Rent A Touch of Zen (1971)
3.6 of 5 from 113 ratings
2h 50min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- An unambitious painter named Gu (Shihjun) lives with his mother in the vicinity of an abandoned mansion rumoured to be haunted. In actuality, the mansion has become a hiding place for the warrior Yang (Hsu Feng) and her own mother, both taking refuge following the assassination of their loyal minister father by the wicked eunuch Wei of East Chamber. After the eunuch sends an army to pursue the escapees, the group fortify the mansion with traps and false intimations of the terrifying ghosts within. But even after, things take yet more unsettling turns...
- Actors:
- Feng Hsu, Chun Shih, Ying Bai, Billy Chan, Ming-Wai Chan, Ping-Yu Chang, Yi Kuei Chang, Yun Wen Chang, Shih Wei Chen, Roy Chiao, Ying-Chieh Han, Li Jen Ho, Chung Mou Hsieh, Han Hsieh, Hsing Chun Hsu, Ming Kao, Ho Chiu Kei, Lu-Shih Ku, Ching-Ying Lam, Kwei Li
- Directors:
- King Hu
- Producers:
- Liang Fang Hsia-Wu
- Writers:
- King Hu, Songling Pu
- Aka:
- Xia Nu
- Studio:
- Optimum
- Genres:
- Action & Adventure, Classics
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Film..., What We Were Watching in 1971
- Countries:
- Taiwan
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 25/01/2016
- Run Time:
- 180 minutes
- Languages:
- Mandarin LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
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Reviews (3) of A Touch of Zen
A Touch of Zen - A Touch of Zen review by WS
This is an untutored opinion as I haven't seen many wuxia ("martial hero") films and cannot claim to have a rounded view on the genre.
I felt that for much of the running time the pace was crashingly slow, but at the same time I have to admire its cleverness in the way it only gradually reveals who the main protagonists are and who is allied to whom. It is well-directed, even though at times the locations are so dark you have to concentrate to tell what's going on. The fight scenes, although probably advanced for the late 60's, sometimes lack finesse by modern standards.
But it is definitely worth it for the majestic final and penultimate scenes. There's the terrific multi-participant fight in the eerily-lit forest involving warrior monks, a military commander, a renegade general and the fugitive heroine, followed by the surreal desert endgame which calls to mind a spaghetti Western.
In conclusion, feels slow for a 3-hour movie, but worth persevering with.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
A Touch of Zen, Eventually - A Touch of Zen review by griggs
King Hu clearly believes patience is a virtue, and the first hour of this one tests mine to the edge of enlightenment. Lots of scheming in a haunted-looking fort, gorgeously shot.
Then the big fight arrives and the film comes into its own — bamboo forests, bodies flying, monks turning up looking mildly disappointed in everyone. It's thrilling stuff, and the film loosens up once it stops explaining itself.
The ending is a proper puzzle, in the best way. The story doesn't need three hours to tell itself. Still, the second half is gorgeous enough to earn back my patience. Frustrating, beautiful, occasionally baffling — worth sticking with.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
DVD Quality Terrible - A Touch of Zen review by CP Customer
DVD quality is atrocious, like a bootleg ripped from TV you’d buy at a dodgy car boot sale. Avoid renting this and seek the digitally restored 4K version.
The rating is just for the DVD. Couldn’t watch the film so can’t judge it yet!
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.