The Butterfly

Not everyone is as they seem...

The Swift Knight was an engaging wuxia starring Lo Lieh, Chin Han, and Margaret Hsing Hui. Most of the main characters were shrouded in secrecy and none were who they appeared to be. Two lost royal heirs drew everyone to them like a magnet, those who wanted to save them and those who wanted kill them. They only had to gamble with their lives to figure out who was on their side.

Lo Lieh played the titular character, the Swift Knight. He robbed from the rich and sometimes the suave vagabond gave to the poor. While at a brothel one night the virginal Xian Qin caught his eye, inducing him to offer a down payment, promising to come back with the rest of the money that night. Chin Han, dressed as a beggar, also sought to take Xian Qin away from the brothel, though without paying. Perennial bad guy Wang Hsieh, who had more costume changes than a beauty pageant contestant was after the young woman, too. He wanted to take her away from the brothel—to execute her. The rest of the story involved a number of sword fights and horse chases all in lieu of seeing who would end up with the lass and her younger brother.

The story of political intrigue and secret identities was a familiar formula but entertaining nonetheless. Lo Lieh had the perfect charisma to play the shady Robin Hood. If I have one complaint about the movie it's that Lo wasn't used enough and he's such a dynamic actor that he makes even small scenes seem bigger. Chin Han gave a rather one note performance as the beggar hiding an honorable identity. Fan Mei Sheng as the constable who knew too much and was on the run with the little group provided levity without sliding into slapstick territory. Margaret Hsing Hui didn't give the greatest performance but was able to convey her character's reticence about living a royal life, especially after she had fallen in love with the Swift Knight. Wang Hsieh never met scenery he didn't want to chew and made for the perfect villainous foil for the good guys.

This was one of those rare Shaw Brothers movies which showed the care and forethought that was put into the script and settings. For a low budget martial arts movie, it had a scenic depth to it and didn't look like it was shot on a small sound lot. Flashbacks were bathed in vibrant blue or red. Well-developed characters made for a compelling story. In a martial arts film, complex characters you can care about give the fights higher stakes. Lau Kar Wing and Chan Chuen choreographed several fluid fights with plenty of dismembered arms and blood, though not the artery spewing type that would become popular in a few years. Most of the action was sword fighting although the baddies as always used some sinister weapons in addition to swords. Because it was a wuxia there was classic light body leaping. Instead of the old school filming in reverse, the wire work used was smooth and graceful, no flailing of arms, and happily I couldn't see the wires.

Director Cheng Chang Ho pushed the envelope for a SB film and gave it a hint of artistic flare, something often missing from this low budget genre. He even gifted the audience with a proper ending instead of the oft used freeze frame in mid-scene during the final fight! The Swift Knight had interesting characters, an intriguing story, and entertaining fights. For a fan of 1970's martial arts movies, what else could you ask for?

6/26/23

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"Humans are beggars, they all want something"

Director Ozu made this film about two college buddies when he was 26 years old. Of his first eight films this is the oldest title to survive. Sadly, seventeen of his films before 1936 were lost and only fragments remain of a few others. Each of these extant films is a gift. With the exception of repeated use of architectural items in the intro and finale of the film, there would be little to suggest this was his film. Moving films were still in their infancy and young Ozu appeared to be experimenting with the medium.

Yamamoto and Watanabe are college buddies who don't take studying too seriously even with exams coming up. Yamamoto has met a girl, Chieko, who is knitting socks for him and later Watanabe meets her when he rents her his room. After exams many of the students and Chieko go to a ski resort. Under "I saw her first Bro" law, Yamamoto should have had first dibs on wooing her, but Watanabe uses every trick in the book, most at Yamamoto's expense to have time with her alone. In the end, the two boys fail at everything except maintaining their friendship and keeping their sense of humor about it all.

This was a challenging film to finish for me. The film was long for a silent film that didn't gain any traction until about 50 minutes into it. Watanabe was selfish, boorish, a moocher bordering on thief, and thoughtless to those around him. He acted like a rakish frat boy much of the time. Why Yamamoto stayed his friend was a mystery.

Nearly half of the film took place on a snowy mountain which had to be a record for outdoor scenery for the director. His later films felt more static and mostly took place in carefully composed rooms. This comedy involved pratfalls and movement walking up the mountain and skiing or falling down it. For the modern viewer it will make you more grateful for ski lifts. The later rigidity of the characters staring into the camera to say their lines was thankfully absent in this film. Though his scenes flitted by faster instead of the beautiful lingering shots he was known for, the movement was needed for the two energetic youth. The skiing scenes were well shot. The film was badly marred by salt and pepper pocking as well as some shadowing around the edges. I don't know if there is a restored version available somewhere but this film was definitely in need of some loving restoration.

Days of Youth was also in need of likeable characters to devote 100 minutes to, in the end the breathtaking views of the snow-covered mountain were the most interesting part of the film for me. Ozu would go on to develop a more polished film style and tighter and more meaningful writing. Everyone has to start somewhere and learn the ropes. For Ozu, I'm sure he found a deeper interest in the unorthodox friendship between oddballs, I just couldn't see it.

6/22/23

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"What would you do?"

