casts nature as mysterious, tangled but carefully deliberate, and casts reformers combating totalitarianism as potential ghosts, the past returning to claim its place, the dead returning to vanquish their living betrayers. Hu famously continues to restore to film from Chinese literature the female knight, another piece of the past that now points forward. and the male hero finds his strength only after he sleeps with her and meets the Abbot; the power here is sexual, literally balls to bones, naturally emanating from within. the villain, corrupt and unseen, is a eunuch; his power is baseless, empty, founded on lies. sex vs death. the film folds themes in so gradually that you truly float down the river without ever seeming to get wet.

Someday, some enterprising company is going to restore and rerelease these King Hu movies and then they're going to get a whole lot of my money.

It's probably a good five minutes before we see any human beings in A Touch of Zen - before that it's the title sequence, then some close-ups of insects in spider's webs, and various shots of water, trees, light, nature at rest. It's like a soft prayer before the story begins, and it's your first clue that this is no typical kung-fu action movie, containing almost none of the genre's usual concessions to audience attention spans. Even when the action does start up, it's pretty removed from the expected Shaw Bros. athleticism, instead punctuated by long stretches of patient waiting in between the jump-cut-aided fight choreography, just outside physical reality as we (think we) know it.

100

As dreamy as the rivers in which we seek nourishment and as haunting as the figures which impede the voids which we yearn to observe in the darkness. One of those movies that check every box on the list and even invent a few new categories just for the hell of it.

Once Upon a Time in the East. This really feels like a Leone Western set in 14th century China.

This is what Star Wars fights should look like.

They even cut trees down with their swords!

Also includes a delicious cameo by Sammo Hung.

One gripe I had with that movie though is that it kinda forgets who's the protagonist by the end.

There is absolutely no doubt that King Hu is a visual master. "A Touch of Zen" is a gorgeous-looking movie with great set pieces and arguably some of the best wire work ever put to film. It's a technical masterpiece. It's not as solid in the script department though and I feel like it goes on a bit too long. The last 30 minutes or so had me struggling to maintain my interest and concentration. Overall it's an amazing film, don't get me wrong, but I don't think its length is entirely justified.

Star Wars: Episode X, please.

Tenía el blu desde hace casi un año y no me había decidido a verlo. A veces, se batalla un poco para encontrar tiempo para ver una película de tres horas y veinte minutos, pero ayer lo tuve. Y fue genial. Obra maestra.

The East Chamber guards are fucking terrified of ghosts. It makes them completely lose the ability to catch arrows.

DRAGON INN outclasses A TOUCH OF ZEN in the arrow catching department and is far superior to this later Hu effort.

But all kidding aside, this was a disappointing watch. I just didn't care about this story or its characters − many of which jump into the story without much build up.

There's no denying Hu is a visual master. Every frame looks spectacular. Even better than DRAGON INN. But unlike that film, I struggled to get into what was happening on the screen. The epic run-time and extremely slow moving first hour didn't help in that regard.

While certainly a religious cinematic experience for some, A TOUCH OF ZEN is one of the first major letdowns in my films screenings of 2018.

Come on bro. What is this restoration. Taiwan Film Institute like com on. If I was that woman that payed for the restoration what a bloody disappointment.

What is that green wash that is just fixed in every frame that makes the night scenes unwatchable? Why is there shit all over the screen for half of the film? That wasn't a restoration, that was a scan, upscale and then export. SMH.

Gorgeous day scenes otherwise. I got confused a lot because of distraction.