China’s wuxia, or heroic swordplay genre, seen in books, comics, films, and television series is one of the country’s greatest gifts to world cinema lovers. The wuxia pian has existed in China’s film industry in Shanghai and Hong Kong since the very introduction of film. Unlike the kung fu movie which only appeared in the 1950s and effectively died out by 1985, wuxia films have continued to be made in some form or another uninterrupted for roughly 90 years, thus making it perhaps the most prolific costume genre in film history.

In CINEMA HONG KONG: WU XIA, co-producer Celestial Pictures draws on their extensive collection of Shaw Brothers’ film classics as the basis for a thorough examination of this popular film genre from the early silent era to the international success of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON. This hour-long documentary is loaded with rare and popular film footage and stills from many of the most important wuxia pian in Hong Kong film history. It also includes actor and filmmaker interviews, portions of which also appear in the companion piece CINEMA HONG KONG: KUNG FU.

This documentary serves both the neophyte and aficionado well as a very solid introduction to the wuxia pian. It begins by clearly and thoroughly defining the genre and exploring its roots in Chinese opera. Scratchy, but fascinating and very rare archival footage (some of which is taken from SWORDSWOMAN FROM HUANGJIANG) is used to point out early techniques and the genre’s fascination with superpowers, created with vintage special effects that remained in use as late as the mid-’60s when the original BUDDHA’S PALM was released.

A real treat for film historians is an interview with a remarkably spry 93-year-old Chen Zhi-gong, China’s first female martial arts superstar. In her day, she was a trained martial artist who performed all her own stunts and even choreographed other actors. None of the female action leads of the last four decades can lay claim to that.

With dozens of Shaw Brothers swordplay films from 1965 to 1985 to give as example, the bulk of the documentary focuses on their output during this time. The leading wuxia filmmakers, King Hu, Chang Cheh and Chor Yuan, are all explored, as are many of their films including key titles such as COME DRINK WITH ME, ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN and KILLER CLANS. The manly heroics and violence of Chang Cheh’s output is rightly contrasted with Chor Yuan’s more stately adaptations of famous wuzia novels. Yet there is little mention of the films’ literary sources. Chor Yuan himself is interviewed and talks briefly about his own work. Some kung fu films that contain elements of swordplay are also discussed. While Shaw Brothers’ vital contributions to the genre are laid out, the limits of the documentary’s coverage begins to show here. Although rival studios Golden Harvest and Cathay were overshadowed in their wuxia pian output by Shaw Brothers, they still had a part to play in the genre’s history and there is virtually no mention of their contribution.

Like CINEMA HONG KONG: KUNG FU, this documentary fails to put the genre into context of the New Wave revival, apart from brief footage from Patrick Tam’s THE SWORD, which they fail to identify. (Actually, they often fail to identify films shown and persons being interviewed which is annoying.) Amazingly, there is no mention of Tsui Hark who along with action director Ching Siu-tung revived the wuxia pian in the late ’80s. Instead, they jump straight to THE STORM RIDERS (1998) and then return to CROUCHING TIGER

They actually state that the genre lay dormant in the ’80s and ’90s which is a blatant falsehood. Production dropped significantly, but never stopped entirely. There was a briefly pause in the mid-’80s where production of notable swordplay films halted and production dropped off in the mid-’90s. But many outstanding or at least entertaining swordplay films were released during this time. Meanwhile, Shaw Brothers continued to produce wuxia epics uninterrupted as they migrated to television production, which is never mentioned. This move to television is one of the leading factors in explaining why wuxia pain thinned out in the ’80s since the continued demand for this form of entertainment was now met in a cheaper form.

CINEMA HONG KONG: WU XIA is by no means the authoritative guide to Chinese swordplay films. However, it provides a good overview and lots of clear information for anyone curious about this genre. For those already in the know, there are interesting interviews with leading figures like Cheng Pei-pei, David Chiang and John Woo who were all involved in wuxia production or directly influenced by it in their own work. Additional behind-the-scenes stills from SB productions and vintage footage add even more incentive to check this gem out.

This documentary has been released on DVD in Hong Kong by Deltamac. It’s also included on some of the remastered Shaw Brothers movies released on DVD in Australia by Siren Visual Entertainment.

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