A Hen in the Wind was a difficult film to sit through. The film was set in occupied post WWII Japan when it was recovering from the damaging effects financially and emotionally from the war. In the homes, marriages had been tested as women struggled to maintain households with the men away for years. Ozu veered into melodrama and physical violence with one such marriage, something he did not often do, and which was troubling for these 21st century eyes.

Tokiko and her son are expectantly waiting for her husband to be repatriated after the war. She's sold nearly everything she had and is almost penniless. Her friend is also short on cash but helps her when she can. After selling her last kimono Tokiko has enough money to eat for awhile longer when disaster hits. Her son becomes dangerously ill and the hospital requires a cash payment up front for his life saving treatment. With no one else to turn to for such a large sum of money she sells herself for one night to save her child's life. After her husband comes home, she is unable to lie and tells him what she had done. Far from being grateful for saving his son's life, Shuichi becomes livid and interrogates her. He visits the brothel in order to find out if she had been a regular there. He meets a 21-year-old girl and sympathizes with her reason for having to prostitute herself and vows to find her employment. His boss agrees to hire her, but points out to Shuichi that hypocritically he had no problem forgiving and understanding a stranger but could not do so for his own wife. Shuichi acknowledges his wife had no choice. He just can't seem to let go of his anger. Later that night when Tokiko begs him to stay home, he "accidentally" pushes her down a tall flight of stairs. The "accident" seems to knock some sense into him and he tells Tokiko they need to forget the past, embrace, trust each other from here on out and live as they were supposed to.

The level of intimate violence in this film disturbed me greatly. It was heavily implied that Shuichi raped Tokiko. The poor woman had been victimized twice. Once by crushing poverty and a heartless medical system and a second time by her spouse. Shuichi manhandles her on several occasions, one of which causes her fall. The fall was filmed to show just how brutally her body slammed against the stairs over and over. Shuichi could not even be bothered to help her as she finally dragged her limping body back up to their room. When he declared that their estrangement was over and they would both forget what had happened it was hard to take him seriously. Nowhere in his self-righteous monologue did he tell her he was sorry for his behavior and make sure she was okay. Perhaps Ozu was using the marriage as a metaphor for Japan showing after its disgrace, it could all be put behind them in order to face a brighter future. Whatever the reason, it has been a long time since I've despised a character as much as I have Shuichi. He had every right to be taken aback and troubled, but his utter lack of empathy and physical rage toward Tokiko was disconcerting as he played the victim.

Ozu, as other directors had done, asked the question, "What would you do?" During times of financial crisis especially when a life is on the line, what would a person do? In this case a mother was willing to shame herself in order to save her child's life. It's easy to judge when money is available, but when it's not and there are few options, people will do what they must to survive and for their children to survive. And in this instance Tokiko was still the same truthful person she'd always been with her husband and told him what she'd done.

Even if I hadn't known this was a film by Ozu I would have recognized his work. The repeated use of architectural shots, especially of the gas storage units next to the slums where Tokiko lived were a dead giveaway as well as the precisely organized and decorated rooms the camera lingered over. He also showed the rusted-out remnants of sewer pipes several times usually in conjunction with Shuichi. I don't know what his meaning behind the sewer pipes meant, but I know how I viewed them in regards to the husband with the hurt male pride. If their marriage had been contaminated it was not by coerced infidelity but a cruel world that would let a child die and a husband who could not understand the cost to his wife. I found it interesting that the brothel was neater and cleaner looking than the heartless hospital. Finally, Ozu was already doing the directing style of actors looking straight into the camera to talk. This was his one technique that often disengaged me from the story because it didn't feel natural or intimate, more like breaking the fourth wall.

What I did find of great value in this film was Tanaka Kinuyo's emotionally honest performance. She conveyed a plethora of emotions that all rang true. Her devastated face and torn dress told you all you needed to know in one scene. Regardless of the situation, Tanaka gave her character great depth even when you might not agree with her actions. It rendered Shuichi's actions unforgiveable because Tanaka conveyed Tokiko's suffering so well that it made you wonder how anyone could not want to comfort her. In fact, it was the women of this film who tied it together. They had no choice but to keep moving and doing what they must without falling into despair. They were the ones who stood by each other, shared, and even as they joked about rising prices and rations gave the impression that hope was on the horizon.

If you can set aside the marital violence, which can be a tough assignment, A Hen in the Wind asked pertinent questions. The film also gave a glimpse into Japan's post war trauma in a way only Ozu could. Despite the destruction and shame, the resilience of the people, like in Tokiko's marriage would rise up and make a better day putting the past behind them and face the future with honor and courage.

6/21/23

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Lighthearted romantic comedy

So many silent films from this era were tragic and melodramatic. Ozu's The Lady and the Beard was a breath of fresh air with its lighthearted comedy and sweet romance. No deaths, no one forced into prostitution, no devastating understandings. This easy, delightful comedy may leave you a little like me, weak in the knees from relief.

Okajima is a college student and kendo master, but what makes him stand out is his large bushy beard. His friend, wealthy Teruo, invites him to his sister's birthday party after a match. On the way there, Okajima rescues a kimono clad Hiroko from Satoko, a girl gangster. Later at the party, Teruo's sister and her friends disdain the bearded and coarsely mannered Okajima and try every way they can to embarrass him which proves fruitless.

