There is no greater example of the swordswoman in all her glory than in this masterful Hoh Mung-wa wuxia classic that combines the ferocity of Chang Cheh’s bloodiest heroic bloodshed tales with the artistic and dramatic touch of King Hu and the visual and esoteric flair of Chor Yuen. Cheng Pei-pei stars in this, her second-to-last Shaw Brothers film, but thematically and stylistically it’s better suited as her final and perhaps greatest in a successful series of genre titles that began with King Hu’s highly influential Come Drink with Me.
This true brilliance of this movie, beyond its wonderful action scenes and performances, is a subtle element of the supernatural that could be easily missed by Western audiences without digging a little deeper into Chinese culture. In a strong sense, this movie is the Chinese equivalent of Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter, a supernatural Western that only hints at its true otherworldly nature.
The original Mandarin title to this movie is Zhong Kui Niang Zi. “Zhong Kui,” or “Chung Kuei” in Cantonese, is the name of a god in Chinese mythology, who protects against evil spirits and demons. This character has frequently appeared in literature, plays and poetry. He/she even entered into Japanese folklore as Shoki the Demon Slayer. In The Lady Hermit, Cheng Pei-pei takes on this role, but in the guise of a legendary and very human swordswoman, whose mission is to destroy a notorious villain known as the Black Demon. In essence, the myth of Chung Kuei has been transposed into the form of a wuxia pien and done so magnificently I might add.
From here on I’ll refer to Cheng’s character as “Yu-shuang,” the name her alter ego as a servant girl is credited as in Celestial’s subtitles. Her other name would be the “Lady Hermit” of course.
It’s been three years since her fateful encounter with the Black Demon and his destructive “Shadowless Claw” that left her seriously wounded. Yu-shuang bides her time as a servant in a security escort company, while recovering and developing a technique known as the “Tiger Claw” to counter the Black Demon. She also politely shuns the advances of an honorable young security escort named Chang-chun (Lo Lieh). Then, along comes trouble in the form of a hot-tempered young swordswoman with whip in hand, named Cui-ping (Si Si). Her determined mission is to become the pupil of the famous swordswoman Lady Hermit. It is her determination, however, that nearly spells doom for Yu-shuang. Believing the Lady Hermit to reside in a temple run by the Black Demon’s men, Cui-ping investigates and discovers an evil plot to scare townsfolk into paying for charms to ward off murderous “ghosts.” She rashly confronts these ghosts, who collectively manage to overwhelm her. This forces Yu-shuang to come out of hiding to save her. Yu-shuang relocates and reluctantly takes Cui-ping on as her student. Meanwhile, a bitter love-triangle develops as Cui-ping falls for Chang-chun, who only has eyes for Yu-shuang. After the truth comes out, a jealous Cui-ping storms off in a rage to confront the Black Demon, forcing Yu-shuang to do the same.
This movie is a first-rate production from start to finish, with pacing and story development that is perfect. Although the rousing action is plentiful, the story builds nice and slow to set up the turbulent and occasionally amusing three-way relationship among the leads. Essentially, the stage is set for Cheng to hand off her role as leading swordswoman to Si Si. Cheng is the experienced one and Si Si, the slightly misguided, but talented youth. Cheng definitely owns the screen, but Si Si really breaks out on her own with a impassioned and quirky performance. Much of her interplay with Lo Lieh gives us the film’s lighter moments.
The action scenes are phenomenal and go well beyond your typical swordplay heroics. Everything is a tease and buildup towards the eventual epic confrontation with the Black Demon and his army of fighters, which ends up as non-stop combat for the last twenty minutes. Two scenes with Si Si are real showpieces. In one we see her battling her way across a suspension bridge that is eventually cut, just like a similar scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, only thirteen years earlier! Then, in a jaw-dropping scene that turns Chang Cheh’s finale in Have Sword, Will Travel inside out, Si Si scales the exterior of a pagoda while fighting thugs at each level, in order to reach the top. In an immensely dramatic and symbolic moment she topples the Black Demon’s flag before descending with slick moves to take him on. Eventually, Cheng Pei-pei shows up to finish what Si Si is unable to. This final battle between Cheng and Wong Hap as the Black Demon is so well executed. Imagine a Cheng as a matador taking on a bull and you get a good idea of what’s in store. You sense desperation on both sides and the choreography from Leung Siu-chung is surprisingly sophisticated. Although, I’ll admit to not being too familiar with his abilities beyond his work on several lesser independent productions like Rage of the Wind and Bruce Lee: True Story.
The level of violence depicted in this movie may raise an eyebrow or two. In one of the most gruesome moments, Cheng lets loose with flying chopsticks that end up piercing the eyes of one victim. If that’s not enough, he promptly plucks them out in graphic fashion before expiring. The gore effects are not exactly realistic, but I’m so used to Shaw Brothers-style bloodletting that it just seems normal. In other words, it’s laughable the first couple times you see it and then you accept it for what it is – kind of like celebrities who try to hide their age with plastic surgery. A personal favorite is a scene where Cheng goes after some of the Black Demon’s men in retaliation for wiping out the security company. She names the limbs she will claim before hacking them off. This scene, which sounds awfully similar to Kill Bill and many others, can find comparisons in subsequent films in Hong Kong and Hollywood. In my mind, this shows how creative Hoh Mung-wa and his team were, to have assembled so many colorful and well-executed action scenes in one movie.
As for Cheng Pei-pei, she puts forth one of her most intense performances. If no other film does, this one truly proves that she is the Queen of Swordplay. Her expressions and overall presence just leap off the screen like no other cinema heroine. In one unedited scene, she does a wonderful dance of death with sword in hand through a group of attackers. She’s capable of doing anything in this film and thoroughly convincing in what ever it is. If it seems as though I’m gushing in excessive enthusiasm, I am. It’s hard not to fall in love with a screen-fighting beauty of her ability. Hoh really gets the best out of her by doing what he usually does, letting the characters and story breathe, even while the action continues. I daresay he frames her better than any other director, save for King Hu.
On a side note, viewers may notice a familiar face among the Black Demon thugs. Sammo Hung, who usually worked for Golden Harvest, makes a rare SB appearance several times in this film.
It is the mark of a truly great film where we can have intensely violent and dynamic action, an emotional love story and humor mesh naturally together. As I think in awe about the finale, I’m still smiling over an earlier cat-tossing scene. The Lady Hermit is a rare treat within Shaw Brothers’ vast library of quality martial arts classics. It deserves a new genre classification, like Super Swordplay. It’s the kind of film with unique stars that doesn’t get made anymore and may never again, where wuxia isn’t just some exercise in soap opera drama, out of control wire fu or arthouse filmmaking, but is truly entertaining art.
by Mark PollardRelated Topics:
Shaw Brothers • The Lady Hermit (1971) • Wuxia
