The Cinema Of King Hu: Volume One (1965 - 1973)
Chinese cinema would not be the same without the enormous impact of writer and director King Hu. Hu propelled wuxia films into mainstream consciousness by combining his passion for traditional Peking opera and Japanese samurai cinema, ushering in a new era of action filmmaking throughout the 60s and 70s and revolutionising the landscape of genre film for decades to come.
Imprint Asia is thrilled to celebrate the transformative work of King Hu with two volumes exploring the legacy and influence of his extensive filmography. In this first volume, go on a journey of fantasy, folklore, and supernatural spectacle with six Hong Kong and Taiwanese classics:
- Sons of Good Earth (1965) - Blu-ray
- Come Drink With Me (1966) - 4K UHD & Blu-ray
- Dragon Inn (1967) - 4K UHD & Blu-ray
- Four Moods (1970) - Blu-ray
- A Touch Of Zen (1971) - 4K UHD & Blu-ray
- The Fate of Lee Khan (1973) - Blu-ray
This Limited Edition 10-disc release is packed with brand NEW and archival Special Features, including an exclusive Bonus Disc, plus a 100-page Hardcover Booklet featuring brand NEW essays from Ryan Swen, Tom Cunliffe, and Tony Williams, all housed in a Lid Hardbox.
Details by Film
Sons of the Good Earth
Streaming Options
Come Drink with Me
Streaming Options
Dragon Inn
Four Moods
Streaming Options
A Touch of Zen
Streaming Options
The Fate of Lee Khan
Streaming Options
Sons of Good Earth
The year is 1937, just prior to the Japanese invasion of China. Painters Yu Rui and Lao San stumble upon He Hua, a woman sold into the sex industry at a local brothel.
Made at the great Shaw Brothers studios, Sons of Good Earth was King Hu’s first major directorial effort, and won the 1966 Golden Horse Awards for both Best Screenplay and Best Editing.
The film stars Peter Chen Ho, Betty Loh Ti, Li Kun (Fist of Fury), and King Hu himself.
Come Drink with Me
Considered one of the greatest wuxia films of all time, Come Drink with Me smashed the Hong Kong box office in 1966, skyrocketing King Hu to stardom.
Golden Sparrow is a fighter-for-hire who has been contracted by the local government to retrieve the governor’s kidnapped son. Holding him is a group of rebels who are demanding that their leader be released from prison in return for the captured son. After a brief encounter with the gang at a local restaurant, Golden Sparrow is joined by an inebriated wanderer, Drunken Cat, who aids her in her mission.
Launching the career of the great Cheng Pei-pei (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), the film also stars Elliot Ngok Wah, Chan Hung-lit, and Lee Wan-chung.
Dragon Inn
Hu’s next wuxia smash was Dragon Inn, which set box office records in multiple countries, and won the 1968 Golden Horse Award for Best Screenplay.
China, year 1457. The Minister of Defence is executed, and his children are sentenced to exile by order of the tyrannical Tsao. Fearful of future revenge from the young people, Tsao sends cruel soldiers to murder them, but a brave group of swordsmen can change the course of the battle at the Dragon Inn.
Starring (Polly) Shang-Kuan Ling-feng, Shih Chun, and Pai Ying, Dragon Inn has been acclaimed by critics for over fifty years, described as “one of the most important wuxia… films to emerge from the Chinese-speaking world prior to the great martial arts boom of the turn of the 1970s… riotously entertaining” by Sight and Sound magazine.
Four Moods
In between his masterpieces Dragon Inn and A Touch Of Zen, King Hu directed one of four segments in the anthology ghost film Four Moods, with other segments from Li Han-hsiang, Li Xing, and Pai Ching-jui.
The first story, Joy (directed by Li Han-hsiang) is a light, playful romantic story, where young lovers navigate attraction and misunderstanding.
King Hu’s segment Anger follows a wandering swordsman, who becomes drawn into a violent conflict after witnessing injustice committed by a powerful local authority.
Pai Ching-jui’s Pleasure is a tragic tale of separation and loss, focusing on lovers torn apart by fate and circumstance.
The final segment, Sorrow (from director Li Hsing), explores desire and emotional fulfilment in a courtly world.
A Touch of Zen
King Hu’s epic wuxia masterpiece A Touch Of Zen has received endless accolades since its release. An ambitious, experimental work that transforms as it unfolds, its release cemented King Hu as an auteur and marked a turning point in the global recognition of Chinese cinema.
Gu Sheng-zhai, an artist in his early 30s, still lives with his mother, but he is suddenly shaken by the arrival of Yang Hui-zhen, a mysterious princess on the run. Yang brings Gu into her circle of protectors, including a nameless monk whose spiritual guidance transforms him into a valiant fighter.
Starring Hsu Feng, Shih Chun, Bai Ying, Tien Peng, and Roy Chiao Hung, filming took place over almost four years, with the memorable ten-minute bamboo forest fight sequence taking twenty-five days alone.
What begins as a haunting tale of suspicion and survival erupts into one of the most extraordinary martial arts epics ever filmed, and the meticulous 4K restoration elevates Hu’s vision to a breathtaking new level.
The Fate of Lee Khan
King Hu followed A Touch Of Zen with another slice of wuxia action in The Fate Of Lee Khan, starring Li Li-hua, Roy Chiao, Hsu Feng, Tien Feng, and Angela Mao.
Lee Khan, a high official under Mongolian Emperor Yuan of the Yuan dynasty, procures the battle map of the Chinese rebel Chu Yuan-Chang’s army. Rebel spies, aided by treachery within Khan’s ranks, strive to corner him in an inn.
Described by Sight & Sound magazine as “taut as any Hitchcock or Clouzot suspense. Violent action erupts out of nowhere and ends almost as quickly as it began”.
Release Information:
Technical Specifications
Supplements
- NEW Audio commentary by writer and film critic Camille Zaurin
- NEW Audio commentary by critic and historian Tony Rayns
- NEW Audio commentary by critic and author David West
- NEW Audio commentary by author / film critic Walter Chaw
- NEW Video essay by writer / film critic Camille Zaurin
- NEW Audio commentary by critic / author David West
- 100-page Hardcover Booklet featuring brand NEW essays from Ryan Swen, Tom Cunliffe, and Tony Williams
- Original theatrical trailer
- NEW Interview with academic and author Victor Fan
- NEW Audio commentary by film historian Tom Cunliffe
- NEW Interview with academic / author Victor Fan
- NEW Interview with film scholar Dr. Luke White
- NEW Interview with author Leon Hunt
- Trailer for the sequel Golden Swallow
- Theatrical Trailer
- NEW Video essay by film scholar Wayne Wong
- Restoration Comparison
- NEW Interview with academic / author Victor Fan
- Trailer
- Trailer
- NEW Video essay by author/film critic Walter Chaw
- NEW Video essay by critic / historian Tony Rayns
- Trailer
- TV news clip of 1967 Taipei premiere
- NEW Interview with film scholar Dr Luke White
- Cinema Hong Kong: Wu Xia – featurette
- Come Speak With Me – interview with actress Cheng Pei-pei
- The King and I: Director Tsui Hark Remembers King Hu
- Return of the Drunken Master – interview with actor Yueh Hua
- Archival interview with actress Cheng Pei-pei
- Archival interview with actor Yueh Hua
- Archival interview with Marsha Yuen, daughter of actress Cheng Pei-Pei
- Archival interview with film historian Paul Fonoroff