Member Votan Posted August 4, 2010 Member Share Posted August 4, 2010 I watched this recently, and came away greatly underwhelmed. I'm guessing a lot was lost in DD's poor subtitles, but the movie didn't wow me. I have always heard how influential and amazing this movie is, and watching it I didn't really see much. The fighting wasn't too strong imo, and the plot was sort of all over the place. The main female lead didn't really get the climactic fight or do much either, she was upstaged by her tavern buddy. So, I guess I'm curious, could someone tell me what makes this film so well-respected compared to other, and in my opinion, superior releases from the period by Shaw Bros and others? Understand, I'm not trying to slam it so much and understand what it was that made it special, so I can rewatch the film with an eye for the influential elements. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member kaleyboy Posted August 4, 2010 Member Share Posted August 4, 2010 I believe you have to view this film in its historical context. You look at it now and compare it to all the great films that have been made since, but upon it's 1966 release, there was almost no other film like it. In many ways it bridges the gap between the musical opera films that were previously popular, and the wuxia/kung fu films that would later dominate asian cinema. It set new standards in terms of fight choreography, cinematography and editing. All the films that have come and gone since owe a debt of gratitude to this film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Fang Shih-yu Posted August 4, 2010 Member Share Posted August 4, 2010 Right off, the historical context is touched upon within the "SPECIAL FEATURES" of the DVD, Votan; it's a good starting point for answering some of your questions. If you haven't already looked at them, do so now! After that, you can read Mark Pollard's review on this site, along with with the opinions of many others about CDwM. From there, you "Google" Come Drink with Me, and you'll find more information on this film! Ultimately, you may want to watch it again (maybe with a friend) and let it soak in some more before deciding whether to keep it or get rid of it! (This movie is not for all tastes, so the fact you went and gave it a shot is quite commendable!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted August 4, 2010 Share Posted August 4, 2010 The film is very good... the subtitles are dog shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted August 4, 2010 Member Share Posted August 4, 2010 The film is very good... the subtitles are dog shit. Couldn't have said it better Mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Amazing Psycho Per Posted August 5, 2010 Member Share Posted August 5, 2010 Like Kaley said, it's the way it influenced wu xia/kung fu moviemaking. Before Come drink..., MA movies were filmed in a very static and unedited non-cinematic way: the frame was wide, and everyone involved in the scene was in it. Look at clips of old Wong Fei Hung movies on youtube. King Hu brought editing, framing to the game that gave action scenes and the movie in general, more energy and tension. He brought HK movies cinematography and editing to the level we saw for years to come. It's easy to still see his influence in the 90's wu xia movies. But of course, stripped of historical relevence and compared to later classics, it has aged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Tosh Posted August 5, 2010 Member Share Posted August 5, 2010 Could be just a little to oldschool for you, there are a lot of people on the forum that don't like the 60's wuxias, definitely more theatrical till Cheng Cheh came in and blew the lid off the genre with blood and guts. Her tavern buddy is Yueh Hua, a very popular actor through the 60's-70's. To me it's a classic, the theme has been repeated in many movies leading up to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon where Zhang Ziyi's tea house fight scene is a homage to CDwM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted August 5, 2010 Member Share Posted August 5, 2010 Respect history. Learn the past, live in the present, prepare for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WuxiaFan Posted August 6, 2010 Share Posted August 6, 2010 You need to watch the Bey Logan interview in the special features to get some perspective about this film. Bey explains just how influential this film was on future wuxia films and the martial arts film genre. Also, the Cheng Pei Pei interview is excellent. The audio commentary is on the DD version is excruiating to get through because of Pei Pei's daughter that participates. The audio commentary that Bey and Cheng Pei Pei provide is good if you can get through it. The subs do SUCK badly on this version. The HK version has much better subs and is worth getting from dddhouse: http://www.dddhouse.com/v3/product_details.php?ProductID=2532 Also highly recommend Mark Pollard's review of the movie on the main site, as previously mentioned. Do those things, then watch it again, then come back and post what you think (suggesting, IMHO). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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