After graduation, Okajima struggles to find a job. Hiroko, who had been a secretary at one of the places where he interviewed finds him and tells him he lost out on the job because of his beard. Like wise men everywhere, he listened to her and shaved his beard and was instantly hired at a hotel. Not only did it help with his employment but now Ikuko and Satoko were also interested in his clean-shaven face and ability to defend himself and by extension-them.

This film which fell into the post college time of life for Ozu's characters was made in eight days. Unlike Ozu's later films with rigid shots of people and settings, the people and scenes flowed more easily. This was before he had people staring into the camera to recite their lines, which always felt forced to me. I liked the fluidity of this one though I did miss his traditional geometric shots and ubiquitous teapot.

Ozu touched on his oft used theme of traditionalism vs modernism. Okajima with his old-fashioned beard used to scare away women (which he learned from Abraham Lincoln) personified traditionalism. Hiroko, though soft voiced and wearing a traditional kimono also understood the more modern and western ideas. Ikuko was more modern but also from a noble family and was entrenched in her wealthy elitist lifestyle. Finally, modern girl Satoko had gone so far astray that she had fallen into a life of crime. Satoko drove a really nice Lincoln car with a huge greyhound hood ornament though. Okajima and Hiroko did a gentle push-pull dance each moving toward and from strictly traditional ways and strictly modern ways. Ozu found a nice middle of the road for them to travel.

The Lady and the Beard was a pleasant romantic comedy where everyone learned a few life lessons and more about themselves. The comedy could veer into silly slapstick but it never lost its heart when it did. It was a simple story and a simple film that was simply entertaining.

6/20/23

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"Freedom is something you have to fight for"

In No Regrets for Our Youth, Kurosawa Akira presented many questions, but gave few answers. More than a political referendum on Japan's militaristic actions, the film focused on Yagihara Yukie's responses to the events going on around her, the choices she made and how she grew into her own sense of responsibility and freedom.

The film begins using the actual Takigawa incident at the Kyoto University in 1932 as a springboard, only with fictional characters. In the film, Yukie's father, Professor Yagihara, comes under fire for his liberal opinions. Students protest and professors are fired or quit. During this time, Yukie is torn between two students. Itokawa doesn't rock the boat and conforms to what is going on in the country. Noge Ryukichi is a firebrand firmly against the country's militaristic actions and leans decidedly left. Noge chooses a path away from the school leading to a stint in jail while Itokawa stays, becomes a prosecutor, and woos Yukie. After a recently released Noge accompanies Itokawa to a family dinner, Yukie realizes she needs a fresh start for she still loves Noge and does not want the dull life Itokawa offers. She moves to Tokyo to work, later meeting and marrying Noge. The two are incarcerated around the time Pearl Harbor is bombed. When Yukie's parents are finally able to have her released, she travels to her in-laws instead of staying in the relative wealth of her parents' home. Her in-laws live as night owls due to their connection with Noge and are ostracized by the villagers. Yukie finds what she's been missing as she digs into the earth at her mother-in-law's side planting rice.

Yukie, played by Ozu regular Hara Setsuko, goes from flighty, rash, entitled daughter to a woman so sure of herself that Itokawa proclaims, "Your sheer life force makes me feel ashamed!" The two male leads are as gray and uninteresting as the screen in the movie. Without Hara, the film would be too bland to care about. No Regrets for Our Youth was the last of Kurosawa's movies featuring a woman. Yukie was certainly one of his most interesting and likeable female characters. The film took a long time for her to go from her father's beliefs, to her husband's to finally finding her own beliefs. Her father knew the path she was taking would be difficult. "Remember that there will be sacrifices in the struggle for freedom." For the individual or the country, it would be true for both. Noge and Yukie held to the motto, "No regrets in my life" and that sustained her through her many trials. Her turning point, epiphany if you will, seemed to come while standing calf deep in the mud of a rice paddy. The film didn't really become interesting to me until the last third to quarter when Yukie finally started coming into her own.

The film itself felt poorly edited for a Kurosawa film. At the beginning of the film, the students on a hilltop hear gunfire believing it to be practice but find a badly wounded soldier just below them, something that was never explained. Perhaps it simply required a greater familiarity with the history of this time. While Yukie commanded the screen, her actions and emotions could be erratic, almost manic. One moment she's laughing, the next she's crying, or staring blankly into space, constantly swinging between extreme emotions. Her actions could be rash with Kurosawa unwilling to give us a reason for them. Though the politics of the time impacted the characters' lives, aside from the evils of militarism and the gestapo-like Tokko/Thought Police who cracked down on freedom of thought, the politics seemed rather vague most of the time. We don't know specifically what the professor said that caused him to be fired or what Noge did that landed him in jail. For the most part we only see how the events caused Yukie to react and their impact on her.

Near the end of the movie a title declares, "War Ends. Freedom Restored." Just as Noge had predicted, his work would be seen in light of fighting for Japan's peace and prosperity. At this point Yukie's family expects her to return to her comfortable life now that her husband's actions are framed in a positive manner. For Yukie, she has found her freedom and where her responsibility lies and it is in a simple life working with the dirt of the earth. The vacuous girl has grown into a woman who has sacrificed much to earn her place in the world and she's not willing to go backward. No Regrets for Our Youth started out slow but finished strong largely on the performance of Hara Setsuko.

