An Appreciation of the Screen Fighting of Yu So-chau: Part 1

Wuxia actress Yu So-chau was trained from childhood in Peking opera by her father, Yu Jim-yuen. Later in life, she recalled that “when I was little, (my father) already taught me kung fu. He was very strict, every time there was a mistake, he would hit fiercely, but no talent comes without a beating.”

1950s action star Yu So-chau. (Image on left courtesy of David Wells.)

With her expressive eyes, elegant features, and long-limbed grace, Yu So-chau epitomized the ideal nu xia, the heroic swordswoman, of mid-century Hong Kong cinema. Her specialty was opera-style wuxia films, although she made contemporary drama and straight action films too. The softer, stylized fighting style of Chinese opera can seem overly dance-like and unmartial to modern audiences, but it had the advantage of minimizing the chance of injury to the lead actors, who were only rarely stunt-doubled. With a punishing shooting schedule that allowed little time for retakes, the low-budget martial arts films of a half century ago relied on opera professionals to quickly memorize and execute fight scenes with a minimum of fuss.

To crank up the excitement level, filmmakers turned to crude special effects that included animated rays of power shooting from the palms or weapons of combatants, double exposures, “invisibly” cutting within a shot to effect a magical transformation, and a variety of monsters portrayed by men in suits. In many ways, the state of FX arts in these films had advanced little since the earliest days of cinema. The challenge for the performers was to maintain their dignity and seize every opportunity to demonstrate real kung fu on screen. Some films were more successful in that respect than others.

I’ve had the opportunity to recently view two of Yu So-chau’s action films from the 1960s. THE SWORD FROM THE SEA (1964), directed by Fung Chi-kong, is the story of a feud between two unscrupulous masters. Yu is the student of one, but she refuses to carry out his plan to retrieve two powerful swords from under the sea when she learns from the local fisherfolk that a monster will be released with the swords’ removal. Two of the locals, a brother and sister, are granted magical kung fu powers and recruited by opposing sides in the conflict. Yu and her friends are finally forced to retrieve the swords in order to prevent the evil masters from continuing to stir up trouble, then must defeat the monster with the swords. For the most part, the fighting is magical and unrealistic, and Yu is given the chance to show only the most rudimentary straight sword technique. She does have one decent but brief scene at the end, fighting bare-handed a series of thugs wielding chain whips made of linked bones.

The second film is THE GODDESS’ SWORD (aka HEAVENLY SWORD) (1963), directed by Ling Wan. It is immensely superior. Yu So-chau’s co-stars in this film are Walter Tso Tat-wah, Connie Chan Po-chu, and Shek Kin (who also played the evil Seven Swords Master in SWORD FROM THE SEA). Several of the fight sequences in GODDESS’ SWORD display complex combinations of attack and defense techniques in almost real-time pacing. The legendary Madame Fen Juhua (Fan Fok-fa) is named as “Wushu Consultant” in the only action-related crew credit. Fen is best known as the sifu of Connie Chan and many of the top stunt performers of Hong Kong’s Golden Age in the 70s and 80s. She undoubtedly was responsible for the intricate choreography of the weapon bouts here, which highlight variations of straight sword technique against sticks.

*Quoted from news coverage of Yu Jim-yuen’s funeral translated and posted on a Google discussion board here.

A slightly different version of this entry was originally posted on Jan. 31, 2007.

Tags: women in martial arts movies, Yu Jim-yuen, Yu So-chow