A Touch of Zen
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Movie Reviews of A Touch of Zen
Movie Review: A Masterpiece - But a Terrible DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
I went to see "A Touch of Zen" in the late seventies at the New York Film Festival. In all seriousness it was my greatest moviegoing experience in all my years as a moviegoer. I guess it's because whenever I saw a classic film like "Citizen Kane" or "The Bicycle Thief" or "The Godfather" or whatever, I was prepared to see something great.
But I was totally unprepared for this. I had never seen anything like it before. And when Hsu Feng suddenly revealed her ability to fight with this awe-inspired power and grace--not to mention bound like a gazelle--it hit me with all the beauty and magic of what movies can be. And it knocked me out to see a woman warrior like this.
Since then of course I've seen many films like this. "Crouching Tiger" quotes many films, but Ang Lee and James Schamus are fans of this one. But there is also "The Matrix" (the shot where Hsu Feng is revealed on the ceiling over the door) and of course, "House of Flying Daggers" - the scene in the bamboo forest is totally ripped off in that film. And of course, countless Hong Kong films. This was the bible.
And I also believe that the painstaking beauty of it's Leone-like compositions, it influenced the new generation of filmmakers like Zhang Yimou. Other directors of King Hu's time made four films a year. He spent three years on this.
But the thing to remember is that "A Touch of Zen" was completely done before CGI. Of course there is a lot of old-fashioned cinema trickery, but much of it is just plain old acrobatics.
So I was a little afraid to see what I would think of it decades later. What made the first time work was how unexpected it was. Anyway, I popped in a copy, just to check out how bad the copy was. I ended up watching the whole three hours, finishing at two am.
I've seen so many other films like this since, but it is still the best.
The copy is just like the ones you see in restoration videos, when they show you how the brilliant color has faded and there are all these scratches, etc. There is another version of this film that comes from a different company, it's available on Amazon.UK, but you would need an all-region player, which is of course illegal. It might end up being the same print anyway. There is another version I've seen at cinflix.com that has no subtitles.
One final note, I actually met King Hu on a Hollywood backlot in the eighties. He was trying to make a Hollywood film with producers Midge Sanford & Sarah Pillsbury ("Desperately Seeking Susan") I guess he was a little too early. I'm sure there would be a place for him now, but he passed on years ago.
Movie Review: One of the best films ever made (in my opinion).
Summary: 5 Stars
A Touch of Zen is a magical film. I have never seen anything like this before (or since). A whimsical tale filled with vengence, redemption, honor and enlightenment. Everything about this film is a wonder to behold. King Hu wanted to make a movie that people will never forget once they saw it. All I can say is that he accomplished what he set out to do. Originally this movie was over six hours long.
The studio forced him to edit it down to three hours. To hell with "Crouching Tiger..." You want to see a real mystical martial arts/asian zen film then this is the one!
However the DVD presentation is not that spectacular. A classic like this one deserves better. But despite it's flaws this is one movie you need to see! Watch out for a young Sammo Hung, Yuen Wah and Yuen Biao!!
Highest recommendation possible, one of the essentials.
Movie Review: Beautiful.
Summary: 5 Stars
I was expecting a lot from "A Touch of Zen", and I was not disappointed. This is a stunning film! King Hu tells his story primarily with images; there's not really a memorable line of dialogue anywhere in "Zen", but don't let that put you off. You will be amazed by the outdoor cinematography, and the intense fight sequences will have you on the edge of your seat. Particularly memorable is the climactic confrontation between Shaolin monk Roy Chiao and villain Han Ying-chieh(yep, the "Big Boss" from Bruce Lee's first movie, and the fight choreographer for "Zen" as well). If your mouth isn't hanging open when this film ends, something's wrong with you!
(Note: "A Touch of Zen" is a long film...it runs for exactly three hours, and demands a bit more from you than the average martial arts flick does.)
Movie Review: 5 star film - 0 star DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
But do not let this keep you from buying this, get it while you can because this could be the only DVD version this film you will ever see. It really does anger me, the big gripes here are not so good audio and during the night scenes you really have to strain to see anything. Serious martial arts films that don't star Bruce Lee are always getting shoddy cheap releases and something should be done but you know nothing ever will.Other than that this a great film, one of the greatest films. I am sad that this film is pretty unknown even by most hardcore martial arts and even fans of Asian cinema, this film deserves a full blown 2 disc Criterion release. Oh well, see this dvd and hope one day it gets a real release.
Movie Review: The mother of them all
Summary: 5 Stars
I haven't seen this movie in over 20 years. The first time I saw it was as part of a Chinese film festival at the U. of Minnesota. It was a massive hit at the time. There are several things I remember about it. The first half was unbelievable, the second half, fairly slow. The cast had great chemistry together. In fact, they tried making a follow-on movie with the same cast, but it didn't fair as well. I'm a big 'Crouching Tiger' fan, but as I recall, it did not push beyond what Zen accomplished. I just hope when I do see it again, that it does not disappoint me like so many 'classic' movies do when I re-watch them long after their initial release(Godfathers I, II, Lawrence Arabia being exceptions).