Un toque de zen

For UK DVD viewers, this genre classic is finally available to own. Optimum's print is not perfect (slightly dim in places), and you can't turn off the giant subtitles (should you want to), but at least we can see the full version of King Hu's masterpiece. Anybody seriously interested in martial arts cinema must seek out a copy, since it represents one of the most elegant examples of its type, a few years before the international success of Asian fight flicks proliferated a slew of poorly dubbed, re-edited versions for Western markets, solidifying the stereotype of "chop-socky" films as plot-free, laughable foreign commodities. A Touch of Zen builds up for almost a full hour before so much as a punch is thrown. The story is narrow, but complex, and King Hu takes time to create atmosphere, and a sense of place and time which is often taken for granted in other period epics. Oh yes, and the fight scenes are great.

I first saw 'A Touch of Zen' in the late 70s; it had such an effect on me that I looked for it on video for years and years, but to no avail - then to my relief it was shown on TV during a martial arts night twenty years later. In fact it was shown as the finale of that night - so perhaps I am not the only person who thinks this is the ultimate martial arts film.

It is over three hours long; the first hour is mainly scene-setting and not much happens, but this just adds to the impact. All you could want in a film is here - tension, action, arty filmwork, a kind of love interest, action, beautifully choreographed fights, intrigue, action, comedy, philosophy.... and a monk who is so pure that when he is wounded he bleeds.... well, you'd better see for yourself what he bleeds.

A must-see (if you have three hours to spare).

Hsia Nu is not only one of the most remarkable martial arts movies one could imagine, but in any sense a most remarkable film. I at least am unable to name many other three hour long movies which I have not found slightly lengthy (not to say boring) at some stage. Moreover Hsia Nu is the kind of film one definitely would want to watch on the big screen of a cinema, something rather rare as far as martial arts films are concerned and generally rare for anything not an extremely expensive super-production.

Its panoramic nature sequences have not only esthetic value, but are also symbolically relevant. In fact if one wanted to do this, it would be possible to interpret the whole movie as an allegory of human existence. Fortunately there is really no need to get out the heavy guns of symbolism and artistic value to convince oneself that Hsia Nu is a great movie. It is gripping and entertaining, amusing and serious, and infused with a pathos hardly ever encountered in European (or American) movies. Pathos of course is something difficult to handle, but the director and cast of Hsia Nu manage it very well. The film has its deliberate light moments, but it never invites laughter at its moments of pathos.

Of course we are talking here about a martial arts movie. And indeed, the fighting sequences are brilliantly done - there definitely has been no progress since 1969 - but there is not only that. There is in fact not all that much fighting if one considers that this is a three hour film, and the fights do not carry the plot. In some sense Hsia Nu resembles more a Japanese samurai drama than what we more customarily associate with the Hong Kong and Taiwan martial arts genre.

The plot is very long and complex - though perfectly understandable, and even logical - therefore I do not see any real interest in retelling it here. Suffice to say that it contains most principal human emotions: loyalty and treason, love and revenge, hunger for happiness and for...enlightenment. The acting is brilliant, and especially a more masterly 'great master' character, a monk in Hsia Nu, would indeed be difficult to find in any martial arts movie.

If anybody is not convinced by the merit of the martial arts genre and just wants to give it a sole and unique chance, then this is the movie that might convinced such a snob that cinematographic 'art' is not necessarily grey, quiet and slow, but can be colourful, vibrant and full of pathos.

Wow.... so while this might have its flaws, as an experience it's overwhelming (in a good way) and frequently stunning, as well as something that goes by pretty quickly for three hours.

Despite the epic length, it doesn't feel like a traditional epic. It more felt like two - or maybe even three - plots sort of smooshed together. And on top of that, each third of the film is very distinct. The first third has no action and is sort of like a period drama/mystery. The second third is more straightforward martial arts fare, feeling very similar to another of King Hu's films, Dragon Inn (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). The final third retains the action but takes thing in a really interesting surreal/spiritual/maybe even psychological direction. It's hard to put into words, but it leaves an impact.

I wouldn't call this poorly written, but the distinctive acts and more than one plot all combined together did create something of a disjointed feeling. It didn't make the movie harder to get through, as I only realised it wasn't entirely cohesive right at the end, but it's worth mentioning. The first third might have been a tad slow, too. But after an hour, there's no point where it feels like things drag.

Thankfully everything else is close to perfect. For starters, it's visually stunning. It has some of the best lighting I think I've ever seen, with night scenes looking realistically dark (without things being impossible to see), and all the scenes during the day are just gorgeous. All the great landscapes help, too.

The action satisfies and all the performances and characters are quite good. Very good music, too. On a rewatch I might not be bothered by some of those unusual screenplay decisions, but even with that minor criticism, this is still an amazing movie, and probably among the best martial arts movies I've ever seen.

I came upon this film by accident, I looked for it on video, someone offered me a second generation copy for US$80! No thanks, then by magic it came up on digital TV in the UK, 3 months after I had started to look for it!

I saw the widescreen/subtitled 177 mins version, although it is 3 hours long it is not boring, it keeps your attention throughout. The fight sequences I did not find particularly thrilling except for the monks (they were exceptional). The film is a little too dark, not enough sunshine. The photography is excellent especially given the film was made in '69. You can see the similarity with the modern day "crouching tiger hidden dragon" Ang Lee has said he was inspired by this film. If you ever get a chance to see this make sure you do.