A touch of zen is king hus masterpiece, yet unless youre patient and a bit. A lady fugitive on the run from corrupt government officials is joined in her endeavors by an unambitious painter and skilled buddhist monks. Rent a touch of zen 1971 starring hsu feng and ying bai on dvd and bluray. Over two years in the making, a touch of zen 1971 originally bowed unsuccessfully as a release in two separate parts with its central forest fight. Presented on a duallayer disc, the new 1080p24hz highdefinition presentation comes from a new 4k restoration of the film, which was funded entirely by the films star, hsu feng. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The film won technical grand prize award at the 1975 cannes film festival although filming began in 1968, a touch of zen was not completed until 1971. Decades before the wuxia or martial arts swordplay film took the oscars by storm with ang lees crouching tiger, hidden dragon 2000, another taiwanese production laid the groundwork in 1971. Touch of zen a aka hsia nu bluray 1971 ku, lives with his mother near an abandoned fort, reputed to be haunted. A touch of zen critics consensus a brilliantly directed feast for the eyes with an epic story to match, a touch of zen marks a groundbreaking achievement in the wuxia genre. A threehour production with a richly woven plot, structural complexity, and dazzling visual experimentation, a touch of zen is the directors grandest vision. Heavily influenced by traditional chinese aesthetics and zen buddhist philosophy, it has come to be regarded as one of his greatest filmmaking achievements.
A young scholar, ho yunqing shih jun, a touch of zen, dragon inn, is tasked by an eminent monk to transcribe a buddhist sutra said to have immense power over the spirits of the afterlife. T he asian martial arts film is central to the history of cinema as an art. Comparisons to crouching tiger, hidden dragon are a bit boring by now, so ill cut straight to the chase and say that this martial arts epic deserves your attention for some wellcrafted fight. In accordance with the directives of government and health authorities, we have temporarily suspended operations. Released 1971, a touch of zen stars feng hsu, chun shih, pai ying, roy chiao the movie has a runtime of about 3 hr 0 min, and received a score of out of 100 on metacritic, which assembled. The prospect of diving into a touch of zen, king hus threehour 1971 epic was a daunting one, but i am so glad to have taken the plunge. Mostly known for elevating the wuxia genre in unprecedented heights, with films like a touch of zen and dragon inn, king hu has also implemented his impressive aesthetics to this 1979 film, which lingers between the thriller and the ghost story, as usual including zen buddhist philosophy. Although filming began in 1968, a touch of zen was not completed until 1971.
In a touch of zen 1971, a lady fugitive on the run from corrupt officials is joined by an unambitious painter who is cowardly until he falls in love. Visionary barely begins to describe this masterpiece of chinese cinema and martial arts moviemaking. King hus masterful concoction of cinematic flavors. An influential martial arts film and an acknowledged influence on ang lees amazing crouching tiger, hidden dragon, king hus a touch of zen opens with young scholar ku shenchai working at his portraiture stand in a small frontier town. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing a touch of zen near you.
A touch of zen was the first chineselanguage film to win the technical grand prize at the 1975 cannes film festival and the very first wuxia movie to do so at an international film festival. A touch of zen is king hus masterful 1971 martial arts film. He lives with his nagging mother in a supposedly haunted, rundown house at the edge of the abandoned ching liu estate. A touch of zen 1971 stream and watch online moviefone. A touch of zen 1971 16 11171971 hk action, adventure 3h user score. A touch of zen is your one stop for products relating to the martial arts, meditation, spirituality, health and exotic items from the orient.
A touch of zen, king hu film analysis senses of cinema. K ing hus widely acclaimed a touch of zen sometimes subtitled the gallant lady hsia nu, 1971 assuredly deserves its fame. Over two years in the making, 1971 s a touch of zen is one of the alltime influential movies in wuxia cinema wuxia martial arts swordplay film. Buy a touch of zen xia nu 1971 dvd 1969 from amazons movies store. Mar 26, 2018 no ordinary movie, a touch of zen director king hus third film after come drink with me and dragon gate inn is a symbol of recognition, the cornerstone of a new era for chineselanguage cinema and a source of inspiration not only for future filmmakers but for viewers themselves. The original taiwanese release was in two parts in 1970 and 1971 filming was still ongoing when the first part was released with the bamboo forest sequence that concludes part 1 reprised at the beginning of part 2. A touch of zen 1971 is the kind of gargantuan production that only an artist high on newfound freedoms would dream of making. To optimize your experience with your screen reading software, please use our website, which has the same tickets as our fandango.
She is being pursued by agents of an imperial noble who have murdered her family. He lives with his nagging mother in a supposedly haunted, rundown house at the edge of the abandoned ching. A touch of zen is at the same time a study of rural life, a ghost story, a discussion of philosophical ideas and a thrilling fight film, with each element being handled with rare skill by hu. Yet a touch of zens last third is where king hu shows his true ambitions and where the film rises above genre.
There, the quartet face a massive group of fighters and are joined by a band of buddhist monks. Straight martial arts films undoubtedly have their place, and many are great works in own right, but hus 1971 masterpiece gives extra substance to the wuxia form, resulting in an experience that is indeed. At one point, yang races up a bamboo grove and then lunges at her enemy from above. Apr 24, 2016 and hu never made a better wuxia adventure than a touch of zen 1971, the first chinese entry to receive an award at the cannes film festival. A touch of zen 1971 bluray 720p yts yify an artist, ku, lives with his mother near an abandoned fort, reputed to be haunted. A touch of zen serves up swordplay and lyricism the new. Misalignment of the image leaves borders on either side of the screen. A touch of zen august 4th, 2016 cultivate cinema circle. The film won technical grand prize award at the 1975 cannes film festival. Both of those movies manifest dna from a touch of zen, in their striking visual style and thoughtful approach and. A touch of zen 1971 chun shih in a touch of zen 1971 ying bai and feng. Alternatively, use the tick boxes to select only the releases you wish to view and then click apply filter. Bamboo forest scene from the 1969 king hu classic which inspired similar scenes in both crouching tiger, hidden dragon and house of flying daggers.
