Guest Hermeskungfu Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 There are many ways to judge a film and as the discussions on Pedicab Driver show there will probably never be a concensus. But I just saw this film for the first time tonight and like all Tsui Hark films it's impossible to be neutral. It is very dark and that is probably why it bombed at the box office but some of the images are so strong (Valerie Chow is sexy enough to make a saint weep); the amazing final fight and dark but fitting ending. It has a lot to say about whether you should intervene when injustice prevails - very relevant today - and the values of love and violence and how closely they are intertwined. Not my favourite film but I think it will linger in my memory for some time to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Milkyway Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 I like the style of this movie. easily Hark's last great movie imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Drunken Monk Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 I thought the film itself was accessible and enjoyable but the jerky camera work and sense of not knowing what the hell was going on during fights really annoyed me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Endsang Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 I thought the film itself was accessible and enjoyable but the jerky camera work and sense of not knowing what the hell was going on during fights really annoyed me. This disappointed me as well. I had higher expectations to the action in this and in Ashes of time. Still enjoy the movies, but it's a bit much at times and could have been a lot better. You hate it or love it I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest will91XingYu Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 For me the end fight wasn't great, with two great stuntmen and wushu artists (Chi Man Cheuk and Hung Yan who were both doubles for Jet Li) the camera should of been at wide angles (i think the term is) so we could see the action more, but i suppose ity's cool in it's own way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Alex Posted November 7, 2007 Member Share Posted November 7, 2007 I think the focus of the movie was more on showing the underlying emotion and motivation of the characters, and to decostruct some of the conventions of the swordplay genre. Detailing the intricacies of every sword swing was not the goal, in fact making the fights look hectic and disorganized was probably a consious choice to give them more tension and urgency. I think it helps create the dark unnerving tone which is the movie's main strength. From purely the action perspective it is kinda dissapointing, but as a character drama that uses action to convey mood and feeling it's phenomenal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Milkyway Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 agreed. if you know film as a general language, you should be able to see and tell alot more out of such things rather than judging from the outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HAZ Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Amazing film. Underappreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest froffeecoffee Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Excellent film. Out of all the Martial Arts films we discuss and have seen, this one is unique and one of a kind don't you think? A lot of emotional content and focus on character and mood. Definitely not for those looking for a simple plot and action. There are layers to each of the characters, both dark and complex. Action wise, I'm appreciate the brutality and fury of the combat scenes. Adds to the hatred On had for the all the villians. As for the action scenes being disorganized and hectic, I think it's a reflection of how the characters are internally, a lot of seething rage and viciousness that matches the villians' skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest presureworld Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 wow, some of you guys are hard to please. I thought the film was wonderful great fighting with an energetic lead, a chrasmatic villain not to mention a very good story. Tsui Hark showed he why he was and is a legendary HK filmmaker. on a side note, I always felt Jet Li and his films were overrated (with the exception of Fist of Legend) and could never understand his appeal Chi Man Cheuk was a equally good fighter but always had second rate scripts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NoNiceTime Posted November 8, 2007 Share Posted November 8, 2007 Best Tsui Hark film that I have seen. Loved the dark nature of it and as the original poster said it has a lingering effect on you. Only thing I didnt like was the overuse of bear traps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tosh Posted November 9, 2007 Share Posted November 9, 2007 I liked the film and the lead but did not like the fight choreo, the problem I have with most of Harks films. Oh and the dub sucked to:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted May 16, 2010 Member Share Posted May 16, 2010 Just curious does anybody know if this movie had a legit DVD release, UK or US? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member mark187 Posted May 16, 2010 Member Share Posted May 16, 2010 yep, actually it had a UK dvd release by a company called MIA. I'm pretty sure it's out of print now. I'm not sure if it was 100% uncut, I haven't seen the film in any other version except this dvd, but I haven't heard of any cuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted May 16, 2010 Member Share Posted May 16, 2010 I had it on VHS but I really don't remember it all that good. Don't know if I really enjoyed it all that much either. But I would like to see it again anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Knetan Posted May 16, 2010 Member Share Posted May 16, 2010 hey, HK Video put out a 2 disc version a few years ago. No English subs for the feature but two English language docs were included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Rhythm-X Posted May 16, 2010 Member Share Posted May 16, 2010 Out of the approximately 200 1990s Golden Harvest titles that Warner Bros has apparently buried forever, this is, to me, perhaps the most incomprehensible victim aside from maybe TOO MANY WAYS TO BE NO. 1. Like TOO MANY WAYS it's no-brainer Criterion material (in a world where Criterion didn't totally shit all over Chinese films, needless to say). It is a sad state of affairs - from its first theatrical release until now, THE BLADE never quite got a fair shake. That is, except for France, where Hong Kong Cinema is actually considered to be cinema and is treated accordingly, and ironically in theatrical release in the late, lamented Chinatown theaters in the US, where legend has it that THE BLADE greatly exceeded its dismal Hong Kong grosses. That US success might have something to do with the one and only time that Warner Bros. did anything with the film* - it ran in late night on their Cinemax cable service within a year of them buying it, and then it was gone. *Other than dubbing it in Spanish and sending it out to Spanish-language TV stations where it still surfaces from time to time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WuxiaFan Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 I had it on VHS but I really don't remember it all that good. Don't know if I really enjoyed it all that much either. But I would like to see it again anyway. Daisho - THE BLADE is one of those exceptional movies that has never gotten a proper legit release and fans are relegated to having to settle for a boot. I'm not promoting boots, but this version is the best DVD version out there (IMO) as its uncut, has original audio tracks with good English subs, and the transfer is excellent. So, for this movie, I highly recommend this version: http://www.hkflix.com/xq/asp/filmID.539922/qx/details.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member blue_skies Posted May 17, 2010 Member Share Posted May 17, 2010 I have the UK DVD somewhere but as I recall the picture quality wasn't great and that was viewed on a 21 -inch full-screen TV. I'm not certain but I think it was a letterbox image so not anamorphic widescreenAlthough i'm not 100 per cent sure. To be fair the last time would have watched it would have been over six years ago. I'll post more details if I stumble across it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member daisho2004 Posted May 17, 2010 Member Share Posted May 17, 2010 Thanks Guys but again I know I seen it before just don't remember if I was really that crazy about it. I was digging through my older stuff looking for it, but I might have given the VHS away, and didn't realize it wasn't getting a re-boot on DVD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jay Stone Posted February 3, 2012 Member Share Posted February 3, 2012 I know it's an old thread, but I hadn't watched this in ten years and decided to watch it last night. First, I think Tsui is an amazing director. With The Blade it seemed like he was being very experimental in every aspect of the production, from the cinematography (some great tracking and zooming shots) to the sound effects (non traditional punch and sword-clash sounds.) Even shooting sync sound at a time when it wasn't THAT popular. I have a DVD-R of the laserdisc, which is decent, except for the rediculous subs, but is there still no anamorphic English-friendly version with good contrast and color? This is a movie that begs for a blu ray release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Reel Power Stunts Posted February 3, 2012 Member Share Posted February 3, 2012 is there still no anamorphic English-friendly version with good contrast and color? This is a movie that begs for a blu ray release. Fans have made a custom DVD with the superior image of the French DVD, and added English subs. Being Europan, t's PAL. If you do a bit of searching on the www it's not too hard to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jay Stone Posted February 3, 2012 Member Share Posted February 3, 2012 Thanks I'll hunt for that tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member David Rees Posted February 4, 2012 Member Share Posted February 4, 2012 I have a copy of that, great quality and good subs. I found the film a bit depressing for my taste but it is very well shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Bods Posted February 14, 2012 Member Share Posted February 14, 2012 Just wondering, does anyone have the subtitle script used for that custom dvd of the French release mentioned above? or a script for the Japanese DVD? I have both these discs (and a subtitled VHS I'm looking to retire) so don't really need to find a custom made disc, but if there are srt files in existence that are already spot on timed for either of these particular DVDs, I would like if someone could supply them, or point me in the direction of where to get them, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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