Swordsman With an Umbrella
by Hung Shih
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ching Cheng, Ching Feng Chiang, Feng-chi Chiang, Kung Shun Chang, Shan-shan ChaoDirector: Hung Shih
Brand: BCI ECLIPSE LLC
Cinematographer: Chung-Hou Chao
Editor: Chin Kuang
Producer: Kan-Chuan Chen
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 86 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-05-28
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Bci / Eclipse
Movie Reviews of Swordsman With an Umbrella
Movie Review: 70s Karate/Swordsman tour de force
Summary: 5 Stars
finally - the most remarkable Karate/Swordsman film ever made is available through Amazon. several years ago i had to brute-force my way through a twisty chain of overseas Asian distributors to get this DVD, even learning some basic Chinese along the way - but this way of getting your own copy is good, too, i suppose
the acting in SWAU is some of the best, and the DVD offers the most comprehensive set of examples of the Chinese Kung-Fu flick genre, circa 1970. if you were not fortunate enough to have been alive at that time, this film will lucidly convey what my ilk eagerly anticipated from such movies, but SWAU provides these thrills and chills *in spades*. it is, literally, a ''tour de force''
allow me to set the stage for this film : in the first few minutes of the film, rabble in a tea house fail to recognize the gender of a woman (somehow mistaking her for a man) allowing the central character to appear and rescue her from the brutes by breaking off bits of a drawn sword tip with his finger, flicking them across the room and killing a few bad guys in the process ... in short, prepare to be amazed !
also of vital importance is the fact that this distribution has preserved some original film artifacts, leveraging some of the best DVD features available :
- such as multilingual subtitles. they are occasionally centered on the screen, and from time to time can be read completely, but normally they run off both ends of the screen. also, the subtitles are always white and often hard to read - variety like this never fails to keep things interesting. and, of course, you can turn off/on the subtitles. in theory, i mean. the subtitles are part of the film itself, and there seems to be no actual subtitle information embedded in the video despite the presence of a subtitle stream. in any event, the subtitles are in Chinese and mediocre Engrish [sic], allowing the larger Chinese-speaking foreign market (for whom written Chinese is easily understood, unlike the various spoken traditions around China and Oceania) to understand a film that has been dubbed in (fair) English. there is no avoiding the fact that not a single line in the film has been faithfully transcribed into the subtitles, which adds yet another dimension to the film and makes each successive viewing a new experience, and a genuine pleasure anew
- such as high video quality. without acute video fidelity you would not be able to thrill to the sudden and frequent changes in color (of which purple haze is the most common, harsh sepia coming in a close second) and variations in lighting which can only be captured by unabashedly filming under a variety of weather conditions ... overcast, evening, early morning ... its all good when your budget allows only one take
- such as audio fidelity. the volume of background music and noises can rise and fall with each edit, making the film a challenging auditory experience. given the fact that THX had not yet been invented this scheme just, well, works. if you've never heard crickets getting *significantly louder* after a rather sharp, sudden sound (while every other sound completely disappears) you need to witness this film !
if you know of another movie in which ''the most famous man in the world'' flies around during a fight using the most durable umbrella imaginable (think of the contemporary Samsonite suitcase commercials here), please let me know. this umbrella is almost as amazing as his skill, stopping hundreds of direct sword blows, as well as absorbing Throwing Stars and then returning them to projectile status ... the worst of the bad guys (you really *must* hear him laugh !) has dozens of coins affixed to his breast clothing, which he can suddenly hurl at a nearby enemy, apparently by jiggling his nips - there is no other explanation. anyway, the umbrella deflects these in the same manner, ultimately bringing this 'bad mans' to the brink of death, ready to be finished off for revenge mission completion. this satisfying end is amid the requisite sea of bloody dead, of course (this in hardly a spoiler, given the time period and genre)
literally no aspect of the 70s Karate/Swordsman genre was omitted from this one, and as you can clearly see there are several enhancements that the producers were able to incorporate into this masterful, instant classic
< voiceover done in bad Oriental voice acting > ''Miss this one and die in shame ! - HA HA !''
Summary of Swordsman With an Umbrella
When Iron Umbrella was a child he woke one night to find his parents murdered by a sinister man with a long sword scar across his forehead. Ironman comes upon the boy and decides to raise him as his own. Iron Umbrella grows to become a man and sets off to avenge his parents' deaths! Kung Fu: the sheer beauty and artistry in this ancient art has studied and revered for centuries. This Kung Fu classic is just one of many terrific martial arts films that is a must-see for the true Kung Fu enthusiast. Filmed on location in Asia this film is filled with breathtaking scenery and amazing fight scenes to give you a carefully-crafted action-packed classic adventure!System Requirements: Running Time 86 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: SPORTS/GAMES/MIXED MARTIAL ARTS Rating: NR UPC: 787364436194 Manufacturer No: 44361-9Similar DVD Movies
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