Tsui Hark: a Selective Retrospective

[D_Davis]

Tsui Hark: a Selective Retrospective

http://i.imgur.com/U1iqnA6.jpg?1

My fascination with and admiration for Tsui Hark is unrivaled, and even though I don’t watch nearly as many films as I used to, and I’ve all but entirely abandoned my post as a one-time HK cinema authority, I am still continuously drawn back to his work.

As a filmmaker, Tsui Hark is a force of uncompromising creativity. Whether it’s as director, producer, or creator, Tsui’s signature style is widely apparent in every film he or his company - Film Workshop - touches. He helped to usher in the HK new wave, helped create what we define as the modern Hong King film experience, pushed the boundaries of the new school, and has even ventured into the realms of animation and 3D cinematography, all while utilizing the latest in special effects and technology.

At their core, Tsui’s films are genre pieces meant to entertain. However, Tsui, being the subversive and somewhat dangerous filmmaker that he is, injects almost everything he does with sharp social and political commentary touching on everything from the dangers of communism, the British hand off of Hong Kong to China, and the everyday plight of the Hongkie coming to terms with what it means to live in Hong Kong. This is even (perhaps more-so than ever) true in his often and unjustifiably scoffed at Holywood/JCVD film Knock Off, a film that I’d argue is a masterpiece, albeit a very silly, completely bonkers, over-the-top one.

Tsui Hark is the quintessential Hong Kong filmmaker. He works fast, mostly cheap, and totally out of control. He has been known to edit films mere hours before their premier - the term “lip rape” was coined for his practice of changing dialog and entire plot elements after productions were finished. His filmography is overflowing with iconic films full of vivid imagery, unforgettable set pieces, endearing characters, slapstick comedy, and romance.

I’m not going to write about all of the films that Tsui Hark has director/produced, but I will be touching on many of them. These will be in chronological order, starting with his very first film, The Butterfly Murders. I’m going to rewatch the films to gain a fresh perspective on them, and I’m hoping to update this thread with a review of some kind about once per week during the rest of the year.

[dreamdead]

Would you be able to post a list of what you expect to rewatch and discuss? Wouldn't mind following along on a few, but Netflix availability and out of print and all...

[D_Davis]

Yeah. I'll put together a list this week.

[D_Davis]

A tentative list (subject to change):

Butterfly Murders
Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind aka Don't Play With Fire
We're Going to Eat You
Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain
Shanghai Blues (If I can locate a copy - this will be my first viewing - looks like it's on Youtube) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nl3fa8lyhrM)
Aces go Places 3
Peking Opera Blues
A Better Tomorrow
A Chinese Ghost Story
The Swordsman
Once Upon a Time in China (might do the first 3 films)
A Chinese Ghost Story 2
The Banquet
New Dragon Gate Inn
Green Snake
Burning Paradise
The Easy is Red
The Lovers
A Chinese Feast
Love in the Time of Twilight
The Blade
Double Team
Knock Off
Time and Tide
Legend of Zu
Seven Swords
Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

[Stay Puft]

Yo I remember sharing a copy of Shanghai Blues with you at KG some time ago. You lost it?

Anyways I skipped through that video a bit and it looks good. It's the whole movie, and the subtitles aren't bad - a couple errors every now and then but otherwise perfectly acceptable.

I still haven't seen Butterfly Murders myself, I'll try to get a copy soon and watch it.

[D_Davis]

Yo I remember sharing a copy of Shanghai Blues with you at KG some time ago. You lost it?


It's on a hard drive somewhere, I think.

Still can't believe this movie is completely unavailable on DVD. So weird, especially since so many people consider it among his very best.

I actually did a search on ebay for some Tsui DVDs, and I'm finding that a lot of them are unavailable now, even on Bluray. Really sad.

Still need to find non-DVDr copies of: The Lovers, Love in the Time of Twilight, The Banquet and A Chinese Feast.

[EyesWideOpen]

Yeah its a shame some company like criterion or kino doesn't work on getting the rights to some of these 70s era martial arts flicks that are impossible to get over here.

[D_Davis]

Yeah its a shame some company like criterion or kino doesn't work on getting the rights to some of these 70s era martial arts flicks that are impossible to get over here.

Criterion only likes Japanese genre/Samurai films - fuck HK/Chinese genre films!