6/10/23

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"Patience is all" but might not be enough to help you enjoy this movie

The Iron Fisted Monk was Sammo Hung's first directorial endeavor. He also wrote the script with the help of Wong Fung and served as the martial arts director. I'll chalk this shaky movie up to a first-time effort.

Sammo played Hawker/Husker/Luk (depending on the version you watch), a man studying at the Shaolin temple to become skilled enough to enact his revenge. His uncle, the ever-present Hao Li Jen, was killed by a bunch of Manchus looking for trouble at his food stand. Chen Sing as San Te/Tak, the Iron Fisted Monk, sent Hawker to be trained so that he could help the common Han folk. James Tien made a brief appearance as Hawker's instructor before Hawker left on his revenge quest.

Hawker met up with Lo Hoi Pang as Ah Niu/Liang after the dye worker's sister had been raped by Fung Hak On, the Big Bad Manchu. Hawker trains the dye workers in kung fu so that they can defend themselves. Wang Hsieh later shows up as a baddie wearing what looks like a hermit's wig and beard and wielding a kung fu metal yo-yo. When Wang Hsieh and Fung Hak On make a bid to take over the dye factory it becomes apparent just how ineffectual Sammo's training was. At that point Sammo and Chen Sing decide it's time to do some tag team action on the baddies.

Truthfully, the story wasn't any more convoluted than most kung fu movie plots. What I had a problem with was the gratuitous nudity and not one, but two rape scenes. The first was one was appallingly long and graphic. Sammo wasn't known for nudity in the films he directed, maybe he needed to get it out of his system, but the scenes were not warranted in a movie that also had quite a bit of slapstick comedy.

What worked for me in this film were the fights. Sammo and Chen Sing were fun to watch fight together. Chen Sing rarely played the good guy. I almost didn't recognize him at the start of the film without his mustache. Plus, as a monk, he had his shirt on, Chen always found an opportune moment to take it off during his movies. Spoiler alert—by the final credits the shirt had come off! He also smiled and not with the "I just burned down an orphanage" smile he usually had as a baddie.

Chen Sing was still quick and performed a nice splits stunt in the final fight. Sammo showed off his acrobatic skills in an early fight, flipping and somersaulting. The fights were fairly quick and creative, Sammo is always entertaining in a throw down. Several kung fu styles were used including, mantis, snake, and tiger. There were a couple of gory scenes in the fights for those who are sensitive. The movie was populated with stuntmen and actors who would go on to star in their own movies later. Hsiao Ho played at least three different roles---in a beard or sans beard he could be seen in the background often even after one of his characters had previously been killed.

The Iron Fisted Monk was an uncomfortably uneven film. The comedy felt out of place with the numerous deaths and sexual assaults dominating the screen. The character whose sister was brutally raped and committed suicide afterwards was frolicking about with Sammo in a brothel not long after as if nothing had happened. A character would be ready for a revenge rampage and then like a dog when someone yells "Squirrel!" would become distracted and then it was all fun and games. There was little continuity of mood and action. It's too bad because the combination of Sammo and Chen was entertaining. Unless you are just really in the mood for a Sammo Hung movie you haven't watched you might be better off watching one of the others in his long list of credits.

6/3/23

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What if he pulls 3 kings?

Godfrey Ho stitched together a Frankenstein's monster from the 1982 film Dark Trap starring noted Taiwanese actor Chang Kuo Chu and new Hong Kong footage starring Richard Harrison as a ninja extraordinaire. I'm not sure if Ho's notorious dice and splice ninja films were ever supposed to make sense, this one sure didn't.

Around 70% or more of the movie was footage from Dark Trap, a Taiwanese gangster film. But when Godfrey Ho waves his magic scissors and needle, now Harrison and Paulo Tocha AKA Bruce Stallion are pulling the gangsters' strings in a deadly game with each other. After Harrison's Gordon beats Tocha's Paul and a bunch of his cronies in a game of cards, Paul has Gordon's gangster friend murdered. The gangster's daughter, Phoenix (Lily Lan), takes over with a little help from Dragon (Chang Kuo Chu). Fox Chan (Miao Tien) decides this is a good time to try a takeover and the gang war is on. Interspersed in the dark film are ninja scenes where Gordon in his camo costume and heavy-duty guyliner confronts individual bad guys and takes them out ninja style. Chiang Tao wasn't in Dark Trap but was brought on as bad guy victim #1 Black Tiger in this flick.

This is one of those films where maybe once upon a time you were watching a boring or run-of-the-mill gangster film and thought, "I wonder if ninjas inserted randomly into the film would make it better?" Better, no. Hilarious, yes. It was apparent aging beefcake Richard Harrison with his graying porn stache was not performing any of his stunts. He'd pose shirtless and then cover up head to toe and let the stuntman take over. This is around the time Tocha starred in Jean Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport as the fierce Muay Thai boxer, but he was covered up, too, when he finally faced off with Harrison. I wish they'd showed him in action sans ninja costume.

