Pan si dong (1967)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Meng Hua Ho

Writer:

Kang Cheng (writer)

Release Date:

21 August 1967 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy

Plot:

Cave of Silken Web is the third installment in Shaw Brothers series from the Chinese classic tale Journey to the West...

Plot Keywords:

Monk | Tripitaka | Opera | Buddhism | Shape Shifter

Cast

Chien Yu	...	Third sister
Liang Hua Liu	...	Elder Sister
Meng Tien
Shirley Huang
Helen Ma
Yi Shen
Ching Yu
Fan Ho	...	Monk Tang Tseng / Tripitaka
Peng Peng	...	Pigsy
Lung-chang Chou	...	Monkey King
Shun Tien	...	Sandy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lao Shen
Ti Tang
Wei Wu

Also Known As:

Pun see dung (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
The Cave of the Silken Web (International: English title)

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Shaw Brothers

CAVE OF SILKEN WEB – more adventures for the Monkey King

CAVE OF SILKEN WEB (1967) is the third in the Hong Kong Shaw Bros. studio's series of fantasy films adapted from the classic Chinese literary work, "Journey to the West." This one focuses on one adventure in the story – the capture of the Tang Monk by the Seven Spider Sisters and the attempts to rescue him by Monkey, Pig and Sand. The sisters' aim is to gain eternal life by eating the monk's flesh, an act to which they devote an extremely lovely song-and-dance number. The Sisters are adorned in sexy, color-coded lingerie-style costumes and are portrayed by a line-up of stunning Shaw Bros. beauties including Liu Liang Hua, Angela Yu Chien and Helen Ma. (Angela has a spicy boudoir spider web scene.) Keeping it nice and simple, the film is focused entirely on the efforts of Monkey King and his partners to break through the lethal spider web surrounding the Sisters' cave. Once they gain access to the cave, one or more of the party are captured at various points as well. Sometimes the action involves one character transforming into another to trick the sisters and divide them. At one point Monkey transforms into Silver Sister and then has to convince the other sisters he's the real one when the real one shows up. This is a very funny scene made more so by the actress who has to play Silver Sister as channeled by the Monkey King.

The pre-digital special effects are all done via optical printer or on-stage mechanical means and are all quite effective. The small number of songs by the sisters and Pig are entertaining and well staged. The acting is quite good by all concerned. This was the third in a series of four Shaw Bros. adaptations of the Monkey King saga. The others were THE MONKEY KING GOES WEST (1966), PRINCESS IRON FAN (1966) and LAND OF MANY PERFUMES (1968). This one and IRON FAN are easily the best of the four, with lots of magical action, beautiful Shaw Bros. actresses, simple concise stories and a mix of studio sets and picturesque Taiwan locations.