this is a Really Big Deal. Janus Films has released 4K restorations of King Hu’s legendary martial arts pictures: A Touch of Zen and Dragon Inn. and like how a smooth flat white can perfectly compliment a delicately textured tiramisu, they are fronted by gorgeous — GORGEOUS — theatrical posters, designed by Greg Ruth.
if what you know about Chinese martial arts cinema is pretty much “Bruce, Jackie, Jet & Donnie,” Hu’s work will be a revelation. many films — including Wong Kar Wai’s Ashes of Time, Zhang Zimou’s House of Flying Daggers, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin, that Ang Lee film, and lots of what Tsui Hark produced or directed during the Hong Kong New Wave — are like remixes, borrowing beats and tracks that Hu laid down.
A Touch of Zen is arguably his pinnacle achievement. poetic, philosophical, and gorgeously visualized, it stood out in contrast to other landmark movies in the genre at the time of its release. Chang Cheh’s One Armed-Swordsman, for example, recognized as a definitive entry in wuxia pian, is steeped in Shaw Brothers-style over-the-top bloodletting and violence, instead of the metaphoric, layered, almost transcendental narrative that Hu employs.
also worth noting: A Touch of Zen was released in 1971, just one month after Bruce Lee’s The Big Boss, a very different film. the latter would set the course for Asian and action cinema for decades, while the former would be celebrated at Cannes in 1975 (not sure why the four-year delay), only to become a kind of mystical unicorn, languishing in pathetically inadequate VHS or VCD versions (and crappy YouTube uploads).
about ten years ago, i found a DVD of A Touch of Zen, thrilled that i might finally see a respectful treatment of the film. after cracking open the “Chinatown Special” packaging, my hopes were dashed within seconds of playback. with the limited theatrical and upcoming Criterion blu-ray releases of these films, all will be made right, finally.
A Touch of Freakin’ Awesome
we’ll take the King suite, please
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