Dark Trap was its own brand of demented fun. It was difficult to tell the gangs apart as nearly everyone wore dark suits and hats as if they were in 1930's Shanghai. There were not one, but two suicides committed by the victim bashing their own head in. The television version I watched blurred out the gore and gratuitous nudity, thankfully. There were numerous double-crosses and "surprise" murders. Lily Lan did make for a proper mob boss and Miao Tien seemed to relish his devious role.

The Dark Trap part of the movie was all gun play while the magical ninjas appeared in puffs of smoke and wielded throwing stars, darts, swords, and chains. I couldn't tell you which was better, both could be comically bad. The dubbing was awful, even for the English dubbing for English speaking characters! And here's a sample of the atrocious dialogue, "You must use the Chinese against the Chinese. You're playing the Game of Death!"

If you are looking for something completely absurd to watch and have nothing else to do, or love Ho and Harrison cheap ninja smash-ups, this is for you. Otherwise, it might be best to change the channel and see what else the late, late, night movies are offering.

5/17/23

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A pink nightmare

A Dream in Pink was an early Cai Chu Sheng film about learning the grass is not always greener on the other side, even in a black and white movie.

Luo Wen is a struggling novelist with a dutiful and loving wife. Along with seeing to his needs, Su Yun cares for their daughter and teaches students in the room next door. He becomes petulant when Su Yun is not happy about him bringing home several expensive hair combs for her. Cue the cranky landlord who is upset about their late rent. Angry that his wife doesn’t appreciate him he heads out to a fancy club and meets socialite Hui Lan. Hui Lan takes an immediate liking to him and before long he is spending not only nights in the club but also Hui Lan's bed. Su Yun tries to be sympathetic to his writerly needs and ends up being handed divorce papers as payment for her patience and kindness. Luo gains custody of their daughter, something Hui Lan is not thrilled about.

Su Yun finds a job teaching on the outskirts of Shanghai. She misses her daughter and see her everywhere. Likewise, her daughter misses her. Luo becomes immersed in his writing much to Hui Lan's chagrin but it doesn't stop her club hopping ways. Soon Luo understands the meaning of debt and a spendthrift wife. The roles are reversed as he tries to keep their heads above water. When he does earn money from his book, she runs off with it and another man.

I wish that this was the karmic ending he received, but in 1932 China, it would not have been considered a happy ending. And this film was determined to have the cutest ending ever.

The film was faded and though not on purpose was in shades of pink and purple. Unlike many silent films I've seen from this time there was a plethora of intertitles. I had no difficulties following the story. Even with the pocking and fading, you could tell the director had used some beautiful scenery and settings.

My biggest problem with the film was the finale.

Ending Spoiler ahead
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When she found out that Luo was broken financially and emotionally after his second wife left him, Su Yun wrote a book under his name titled "Tears of an Abandoned Wife" which the publisher loved. In fact, when the publisher found out the truth he told Luo, "No wonder the story is so moving." Ouch! Even when he reconciled with Su Yun it would have been surprising if this man's fragile ego could handle his wife being a better writer than him.

Luo Wen learned that the decadent and frivolous life of the clubs was not a sound foundation for a life. He also learned his wife was not lacking the ability to have fun, she was simply providing for her family at the most basic level and always seeking ways to please him as well. The spoiled socialite, like himself, had only been looking for self-gratification. Perhaps, he truly learned his lesson. For his wife and daughter's sakes I hope so. I have trouble shaking my 21st century opinion. For me, although A Dream in Pink was an interesting silent film, it would have benefited from a wife who wasn't a martyr and could have thrived on her own as a successful writer. Instead, just like a wayward dog that left the safety of his food bowl and porch, Luo Wen went back home where Su Yun gratefully accepted him. He may have gained something from his arduous life lessons, but I'm not sure she did.

5/16/23

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Be careful what you wish for!

Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance saw the return of Kaiji Meiko as the titular character. Where the original film was tight and thrilling the sequel felt overly talky and plodding. The story of personal vengeance was replaced with political maneuverings and corruption.

The story begins with Japan's success in the Russo-Japanese War with much singing and cheering. The cheering gives way to anger and riots as inflation skyrockets and people struggle to feed themselves. Lady Snow (she dropped the Blood part but no one heeded her request) after surviving her blood-soaked battle in the first film is on the run in the second. Tired and betrayed one too many times, she surrenders. Sentenced to die for her 37 unrepentant killings she's saved from the hangman's noose by a shadowy secret police. They hire her to spy on an activist and once she finds the evidence he has regarding their corrupt activities she is to kill him. Big mistake. The activist, Ransui, reveals the evil ways of the secret police and she joins him. When he is captured and she is injured, the fate of the secret police and their official benefactors is sealed.

Despite the high stakes in the story, I found myself struggling to concentrate through much of the middle of the film. It didn't help that the majority of characters simply weren't likeable. Even the people trying to bring down the secret police were extremely flawed individuals.

