Zhong kui niang zi (1971)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Meng Hua Ho

Writer:

I. Fang Yeh (writer)

Release Date:

1971 (Hong Kong)

Plot:

A young Kung Fu student (Shih Szu) seeks a reclusive teacher so that she may learn to defeat the evil Black Demon...

Plot Keywords:

Kung Fu | Love Triangle | Incognito | Beautiful Woman | Doppelganger

Cast

Pei-pei Cheng	...	'Lady Hermit' Shang Yu-ling
Lieh Lo	...	Wu Chang-chun
Szu Shih	...	Chin Tsui-peng
Hsieh Wang	...	Black Demon
Mien Fang	...	Chief Wang
Hsiung Chao	...	Shang Sheng - Demon brother #1
Yuan Chuan	...	Chiu Yun (as Kang Chia)
Tien Hsi Tang	...	Wang-Xiang - Demon brother #3
Hsiao Chung Li	...	Sheng Hsia - Demon brother #1
Han Lo	...	Chia Yun - Demon brother #5
Chia-hsi Hu	...	Demon brother #6
Hua Hsiao	...	Demon brother #7
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Li Jen Ho	...	Village elder
Sammo Hung Kam-Bo	...	Black Demon's thug
Tommy Lee	...	Thug
Cliff Lok	...	Black Demon's thug (as Chin Tung)
Lan Sun	...	Black Demon's thug

Also Known As:

Chung kwai leung ji (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
The Lady Hermit (Hong Kong: English title)

Runtime:

USA:105 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:(Banned)

Company:

Shaw Brothers

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Little Red Riding Hood (2009) (V)

Very good film influenced "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"

Before the Venom series and the martial art miracles of Liu Chia Liang, Shaw kung fu films were a very mixed batch of stagy melodrama and frequently flimsy martial arts. Not to take away from the many good films from that era but it's like watching pre "2001" science fiction or silent films, you have to make an adjustment in expectations and then enjoy what there is. Many of the sword films are very stagy but that's the tradition they came from. Here is a rarity, a film that mostly transcends the technical limitations of the time and is quite enjoyable today.

Since others have covered the plot quite well, I'll write about the similarities to "Crouching Tiger". The love triangle is clearly repeated in the Ang Lee film. Two super fighting women and a man who is quite frankly not their fighting equal but the object of their affection. The younger woman goes on an angry mission to defeat the number one martial artist which includes a fight in a tavern (albiet an open air one). "Crouching Tiger" is not a remake but I would wager that it was influenced by this film.

The martial arts in the film are OK until the last third when the fight scenes go into overdrive. There's a noticeable chambara influence which in this case, unlike other Shaw films, is very good. Some of the martial arts are unfortunately simulated by camera tricks but the story keeps that from being a problem. Strangely the young woman is introduced as a whip master but at some point the whip disappears and she never uses it again.

A good story driven kung fu film.