HAZ74
04-08-2007, 12:30 PM
Hi,
I thought I'd start a new thread about the Crash Master's release of "The Sword"; I just picked up the DVD yesterday & wanted to share some impressions & hear what other folks have to say. It would be cool if the discussion could stay foucsed more with the movie & less with the production of the DVD.
I wasn't sure what to expect from "The Sword" - I kinda expected it to be a mess - my impression was colored by the previous thread about the movie & that review posted on another board to which Linn responded. Its really hard to know what to believe when reading KF film reviews on line. I've found that reviews generally tend to be colored by a couple things; Rarity - I collect a few things - some folks here might know me from message boards about records, old lp's. There are some really rare records out there that are sought after by collectors. Rarity for me, though, is not a stamp or assurance of quality. A movie could be rare & still stink. When folks were trumpeting the rarity of "The Sword" my radar went up - "Great" is an adjective that I like to see mentioned first when folks talk about movies/records/art, "rarity" comes later. Nostalgia is another thing that can wreck a review - "I remember seeing ------- on black belt theater when I was seven...My mother was in the kitchen making jam..." F**k you. You want to get sentimental,? Buy a @#%$ hallmark card & go cry in the corner. I don't give a damn about things like that. Thankfully, I didn't see anything like that in relation to "The Sword". Finally, what will make me think a movie will be a pile of doo doo is when people talk about its historical importance. I've picked up movies that were significant historically to the genre, but were so awful I can't begin to say enough bad things about 'em. Hearing that "The Sword" was historically important to the wuxia genre made me think that for sure it must be a real piece of schitt. There was also the quibbling about the subs, the print, etc... Hardly any mention of the film itself, except for a piss poor review on dvddorks.com or whatever. Hardly anthing said about atmosphere, acting, sets, costumes, fights, shot compistion, etc...Well, I found myself in a dvd shop yesterday that almost never has any good movies & "The Sword" was on the shelf staring me in the face with a price tag of only 15 bucks & I said what the heck.
And I'm very glad that I did.
"The Sword", for any era, regardless of its rarity or historical import, is a really well crafted film. First I wanna talk about Jimmy Wang Yu. This might be one of his best performances - I loved him in The Assassin & One Armed Swordsman, but he shows more maturity in the role of Hsia Ho. He's not overacting, but delievers a balanced performance - exudes menace when he grabs his sword, & carries himself with a regal air that is almost palatable through the celluloid. He is a filial son & a general's son through & through. The supporting cast does a reasonable job, but this is Wang Yu's film & he owns it. I don't know who the director was, but he did an excellent job. Think of King Hu, but with a faster pace. There are some really beautiful shots in this movie - waterfalls, sky, snow, cherry blossoms. The sets are well crafted, maybe better than Shaw sets of the time. The fights could have been a little bloddier & the choreography could have been a bit more inventive, but they were still satisfying. I don't want to spoil the film for anyone, but the romantic plot line of the film does not meander & plays well into the final scenes. The only criticism I have is that Wang Yu could have come across as a bit more manic, crazed, obsessed. Its not that he didn't display passion, but he could have been a bit more crazy-nutzo. I don't think that the script afforded him the opportunity, though. Women in this movie are kind of ornamental, but I didn't care cause they were hot. The final scenes were moving, the last duel ooozes atmosphere - the music & the snow...There's one shot in particular that would be fun to talk about, but I don't want to ruin the movie for people. The end kind of reminded me of "Swordman from double-flag town" because it felt like a dream sequence, especially when Wang Yu's opponent unsheathes his sword...I had to rewind that part & I'm wondering about its significance. Very cool. Anyhow, this is long. Thanks for reading.
Peace
h
I thought I'd start a new thread about the Crash Master's release of "The Sword"; I just picked up the DVD yesterday & wanted to share some impressions & hear what other folks have to say. It would be cool if the discussion could stay foucsed more with the movie & less with the production of the DVD.
I wasn't sure what to expect from "The Sword" - I kinda expected it to be a mess - my impression was colored by the previous thread about the movie & that review posted on another board to which Linn responded. Its really hard to know what to believe when reading KF film reviews on line. I've found that reviews generally tend to be colored by a couple things; Rarity - I collect a few things - some folks here might know me from message boards about records, old lp's. There are some really rare records out there that are sought after by collectors. Rarity for me, though, is not a stamp or assurance of quality. A movie could be rare & still stink. When folks were trumpeting the rarity of "The Sword" my radar went up - "Great" is an adjective that I like to see mentioned first when folks talk about movies/records/art, "rarity" comes later. Nostalgia is another thing that can wreck a review - "I remember seeing ------- on black belt theater when I was seven...My mother was in the kitchen making jam..." F**k you. You want to get sentimental,? Buy a @#%$ hallmark card & go cry in the corner. I don't give a damn about things like that. Thankfully, I didn't see anything like that in relation to "The Sword". Finally, what will make me think a movie will be a pile of doo doo is when people talk about its historical importance. I've picked up movies that were significant historically to the genre, but were so awful I can't begin to say enough bad things about 'em. Hearing that "The Sword" was historically important to the wuxia genre made me think that for sure it must be a real piece of schitt. There was also the quibbling about the subs, the print, etc... Hardly any mention of the film itself, except for a piss poor review on dvddorks.com or whatever. Hardly anthing said about atmosphere, acting, sets, costumes, fights, shot compistion, etc...Well, I found myself in a dvd shop yesterday that almost never has any good movies & "The Sword" was on the shelf staring me in the face with a price tag of only 15 bucks & I said what the heck.
And I'm very glad that I did.
"The Sword", for any era, regardless of its rarity or historical import, is a really well crafted film. First I wanna talk about Jimmy Wang Yu. This might be one of his best performances - I loved him in The Assassin & One Armed Swordsman, but he shows more maturity in the role of Hsia Ho. He's not overacting, but delievers a balanced performance - exudes menace when he grabs his sword, & carries himself with a regal air that is almost palatable through the celluloid. He is a filial son & a general's son through & through. The supporting cast does a reasonable job, but this is Wang Yu's film & he owns it. I don't know who the director was, but he did an excellent job. Think of King Hu, but with a faster pace. There are some really beautiful shots in this movie - waterfalls, sky, snow, cherry blossoms. The sets are well crafted, maybe better than Shaw sets of the time. The fights could have been a little bloddier & the choreography could have been a bit more inventive, but they were still satisfying. I don't want to spoil the film for anyone, but the romantic plot line of the film does not meander & plays well into the final scenes. The only criticism I have is that Wang Yu could have come across as a bit more manic, crazed, obsessed. Its not that he didn't display passion, but he could have been a bit more crazy-nutzo. I don't think that the script afforded him the opportunity, though. Women in this movie are kind of ornamental, but I didn't care cause they were hot. The final scenes were moving, the last duel ooozes atmosphere - the music & the snow...There's one shot in particular that would be fun to talk about, but I don't want to ruin the movie for people. The end kind of reminded me of "Swordman from double-flag town" because it felt like a dream sequence, especially when Wang Yu's opponent unsheathes his sword...I had to rewind that part & I'm wondering about its significance. Very cool. Anyhow, this is long. Thanks for reading.
Peace
h