The sword fights were standard 1970's swing and fall fare. As in the first film, buckets of red dye #40 spewed during the fight and torture scenes. Lady Snowblood must have had a need for symmetry. One bad guy who had lost an eye, lost another one after fighting with her. She "dis-armed" a one-armed villain as well. The fights were as violent but not as stylish as the first film. Which sums up the movie in general. It wasn't as stylish or polished as the original.

I'm not sure where the title came from. Aside from a gratuitous sex scene between the activist and his wife, the woman he stole from his brother, there wasn't any lovin' going on. Whereas Meiko seemed intense and focused in the original, she seemed almost distracted in the sequel until the fighting began. Snow certainly wasn't casting any longing looks toward the scoundrels in the story. Like her, I didn't find any of them that compelling either.

Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance paled in comparison to its predecessor in terms of acting, fighting, style, and story. Kaiji Meiko still managed to make Lady Snowblood a fascinating character, but she wasn't given enough to do to carry the movie on her narrow shoulders this time. While I found the movie watchable, it won't be memorable.

4/29/23

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Interesting history and beautifully shot

Flavorful Origins visits the Chaoshan region in 20 approximately 10 minute segments featuring a different ingredient or process elegantly shot. The ingredients are shown from harvest or development to how they are prepared. Most of the dishes are traditional but there are also a few shown from chefs using the ingredients in innovative ways.

Whether olives, oysters, or oranges, the products are shown being harvested and why the particular product thrives there. Other segments deal with processing whether it is fermentation, brining, grinding, or pulverizing. Local markets, farmers, fisherman, and cooks are highlighted.

The camera shots narrow in displaying how sumptuous, juicy, or elastic the foods may be. Everything is colorfully and lovingly gazed over with the camera.

I enjoyed the history briefly told about the different products and processes. It was also interesting how the people of a region made the most of the resources around them to flavorfully feed themselves in ways other regions don't always use.

The beautifully shot and described segments give an outsider a brief glimpse into the origins and flavors, cooking styles, preserving techniques, and farming and fishing methods used to produce food that has fed and nourished the local populace for centuries. Nice bite size morsels, easily digested and visually consumed for the casual viewer.

4/22/23

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Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold packed plenty of action and humor into its short running time. Unlike many martial arts films from the time, Zatoichi had excellent choreography and a comprehensible story. This sixth film in the franchise was my introduction to the character and I was quite pleased with the film's quality.

Zatoichi, a blind traveling gambler and masseur, as well as a swordsman who has a "lightning sword" visits the grave of a man he killed previously. The man who died was the brother of the young woman, Chiyo, accompanying Zatoichi. The local villagers welcome him to their joyous celebration filled with drinking and singing. They finally have the 1000 gold ryo they owe to the ruthless intendant, giving them some room to breathe and more to eat. Unfortunately for Zatoichi, the gold is stolen in a botched robbery. He was coincidentally seen sitting on the pilfered chest which the bad guys recovered. Chiyo was all too quick to name him as a suspect. Zatoichi talks the villagers into giving him a chance to find the real culprits which the villagers grudgingly agree to. His investigation takes him to a bathhouse with a beautiful woman and later to a gang of men led by the somewhat virtuous Chuji who had also been implicated in the crime. It doesn't take long for our blind hero to track down the real villains, the intendant planning double taxation, his corrupt constable, and the three ronin they had hired. One of the ronin, Jushiro, is a whip wielding baddie determined to duel Zatoichi.

The sword-fights were quick with a minimum of blood spurting. Regardless of the number of opponents, the blind hero cut through them like soft butter. Only the final fight caused him problems as he had to seek Jushiro's weakness in order to best his rival.

From the stylistic opening scenes, Zatoichi was beautifully filmed in color. The sets both indoor and outdoors were well done. As Zatoichi carries a young boy down a mountain at night, the constable's men travel with their identical lit lanterns like a glowing caterpillar along the trail. Quite a stunning sight!

The story gave insights into the swordsman, some favorable and some not. He offered a beautiful woman in a communal bath a massage, saying it was okay because he was blind. He came across more as a dirty old man than sensual or humorous. A prostitute gave him a "massage" and then charged him for it which didn't go over well with him. But he also showed his heroic integrity as he went out of his way to help the accusatory villages knowing they would be unable to come up with more money for taxes which would have been a death sentence for them.

Katsu Shintaro brought the right amount of gravity and humor to the legendary swordsman. After Zatoichi's last fight, beaten and bruised, struggling to walk, you could feel the weight of the character's recent trials. I do wish I had a dollar for every time he mentioned he was only a blind man, I'd have enough to eat out for a week! Jushiro was played by Katsu's real-life brother. Their brutal fight would have been a cathartic way to work out old sibling rivalries.

The film highlighted the plight of the hardworking poor, striving to exist under a system crushing them and the corrupt leaders loading the boulders on their shoulders. Zatoichi was the mythical character who could break through the massive unscrupulousness and ease their burden, righting the wrongs committed against them. Something we might all wish for when life seems unfair. I was quite pleased with my foray into this franchise and look forward to watching other films with the self-effacing and lightning quick swordsman.

4/17/23

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"Unless you can fly, there's no way to escape!"

Ti Lung, David Chiang and director Chang Cheh made a number of films together, including one of their earliest, Have Sword Will Travel. Chang Cheh diverged from his usual Buckets 'O Blood format in this film, slowed down, and gave the story and characters time to grow. That doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of red dye #40 used, but he did wait until the last third of the film for the fighting to truly commence.