A touch of zen 1971 posters the movie database tmdb. Sublime and sprawling, a touch of zen is perhaps the greatest in king hus series of groundbreaking, metaphysical period dramas. Touch of zen a aka hsia nu 1971 ku, lives with his mother near an abandoned fort, reputed to be haunted. In many ways, the a touch of zen works as a companion piece to the directors earlier wuxia effort, dragon gate inn. Yet a touch of zen never loses an appreciation of its essential foundation, and its diverse ingredients form a unique, solidified whole. Not long ago, that statement would have been regarded as reckless. Dec 15, 2015 widely regarded as the greatest martial arts epic of all time, a touch of zen won awards worldwide including at cannes, smashed boxoffice records and had an incalculable influence on the genre. A touch of zen xia nu by king hu depicts the journey of yang, a fugitive noblewoman in disguise who seeks refuge in a. This piece of art is a symbol of the rise of chinese films as an aesthetic force in world cinema and set the foundations for many future films. A touch of zen clocks in at 3 hours and 20 minutes, a window wide enough to cram in a spiritual quest, a photographers dream in panoramic landscapes, and the buddhist notions of compassion and pacifism while also allotting time for a slew of stylish boss battles. Why the film is so exceptional, however, is that as great as these fight scenes are and they are spectacular, they may not even be the best part of the movie.
Apr 21, 2016 widely and rightly regarded as not only one of the finest martial arts films ever made, but one of the greatest works in of all chinese cinema, king hus a touch of zen xia nu, 1971 is most often lauded for its extraordinary fight sequences. Yet a touch of zen s last third is where king hu shows his true ambitions and where the film rises above genre. Now video games showcase martial arts, and fantasy adventure films boast dragons and flying. And hu never made a better wuxia adventure than a touch of zen 1971, the first chinese entry to receive an award at the cannes film festival. According to this drama, set in 14thcentury china, a staterun secret police organization made life a living hell for anyone with the temerity to cross it. A touch of zen master of cinema dual format 2016 trailer. A touch of zen is the rare wuxia film that centers itself not on the martial guardians who drive the story, but an outsider who serves as our audience surrogate. In king hus grandest work, yang hsu feng, a fugitive noblewoman at risk of being captured and executed, hides in a small village and then must escape into the wilderness with a shy scholar and two aides. Rent a touch of zen 1971 on dvd and bluray dvd netflix. A touch of zen is a 1971 wuxia film coedited, written, and directed by king hu. The original taiwanese release was in two parts in 1970 and 1971 filming. Oct 05, 2011 comparisons to crouching tiger, hidden dragon are a bit boring by now, so ill cut straight to the chase and say that this martial arts epic deserves your attention for some wellcrafted fight. Presented on a duallayer disc, the new 1080p24hz highdefinition presentation comes from a new 4k restoration of the film, which was.
A touch of zen 1971 16 1117 1971 hk action, adventure 3h user score. At once a wuxia film, the tale of a spiritual quest, and a study in human nature, a touch of zen is an unparalleled work in hus formidable career and an epic of the highest order, characterized by breathtaking action choreography, stunning widescreen landscapes, and innovative editing. A visionary masterpiece of chinese cinema and martialarts moviemaking, a touch of zen depicts the journey of yang, a fugitive noblewoman in disguise who seeks refuge in a remote, allegedly haunted village. It may not be my favourite wuxia crouching tiger, hidden dragon will take some beating, but this film is an absolutely stunning accomplishment. A touch of zen is no mere chopsocky flick, but instead a genre essential and a definite mustsee for wuxia fans. The original trailer in high definition of a touch of zen directed by king hu and starring feng hsu, chun shih, ying bai. Metrograph is a new manhattan movie theater devoted to screening archivequality 35mm prints and new films in state of theart. The criterion collection presents king hus a touch of zen on bluray in its original aspect ratio of 2. Ming dynasty noblewoman yang must escape from the evil eunuch hsu. A touch of zen by king hu hsu feng, pai ying, tien peng. The sanctuary she and her three companions find with a shy scholar is shattered when a nefarious swordsman uncovers her identity.
A widely acclaimed martial arts film 1971 by hong kongs king hu, one of the handful of directors to have worked in the. A touch of zen 1971 king hu synopsis, characteristics. A touch of zen serves up swordplay and lyricism the. A touch of zen dvd, 2016, 2disc set, criterion collection. Viewing the kung fu intrigue from this remove, the plot recedes into the background as one realizes king hu is far more interested in the indifference of the natural world, and the.
Though hu used few special effects other than hidden trampolines and deft editing, the scene is both thrilling and thoroughly believable. A touch of zen xia nu by king hu depicts the journey of yang, a fugitive noblewoman in disguise who seeks refuge in a remote, and allegedly haunted, village. A touch of zen 1971 ku shen chai chun shih, an unmotivated artist in his early 30s, still lives with his mother, but he is shaken from his comfortable rut by the arrival of beautiful and. A touch of zen 1971 original trailer hd 1080p youtube. The original taiwanese release was in two parts in 1970 and 1971 filming was still ongoing when the first part. Vaguely, a touch of zen is a martial arts film, and its greatest influence was on other hk martial arts films and later international crossovers like crouching tiger, hero and house of flying daggers. Widely regarded as the greatest martial arts epic of all time, a touch of zen won awards worldwide including at cannes, smashed boxoffice records and had an incalculable influence on the genre.
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