A Touch of Zen (1971)
"Xia nu" (original title)

An artist, Ku, lives with his mother near an abandoned fort, reputed to be haunted. One night, investigating strange noises, he meets the beautiful Yang who is living there. She is being ... See full summary »

Director:

King Hu

Writers:

King Hu, Songling Pu (story)

Stars:

Ying Bai, Billy Chan, Ping-Yu Chang

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Ying Bai	...	General Shih Wen-chiao
Billy Chan
Ping-Yu Chang
Ming-Wei Chen
Roy Chiao	...	Hui Yuan (as Hong Qiao)
Hsue Han	...	Dr. Lu Meng
Ying-Chieh Han	...	Hsu
Feng Hsu	...	Yang Hui-ching
Ching-Ying Lam
Tien Miao
Chun Shih	...	Ku Shen Chai
Peng Tien
Chien Tsao
Shui Wang	...	Mun Ta

Storyline

An artist, Ku, lives with his mother near an abandoned fort, reputed to be haunted. One night, investigating strange noises, he meets the beautiful Yang who is living there. She is being pursued by agents of an Imperial noble who have murdered her family. Ku finds himself caught up in her struggle to survive, and many fierce battles take place before all is resolved. Action adventure with a lyrical feel, this is a kung fu film with a strong spiritual element.

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Plot Keywords:

kung fu | fort | martial artist | wing chun | action hero | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Details

Country:

Taiwan

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

18 November 1971 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

A Touch of Zen

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Film Company, Lian Bang, Union Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

200 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

No. 9 in the Hong Kong Film Awards' List of The Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures

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Connections

Referenced in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

User Reviews

Top ten favorites. A Touch of Zen

A Touch of Zen (1969) has to be one of the best films ever made. I am one of those people who can never truly name a personnel favorite film. I feel that there isn't a film that you can say is the best ever. I still do but if I had to say five or ten, A Touch of Zen would have to be in the top five. I haven't felt this way about a movie since I saw The Seventh Seal. I love this movie. Everything from the beautiful photography down to the deepness of the picture. The acting is superb, the writing is top notch and the direction is flawless. The film has everything you could want in a movie; action, drama, and comedy. The soundtrack is haunting and the wire work is amazing. No wonder why so many movies have copied off of this film (notably Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix Trilogy). Unlike those other films this movie will withstand the test of time

P.S.

This movie is awesome. A magical experience caught on celluloid. A true treasure.