Post by klep on Oct 5, 2021 15:05:59 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 10/4: A Touch of Zen
ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID WEEK!
I didn't get to watch this movie in ideal circumstances. I mean, that's usually the case given that 'ideal circumstances' generally involve a theatrical screening rather than my living room, but in this case it was particularly poor. Yesterday was the day we had to turn our keys in at the apartment, so I was forced to watch the film in two chunks during a break and late at night after we finished up.
So why mention this? Well, you'd think in such circumstances it would be hard to get involved in a film - particularly a three-hour one. But despite being sleep deprived, exhausted, and wildly stressed I still found myself engaged with and thoroughly enjoying A Touch of Zen.
The story of King Hu's film isn't particularly complex - a woman's father is framed by a corrupt government and she seeks if not revenge then at least freedom from prosecution and persecution. But it is told with great skill, and with beautiful camerawork and fight choreography.
King Hu draws us into his story by giving us a viewpoint character: Gu Sheng-tsai (Shih Chun), a rural scholar and painter with no ambitions greater than opening a school and eventually finding true love. By chance he is drawn into Yang Hui-zhen's (Hsu Feng) drama, falling for her and offering his assistance. He's not a fighter, but he is a student of military strategy - something Yang is forced to admit she and her two compatriates Generals Lu (Xue Han) and Shi (Bai Ying) need. It doesn't hurt that Gu Sheng-tsai knows who among the local government he can call to their aid.
Because of Gu's provincial nature, he isn't very familiar with combat or court intrigue, and neither are we. So we share his delight at how well his haunted house scheme works, but daylight also reveals to him the horror it has wrought. Seeing the fields of dead traumatizes him, much as it would any of us. It's no surprise to learn that Yang wishes to leave all of this behind and live in a monastery.
Throughout A Touch of Zen King Hu captures his images with great beauty and grace. Care is taken to highlight the splendor of the natural world around his characters and emphasize the balletic skill of the fighters. Wuxia was still a new genre in 1971, but it's undeniable that A Touch of Zen set a high bar for later films to follow.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 10/11: Black Narcissus
EYE CANDY WEEK!
For Eye Candy Week we'll be watching our third film by the Archers, 1947's Black Narcissus, about a convent founded high atop a mountain in India during the British colonial period. Be sure to join our discussion next week of this beautiful, alluring film. Black Narcissus is available on Criterion Channel, HBO Max, and kanopy and can be rented on Amazon and iTunes.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 10/5: The Card Counter
Following up on last week's film about gamblers is this Oscar Isaac starring film featuring Tiffany Haddish's first performance outside of a comedy. Be sure to join us Wednesday for our discussion; The Card Counter is still in limited release and available for (expensive) rental in the usual places.
ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID WEEK!
I didn't get to watch this movie in ideal circumstances. I mean, that's usually the case given that 'ideal circumstances' generally involve a theatrical screening rather than my living room, but in this case it was particularly poor. Yesterday was the day we had to turn our keys in at the apartment, so I was forced to watch the film in two chunks during a break and late at night after we finished up.
So why mention this? Well, you'd think in such circumstances it would be hard to get involved in a film - particularly a three-hour one. But despite being sleep deprived, exhausted, and wildly stressed I still found myself engaged with and thoroughly enjoying A Touch of Zen.
The story of King Hu's film isn't particularly complex - a woman's father is framed by a corrupt government and she seeks if not revenge then at least freedom from prosecution and persecution. But it is told with great skill, and with beautiful camerawork and fight choreography.
King Hu draws us into his story by giving us a viewpoint character: Gu Sheng-tsai (Shih Chun), a rural scholar and painter with no ambitions greater than opening a school and eventually finding true love. By chance he is drawn into Yang Hui-zhen's (Hsu Feng) drama, falling for her and offering his assistance. He's not a fighter, but he is a student of military strategy - something Yang is forced to admit she and her two compatriates Generals Lu (Xue Han) and Shi (Bai Ying) need. It doesn't hurt that Gu Sheng-tsai knows who among the local government he can call to their aid.
Because of Gu's provincial nature, he isn't very familiar with combat or court intrigue, and neither are we. So we share his delight at how well his haunted house scheme works, but daylight also reveals to him the horror it has wrought. Seeing the fields of dead traumatizes him, much as it would any of us. It's no surprise to learn that Yang wishes to leave all of this behind and live in a monastery.
Throughout A Touch of Zen King Hu captures his images with great beauty and grace. Care is taken to highlight the splendor of the natural world around his characters and emphasize the balletic skill of the fighters. Wuxia was still a new genre in 1971, but it's undeniable that A Touch of Zen set a high bar for later films to follow.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 10/11: Black Narcissus
EYE CANDY WEEK!
For Eye Candy Week we'll be watching our third film by the Archers, 1947's Black Narcissus, about a convent founded high atop a mountain in India during the British colonial period. Be sure to join our discussion next week of this beautiful, alluring film. Black Narcissus is available on Criterion Channel, HBO Max, and kanopy and can be rented on Amazon and iTunes.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 10/5: The Card Counter
Following up on last week's film about gamblers is this Oscar Isaac starring film featuring Tiffany Haddish's first performance outside of a comedy. Be sure to join us Wednesday for our discussion; The Card Counter is still in limited release and available for (expensive) rental in the usual places.