If there is one movie in the world deserving of the Criterion treatment, it's A Touch of Zen.

[EyesWideOpen]

Yeah that's unfortunate. Shit they just released a massive Zatoichi set but I would love a Kitano set or a Hark set even if it was their Eclipse line.

[D_Davis]

The Lovers is $300 on DVD on Amazon. LOL. Not on Bluray.
Love in the Time of Twilight - completely OOP (except for VCD?).
The Blade (arguably the best martial arts film ever made) - never officially released on DVD/Bluray.
The Banquet - completely OOP.
Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind aka Don't Play With Fire - never officially released on DVD.
Knock Off - never released in the original AR.

Just a small sampling.

HK cinema is still considered a sub-class cinema in most of the world, but, to be fair, it's not even taken very seriously in Hong Kong.

This is one of the main reasons why I feel that it's important to keep the discussion of filmmakers like Tsui Hark alive. Without people like us, these filmmakers and their films would be all but completely forgotten.

[EyesWideOpen]

I watched the first 3 minutes of Dangerous Encounters and had to turn it off.

[EyesWideOpen]

I got a copy of We're Going to Eat You for less than $6 shipped off amazon.

[D_Davis]

I watched the first 3 minutes of Dangerous Encounters and had to turn it off.

It's a brilliant film. Totally nihilistic.

[EyesWideOpen]

It's a brilliant film. Totally nihilistic.

I'm deep into animal rights so I can't support a movie with real animal cruelty in it. The first scene of the movie is a lady sticking a needle through the head of a mouse and watching it scream and flop around. No thanks.

[D_Davis]

Yeah, it's very brutal. Glad that kind of stuff doesn't happen in many movies any more. However, there is at least some justification in this film because it's probably the most perfect way to introduce that character; in one crucial moment, we learn everything we need to learn about that character, and it sets up the themes of the rest of the film.

[Stay Puft]

It's an interesting film but I don't think that justifies animal cruelty.

[D_Davis]

It's an interesting film but I don't think that justifies animal cruelty.

Of course not. However, it's not there just for the sake of cruelty like in some mondo film, or in some old western in which tons of horses would get maimed and hurt just for the sake of action. The cruelty serves a purpose to illustrate how messed up a character is, so it has a least a tiny bit of reason for existing.

But then again, I don't think that watching the film and liking it is supporting animal cruelty in any way. It's not as if the proceeds of the bootlegs are going towards torturing mice in the future. It's an event that happened one time in a movie made 30+ years ago.

[EyesWideOpen]

I'm not condemning Hark for it I just don't feel the need to experience that. I'm aware it was 30+ years ago and also a vastly different culture in regards to us in their treatment of animals.

[D_Davis]

I'm not condemning Hark for it I just don't feel the need to experience that. I'm aware it was 30+ years ago and also a vastly different culture in regards to us in their treatment of animals.

I totally get where you're coming from. And conversely, I don't want to come off as someone who is defending the animal cruelty. It's not easy to watch, and I would rather it not be there (it definitely makes it harder to recommend the film to other people, which is a real shame since I think it is such a masterpiece). But since it is, I've had to analyze it and come to terms with it, so I was simply stating my opinion as to why its there, and, mainly for my own peace of mind, at least there is a narrative and dramatic reason for it.

[D_Davis]

The simple fact that you (and many others) couldn't watch the film because of one scene only a few seconds long illustrates how problematic it is. The film would be 99% the same if that scene was only implied, or made with special effects (even cruddy ones). I'm sure the decision to include it was made for a number of reasons: different times, different cultures, different attitudes, and, perhaps, a devotion to the nihilistic, punk attitude of the film's theme.

[D_Davis]

Think of it this way: don't let that mouse's death be for nothing. Honor its life, and watch the film for which it was sacrificed. Not watching the film won't make it come back!

;)

[EyesWideOpen]

I get where you're coming from also. I didn't think you were defending it.

[megladon8]

I just found a DVD copy of Seven Swords I didn't even know I had.

Have never seen the movie. I should remedy that soon.

[D_Davis]

I would do any thing (except that) to see the SS series completed, but that will probably never happen. The first one isn't great, but it has some great moments, and it sets up a lot of interesting characters.

This thread is still in the works, I just started it a bit too early, and I'm trying to come up with some different ways to approach the films.