Siang, the dart master, played by Ti Lung and his lady love Piao Piao (the lovely Li Ching) are lounging in a flower covered meadow. It's a typical marriage proposal with Siang throwing a dart at the yellow flower in Piao Piao's hair and nailing it to the tree behind her all while fighting off a dozen bandits. They are on their way to the Invincible Village to help out Lord Yin who is responsible for escorting an imperial treasure of 200,000 silver pieces. Meanwhile, Lo Yi, a poor wandering swordsman is just seeking shelter for the night and stumbles upon a tower where a huge group of bandits called the Flying Tigers are holed up. They are led by none other than Ku Feng as Jiao Hung. Lo manages to avoid a fight and ends up in the Invincible Village. Siang is convinced he's a spy and wants to dispatch him, but his anger might have had more to do with Lo and Piao Piao making googly eyes at each other. Along with setting up the key players for the eventual all-out fight over the silver, the fight for the heart of Piao Piao has begun as well. Who will live, who will die, who will ride off into the sunset, and who will win fair maiden's heart?

The title is a play on the name of an American tv show, Have Gun Will Travel, starring Richard Boone from 1957-1963. Aside from David Chiang's wandering character and his friendship with his horse, the western references were few. This was largely a sword-fighting drama with quality fights for the era. The bad guys also employed chains with knives, bow and arrows, and what looked like metal boomerangs. Yuen Cheung Yan and Tang Chia choreographed the fights which were few early on, but made up for it in the finale. The body count was high by the ending credits. In true wuxia form there was an abundance of trampoline and wire work which for the time looked pretty good. The blood spurting was understated for a Chang Cheh movie, but if it's something you enjoy, there were several slow motion geyser scenes that should quench the most blood thirsty viewer.

A familiar tower which was used in other films and prescient of Bruce Lee's Game of Death idea, had the heroes fighting their way up the different levels manned with weapon wielding bad guys. As much fun as it was to watch the battles, it made little sense for the good guys to detour off the road with their precious cargo of silver to end up at the tower. The movie looked like Shaw Brothers sank more money into this one than many other of their films. The sets were a step up from their disposable sets built for rough and tumble bar fights. While the outdoor filming provided a scenic backdrop for the actors it could be unsettling when it bounced back and forth between nature and the sound stage in the same scene.

The three main actors had a nice chemistry and played off each other well. Ti Lung was confined to playing the man jealous of his rival's sword skills and how his girl gazed at Lo's narrow sword. David Chiang is not a favorite of mine, but he managed to let a few emotions crack through his closed off face. At one point when Lo had to sell his horse in order to eat, you could feel the sense of loss. Both Siang and Lo were unrelentingly proud which became tiresome after a while. Ku Feng really sank his teeth into the charismatic leader of the Flying Tigers. In one scene Ku slithered up to Lo like a snake in the garden and tempted the expert swordsman to join his gang.

The visual quality of Have Sword Will Travel was impressive compared to other martial arts films of the time. The vicious sword fights were well done and the story had real stakes for the fights. The love triangle added emotional depth so often missing in these movies. I was disappointed that we missed out on a friendship or mutual respect developing between the two rivals because that would have set this movie even further apart in quality from other cut and paste kung fu flicks. Instead, there were two prideful men, unwilling to accept help from each other even when it no longer made sense to push each other away. I kept hearing Mony Python's knight saying, "Tis but a flesh wound!" Regardless of this quibble, Have Sword Will Travel with the renowned trio of Chang Cheh, Ti Lung, and David Chiang is one for martial arts movie fans to seek out.

4/11/23

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Prison buddy movie missing a coherent plot

Bolo gave star and director Bolo Yeung Sze a chance to play against type. Instead of the bruisingly brutal bad guy the good guy pummels at the end of the movie to show the hero's prowess, Bolo played the big dumb ox. After watching this not once but twice now, I think I like him better as the bad guy.

Aside from the synopsis that Bolo and Jason Pai were prisoners sent to be sheriffs in a lawless town where the sheriffs kept getting murdered, I'm not entirely sure what the plot was. Bolo seemed to think he was the sheriff and stumbled into helping people though the townspeople didn't support him with the exception of Lau Hok Nin. Pai spent more time in the brothel or searching for the missing gold that had landed him in jail in the first place. Then the plot tumbled off a cliff and was swept out to sea. Whether the prison buddies were working for good or evil was debatable, although they did find the mastermind behind a sex trafficking ring and the missing gold. The film had bathroom humor and sexual jokes. Most of the jokes came at Bolo's expense.

Sadly, Bolo's fights were mostly kung fu posing, emphasizing his power and size. Pai's fights were quicker and stressed his agility. I'm all for a shirtless Bolo more on the side of good than bad, I just I wish they hadn't made him quite so slow. Jason Pai was engaging as a character and fun to watch fight. The final fight was the best one when a Japanese fighter wearing a metal pan on his head took the two buddies on. When the two combined their skills, it was cute to watch, deadly, but cute.

