Wu lin sheng huo jin (1983)

Director:

Chin-Ku Lu

Writers:

Chin-Ku Lu (writer)
Sang Siu (story)
(more)

Release Date:

10 June 1983 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Hsueh-hua Liu	...	Omei Chief Tsing Yin (as Leanne Lau)
Siu Chung Mok	...	Yin Tien-chu
Jason Pai Piao	...	Monster Yu
Jing-Jing Yung	...	Tu Chuan-erh (as Mary Jean Reimer)
Philip Kwok	...	Yama Elder
Tsui Ling Yu
Man-yi Huang	...	(Guest star)
Hsueh-erh Wen	...	Kid Golden Snake
Ke Chu	...	(Guest star)
Shen Chan	...	Shaolin abbot
Feng Kuan	...	Wu-tang Chief
Tao Chiang	...	Bloodsucking Chief Lin Mei-hsiang
Yu Hsiao		(as Hsiao Yu Ming)
Mei-Mei Wong
Ching Ho Wang	...	Uncle Tu
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Chi Tai Lam
Wai Lam	...	Chu-shan Chief
Siu-Kwan Lau	...	Tuan
Li-ling Liao
Gwa-pau Sai	...	Stuttering innkeeper
Elvis Tsui	...	Kun-lun Chief
Han Chen Wang	...	Hua-shan Chief
Ching-Ching Yeung	...	Yin Tan-Feng

Directed by
Chin-Ku Lu

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Kwok-Yuen Cheung		writer
Chin-Ku Lu		writer
Sang Siu		story

Produced by
Mona Fong	....	producer

Original Music by
Chin Yung Shing
Chen-hou Su

Cinematography by
Chin Chiang Ma

Film Editing by
Hsing-lung Chiang
Shao Kwang Liu
Chen-kuo Su

Art Direction by
Ching-Shen Chen

Set Decoration by
Chien Sheng Ho

Costume Design by
Yuen Yi Ho
Chi-Yu Liu

Makeup Department
Ji-cheng Liu	....	makeup artist
Man-hua Pan	....	makeup artist
Yen-Lien Peng	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Ka Hee Wong	....	production manager
Ji-yen Yang	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kwok-Yuen Cheung	....	assistant director
Chien-chu Liu	....	assistant director

Art Department
Yu Lai	....	props
Wei-chung Tseng	....	props

Sound Department
Ping Kuang Hsu	....	sound recordist
Lan Li	....	dubbing editor: mandarin
Yi-chi Li	....	sound effects editor
Yu Ting	....	dubbing editor: cantonese

Special Effects by
Yuen-Tai Ting	....	special photographic effects

Visual Effects by
Yuen-Tai Ting	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Philip Kwok	....	stunt coordinator (as Kuo Chui)
Tak Yuen	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Hui-hsieh Fang	....	still photographer
Chiu Ou	....	lighting technician
Yung-chieh Wu	....	assistant camera
Ting Bong Yuen	....	lighting technician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kuan-Kai Kong	....	costumes
Bao-ling Wu	....	costumes

Other crew
Hui-hsieh Fang	....	production coordinator
Yun-hu Li	....	production assistant
Run Run Shaw	....	presenter
Feng-hsuen Yao	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Shaw Brothers

Also Known As:

"Holy Flame of the Martial World" - Hong Kong (English title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Shaw Brothers

Movie Connections:

Remake of Moslem Sacred Fire Decree, Part 2 (1965)

HOLY FLAME OF THE MARTIAL WORLD - Wild Hong Kong fantasy spectacle

HOLY FLAME OF THE MARTIAL WORLD (1983) is a Shaw Bros. martial arts fantasy spectacular in the vein of ZU WARRIORS FROM THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (1983) and BUDDHA'S PALM (1982, also reviewed on this site). Characters don't so much walk as fly and don't so much deliver punches or kicks as shoot powerful supernatural rays from their swords, fingers or palms (depending on how well cultivated their "inner powers" are). There are probably more special effects per foot of film than in the two earlier films I cited. The action introduces eight major characters and at least that many minor ones and throws the fantasy martial arts action at us at such a furious pace that by the time it all ends at 85 minutes, we're immensely satisfied but still a bit greedy for more.

The plot has to do with two siblings, a boy and a girl separated as babies when their parents were killed by two villains and then raised by two rival martial arts masters (including one of the killers) and trained for a duel--to be conducted when the children reach the age of 18--to see who gets control of both the Yin and Yang Holy Flame Swords. The boy sibling, played by young Max Mok (of ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA 2 & 3 fame), is raised by Phantom (Philip Kwok/Kuo Chui from the Five Venoms), whose chief weapon is his "ghostly laugh," while the sister (played by fighting actress Yang Ching Ching from EIGHT-DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER) is raised by Jin Yin of the Erh Mei clan (played by Liu Hsueh-hua). Interestingly, the Erh Mei sect is all female and is stocked with some of the most beautiful starlets seen in HK film. Actress Liu Hsueh-hua, who plays the aged, white-haired, but still-powerful Grand Master of the Erh Mei Sect, was all of 23 at the time of filming.

Max Mok's love interest is a young woman he saves from an attack and who practices a form of "snake bladder" kung fu. She is played by Mary Jean Reimer, aka Weng Ching Ching, a cute and perky actress (who was 18 at the time) who provides some of the film's best comic scenes. Another great HK actress of the time, Candy Wen Hsueh-erh (so impressive in SWORDSMAN AND ENCHANTRESS) appears as the mysterious black-clad Golden Snake Boy who pops up to help the good guys from time to time. Also on hand are kung fu vets Jason Pai Piao (as Monster Yu) and Chan Shen (as the head of Shaolin Temple), in addition to Philip Kwok.

The film was directed by Lu Chun Ku, who also directed SECRET SERVICE OF THE IMPERIAL COURT (1984, also reviewed on this site). It's a little lower-budgeted than usual for Shaw Bros. costume spectacles but more than makes up for it with an abundance of sheer imagination. Based on a Hong Kong comic book, it has all the color, flash, action, and fantasy-style violence of the best comic books. If you've seen and liked BUDDHA'S PALM and ZU WARRIORS, or Chor Yuen's lavish swordplay adventures (THE MAGIC BLADE, CLANS OF INTRIGUE, WEB OF DEATH, et al), then you're ready for HOLY FLAME. Just don't forget to practice your "ghostly laugh."