepal isn't as near as great as Ching Siu Tung's masterpieces, but still an interesting piece in his filmography and among many Eastern fantasy films. I'll give this 6/10 and am glad I've seen again one Ching Siu Tung film more.

I have the feeling that some viewers go into this one with unfair expectations. If you think it's going to be an action flick just because Chow Yun Fat is the star, or think it's going to be horrific just because it has the word "witch" in the title, you're probably going to be disappointed.

One problem western viewers may have with Witch from Nepal is its inconsistency of mode. The beginning and end are action and horror oriented, while most of the middle portion has the leisurely pace of a romantic drama. Once the viewer adjusts to the unfamiliar genre hybrid nature of the proceedings, however, there's more than enough cuteness, action, and spooky stuff to keep an open-minded audience pleasantly occupied.

When it comes to cinema Hong Kong is revered as a prolific source of high quality kung fu flicks more than anything else. If there's only one thing I've learned recently, however, it's that there has also historically been a wonderfully strong horror scene in the region, not least in the 80s. Many Hong Kong horror flicks are effects extravaganzas, while others embrace more of an action-horror approach. Then there are those titles that go even further afield, like 'The seventh curse' or this fellow 1986 release 'Witch from Nepal.' We see here a more lighthearted, fun-loving blend of genres: elements of horror, fantasy, action, and highfalutin adventure, not least as our Every Man protagonist Joe suddenly gets swept up in a lark far beyond his imagination. We get stunts and fight choreography, practical effects and post-production wizardry (the former much more than the latter, to my pleasure), mystery, romance, comedy - and for good measure, some stop-motion animation, not to mention cheeky sound effects. Make no mistake, this is a total romp. It's also really good! That mirthful spirit is fully communicated to the audience, and it's hard not to have a great time.

All those facets I mentioned above are superb - truthfully, the stunts and effects are maybe even bigger and grander here than in some kindred fare - and they're far from alone. Tsui Ching-hong penned a fabulous screenplay with scenes that are obviously built with a mind for finding the best way, at all times, to continue building on the spectacle, or to set up the next such moment to follow in short order. The overall narrative is a blast, sure, but at times feels like a secondary concern to constantly feeding the pure entertainment. Director Ching Siu-tung adopts the same ethos, with bedazzlement coming first and foremost in any scene - but that doesn't mean that the skill, intelligence, or hard work poured into the picture is any lesser for the fact of it. The filmmaker illustrates a keen eye for shot composition at new few points, for example, and Tom Lau's cinematography is likewise rich and flavorful. Lam Manyee's original music is an utter joy, gleefully accentuating and adding to the predominant mood at any time, and I have to assume that the composer was smiling wide with every theme she put together. Really, we get meaningful, admirable contributions from all involved, including the cast, led by icon Chow Yun-fat; the fast-moving nature of the material may somewhat restrict the actors to a corner, but that doesn't make their efforts any less appreciable.

The art direction is gorgeous; from filming locations to sets and props the most basic aspects of the presentation are a delight. That includes the costume design, hair, and makeup, too. With all this having been said, it would be going too far too say that 'Witch from Nepal' is without flaws. The plot truly is secondary, or maybe even tertiary when you get down to it; the story amounts to a wishy-washy declaration of Joe's destiny as a master of something-or-other, and that's about it save for the obstacles that Joe faces in one manner or another. The movie is also surely imbalanced; in a runtime of just over ninety minutes, the first hour is spent on lighter tones of romance, comedy, and joyful action, with tinges of adventure creeping along the edges. Darker airs are woven in by way of the antagonist, who isn't specifically identified, and at that the preponderance of the more serious notes in the tale are left for the last third. We do get scenes of earnest, sometimes gnarly horror, and harder action, and the telling takes a more somber turn in the last stretch. To whatever extent we might say that this is the natural arc of genre cinema, however, the disparity seems extra glaring here, especially given how indifferently Plot tends to be treated.

Still, maybe such criticism is beside the point. I don't think there's any disputing that this flick wanted only to be a romp, and give its audience a good time. No matter how much we might nitpick the feature is invariably a success far more than not, and it definitely achieves its simple goal. 'Witch from Nepal' is built for fun, and from the scenes and characters as written to the scenes and acting as executed; from the stunts and effects to the music and overall vibes - in every capacity, the result is nothing if not highly enjoyable. Under these conditions, perceived faults don't really matter, because no one was striving for perfect craftsmanship in the first place, only perfect amusement; through to the end, that's just what we get. As a matter of personal preference this won't appeal to all comers, but I can only repeat that this is a title designed for one purpose, and I'm hard-pressed to think of anyone that wouldn't have a ball here. There's no need to go out of your way for 'Witch from Nepal,' but if you're looking for something light and uninvolved, something to provide solid entertainment without heavier and more complex emotions getting in the way, then this is almost certainly just what you're looking for.

Joe and his girlfriend Ida are on safari in Nepal, and he comes across the beautiful stranger Sheila. Unknowingly to him, his been chosen to take over the possession of a very important necklace and ancient knife that was held by mystical chief, which if the former item gets in hands of evil could be disastrous. After a bad accident and returning to Honk Kong, he encounters Sheila again and through her he miraculously recovers. Also he has gained some supernatural powers, and Sheila happens to be there for him. They fall in love and Joe harmlessly dabbles in his new abilities, until the actual demon comes looking for him and a battle eventuates for those powerful belongings.

Director Ching Siu Tung (from the beautifully erotic "A Chinese Ghost Story" series) loves to demonstrate a dream-like, supernatural-fantasy filled with mythical magic and rampantly high-flying stunts. The Honk Kong feature "Witch From Nepal" mostly provides on that quality. Arresting visuals amongst a thickly misty atmosphere is captured by fluently inventive photography, vividly penetrating lighting and a lingering score of adaptable moodiness. The flashy stunt work is over-the-top and fanatic, but staged with skilled rigour by Ching Siu Tung and the same can be said about the intense martial arts sequences (like the final thunderous showdown). Accompanying the no gravity bound leaps, are plenty of swoosh sounds. Some things did get laughable, because of the very serious nature placed upon something very silly and slight in detail. However they're one or two impressively creepy sequences involving a dog out-of-its-league and definitely the murky graveyard ambush. Covering the screen are many stylish images that rattle along, which are well-organised and illustrated handsomely. These aspects help a lot, but want makes this one a very ordinary offering, is that it's pretty slow to get to the business end. The premise idea (which maybe looked better on paper) is sidetracked by uninteresting filler and succumbs to a meandering pace. It takes a good hour or so, to break out of that pattern. The plot is hazy and extremely convenient in stretches, but really hurting it is a real lack of urgency and very little concentration on the offbeat developments. FX is cheap and dated, but looks able enough and it's worked into the feature with decent restraint. The always-formidable Chow Yun-Fat is in what you call a star vehicle does a fine job. The delightful Kit Ying Lam and stunning Emily Chu supply reasonable support. Dick Wei's does the action well and his wild appearance (albeit with the hokey cat screaming/roaring that became grating) is sound enough as the demon warrior.

The film richly looks the part with its mystical awe and swiftly frenetic stunts, but fiddly uneven story telling brings it down a couple of notches. Undemanding fantasy-action fodder.