King Fu's seminal 1971 wuxia epic will be shown in 35mm at the UW Cinematheque on April 27.
King Hu's touch of zen (1971) is one of the most influential wuxia films ever made, a captivating wuxia film from one of the genre's most visionary directors. Throughout his career, Mr. Hu meticulously blended Peking Opera theater and modern filmmaking techniques, elevating the historical martial arts genre to new artistic heights. A 35mm print is scheduled to be shown at the UW Cinematheque. touch of zen Courtesy of the Wisconsin Film and Theater Research Center Saturday, April 27th at 7 p.m.
Along with his contemporary Zhang Che, King Fu was at the forefront of Shaw Brothers Studio's efforts to revitalize the mid-1960s stage martial arts genre for modern audiences. While Mr. Chan specialized in churning out the ultra-violent action spectacles that became Shaw's trademark, Mr. Hu took a more cerebral approach. Mr. Hu was not particularly interested in martial arts, but instead created his own unique cinematic language, combining Peking Opera's stylized dance-like choreography with editing techniques borrowed from Hollywood and Soviet films. I made it up.
After the success of Let's drink together (1966) and Dragon Inn (1967), Mr. Hu moved from Hong Kong to Taiwan in order to have more artistic control over his work. Mr. Hu started working on touch of zen It took me four years to progress at my own pace and finally complete the film. Hu's methodical approach to everything from set design to costumes to editing resulted in rich, detailed work that established him as a master filmmaker.
A loose adaptation of an 18th century ghost story. touch of zen The film follows Gu Shengzai (Shi Chun), a junior scholar who lives with his domineering mother in a remote village during the Ming Dynasty. Intrigued by strange sounds he hears in the abandoned fortress next door, Gu becomes drawn into a plot to protect fugitive nobleman Yan Huizhen (Su Feng) from his corrupt government pursuers. With no martial arts skills, Goo must rely on cunning and armchair knowledge of battlefield tactics to survive. In a particularly dazzling third-act sequence, the ruthless villain Xu Xianchun (the film's own fight choreographer Han Yingjie) and Yang's guardian, Abbot Huiyuan (Roy Chao), face off in battle, and a hallucinatory It turns into a Buddhist spectacle.
Hu's interest in depicting the natural world is evident throughout. touch of zen. The camera frequently moves away from the protagonist and lingers around his periphery in a widescreen landscape-like composition. The film's lush, foggy atmosphere and ballet-like wirework were a major influence on later arthouse-oriented wuxia filmmakers like Zhang Yimou and Ang Li. ZenBattle scene in the bamboo forest Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (the year of 2000).
Hu would continue to work within the wuxia genre for the remainder of his career with films such as: The fate of Lee Khan (1973), but Zen's leisurely three-hour runtime and extended production period gave Hu the opportunity to fine-tune his style, resulting in a stunning masterpiece.