If you love slap stick humor and don't mind an almost incoherent plot, you could try this one. I'm a big Bolo fan and enjoyed Pai's sly character, but this movie stressed my patience.

3/28/23

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If you want it, come and get it!

The title 10 Magnificent Killers pretty much sums up the story for this Hong Kong kung fu flick. Two young fighters are trained by two different masters, one a constable and one a criminal with a dark secret. The movie features numerous B level kung fu actors and stuntmen. With four different martial arts directors the numerous fights all looked a little different. Fong Yau who normally plays the bad guy, wrote, directed, produced, and did work as a martial arts director which might explain why he actually played a good guy in this movie!

Hsia Chuan (Nick Cheung Lik) was raised by Tu Shu (San Kuai), a cagey master who cons Hsia into signing a contract giving him 50% of his earnings for life. The resident Big Bad, Leng Chieh (Bolo!), begins sending his top ten killers against Tu Shu. Hsia is not afraid of using poison against his enemies, including Hsiao Li's master Lee Yu Wei (Fong Yau). Lee survives and continues training the young Hsiao (Chu Chi Ming) to become a constable. Tu Shu and Hsia are more concerned with collecting the bounty on the killers' heads and how they are going to split it. A beggar uses his stick of doom, a coffin maker shows up literally in a coffin before beginning to fight, and Addy Sung appears as a kung fu fortune teller among the other assortment of killers doomed to die. Tu Shu and Hsia find out where the killers are and begin taking them out one by one until only Bolo is left. Somewhere else in the wooded area, Lee continues to train the marshmallow looking Hsiao. Eventually, all the secrets are revealed and the story comes to a head with the two young fighters meeting and then a rushed ending given the revelations at stake.

Because there were four martial arts directors-Bolo, Cheung, Fong, and San, there wasn't a cohesive fight experience but that might have been a good thing for some fights were better than others. A variety of styles were used such as Snake, Bolo's "I'm not looking at you" style, and a kick-fest for the finale. Nick Cheung Lik and San Kuai were featured in nearly all the fights, some serious, others comedic, and held their own. Chu Chi Ming was a lackluster hero who had little screen time which was no loss.

While the fights came fast and often, the flimsy story doomed the movie to forgettable. Bolo and his terrible mustache couldn't even save this movie. For a short kung fu film it was below average but watchable with nothing terribly offensive. No spurting blood, no nudity (although there was a lead up to an intimate scene), but also no memorable fights. The story could be confusing diluting the big reveal at the end. The main focus of the film was the two guys who poisoned and killed their way through a vicious gang, who weren't much better themselves. I was happy to see Fong Yau play a good guy and I'm a Bolo fan, but I'm not sure that's a recommendation for watching.


3/28/23

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Tony Jaa delivers a trunk load of Muay Thai fun!

The Protector packed a trunk load of action into a short amount of time. Protector Tony Jaa proved he was up to the tusk when he traveled to Sydney to find his stolen elephants. Ivory few minutes there was a bone crunching action scene with a ton of flipping, twisting and leaping. I promise I'll stop with the elephant puns now.

Tony played Kham one of the Muay Thai trained protectors of the elephants that may serve the king. During a celebration, the bull elephant and his calf were stolen and taken to Australia. Kham arrived in Sydney and ran afoul of the law almost immediately. He was fortunate that one of the police officers was Thai and believed his story. Unfortunately for that cop, he was framed for murders the triad committed.

Most of the story was filled with contrivances that were best not looked at too closely. The main thrust of the story was that Kham was willing to go through anyone to find his elephants. This movie was all about the action scenes, and on action scenes, it delivered. The bad guys had an entire army of fighters. Fighters on skates, bikes, motorcycles, armored four-wheelers, with fluorescent bulbs, knives, guns, statues, whips, and/or swords. Tiny Tony also faced seven-foot giants. There were chase scenes involving speed boats and helicopters. There was an intricate scene filmed in one long shot as Kham fought his way through the bad guys' den up several levels of stairway. Though there were numerous long action scenes, none of them felt repetitive. Each setting had its own fight mood. Whether it was Road Warrior futuristic mayhem or meditative murder in a Buddhist temple, each fight brought its own style and weaponry. It would be hard to overstate how amazing the actions scenes were. Jaa was incredibly athletic and acrobatic, doing stunts others would need obvious wire-work or CGI to accomplish. To quote a character from the television show The Wire, "That was some Spiderman sh*t!"

Aside from the narrative issues, the dubbing for this movie was terrible in places. It strained imagination to believe Kham was in Australia with some of the "Australian" accents. Bad guys and bodies appeared and disappeared along with story cohesiveness. The acting was serviceable, as long as no one had to say too many lines. As I said, best to focus on the action scenes and not pay much attention to the rest or you may become needlessly confused or disheartened.

What I learned from this movie: #1 Elephants are loyal family members. #2 Gravity does not apply to Tony Jaa. #3 When in doubt-aim for an enemy's tendons, preferably with a bone of revenge.

If you are wanting a complex and coherent story with character development, this is not it. If, however, you are in the mood for an exciting martial arts movie that includes elephants and has a likeable star, everything else is irrelephant (couldn't help myself!). This is the one to try.


3/20/23

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