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jason_costa
Reviews
Xue ying hong deng (1968)
Decent Martial World film
Red Lamp Shaded in Blood is a decent Martial World film of the type that Chu Yuan (Chor Yuen) made famous for Shaw Brothers. These are often based on the works of Jin Yong (louis Cha) and Ku Long (though I don't recognize this story from my admittedly limited reading of their works, confined to those available in English). Red Lamp features all the requisite tropes of the genre: various sects of the Martial World, an evil sect scheming to rule the Martial World, an outcast orphan sent on a quest, mystically acquired Martial Arts, a mysterious hermit, a mysterious killer and , of course, star crossed lovers.
The Netherworld sect as been resurrected and seeking to conquer the Martial World. After a Wu Dang member is killed his friend Nan Kun Chun (Nancy Chan playing a male) swears revenge. His master, the Wu Dang founder who adopted him, sends him to Red Lamp Valley to learn Martial Arts from a hermit master. After training Nan Kun Chun he charges him to seek out the Red Lamp Killer. Along the way she encounters others also seeking RLK, though all for different reasons. The plot is somewhat involved but there is no mystery as everything is entirely predictable or simply spelled out. Finally at a meeting of all the sects all is resolved as events come to a head.
The film is enjoyable enough. The acting is good but the tone of the film is uneven. The action is about what you'd expect for the time, not stiff but nothing fancy. Though not a classic (imho), fans of the genre will be entertained.
Ying zhao shou (1970)
The Eagle's Claw (1970)
The Eagle's Claw (1970) is an excellent Wu Xia (martial chivalry) film from Cathay studios. This is the straightforward story of Commander Lee transporting the body of Hero Feng back to his hometown. However, the Blood Raksha, Hero Feng's enemy, is intent on stopping him at all costs. Not even death has sated her hatred. She sends her minions after Lee and his daughter who are joined by the mysterious Mr Shih, played by the excellent Paul Chung. Who's side is he on? What are his motives?
This is a film of its time. The martial arts action is pretty basic. Like most films of the time it shows the influence of King Hu with lots of high jumping and swinging of swords. Hand to hand combat is generally slow and deliberate. Also it features strong female characters in their own right. While The Eagle's Claw isn't groundbreaking in any way it is well worth watching.
Cathay, along with Union Films, First Films, Men Hua and Golden Harvest all turned out many fine Wu Xia pictures in the late 60's to early 1970's. Historically they have been overshadowed by the massive legacy of Shaw Brothers. These films are much harder to find but are often well worth seeking out for fans of the genre. There are several on Amazon (Mallow Forest, Black Invitation, Swordsman of All Swordsman, Escort over Tiger Hill). When you find them they are generally not restored as well as the beautiful Shaw Bros. from Celestial. These pictures tend to be much more cinematic than Shaw's, due to Shaw's preference for filming on sets. It often gives the a more realistic feeling (imho), akin to a spaghetti western vs a Hollywood western. I recommend searching them out to all fans of the genre.