Guest Hermeskungfu Posted November 3, 2007 Share Posted November 3, 2007 I just got the Celestial release from Hong Kong. The print is great and the interview with Cheng Pei Pei worth the money alone. If this isn't the greatest martial arts film, it's damn close (and look to see how many scenes have been 'borrowed' by other film makers). The fight in the Inn is just genius, though how anyone would think the gorgeous (I think she was about 19 at the time) Cheng Pei Pei was a man is one of those mysteries of HK films. Anyway just to say a great release of a great film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted November 5, 2007 Member Share Posted November 5, 2007 I feell the same. It's a classic that many seem to overlook when mentioning 'classics' of the genre. So many films have borrowed and continue to borrow elements from King Hu's best film. This film belongs in the same consideration as Seven Samurai and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cesare Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Oddly enough, this movie somehow failed to impress me. I respect it as a classic piece of the genre, I liked Cheng Pei Pei and I found Drunken Cat rather cool, but overall, "Come Drink With Me" didn't work for me. Could have used a little more cowbell...;-) Or drama, to be more accurate. I suppose my mistake was to watch this very shortly after a series of Chang Cheh flicks. I had no idea what to expect and I half-expected big (melo)drama, galons of fake blood, themes like brotherhood and self-sacrifice (with big exclamation marks behind them ) and many many many many dead people. Not surprisingly, I was fairly disappointed. But I plan to play that DVD again - with a jar of cookies and a large mug of coffee to enrich the experience (and with slightly more appropriate expectations:D). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Neo Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 Cool avatar Cesare You definitely have to give Come drink with me another chance, it's a true celebrated classic. Very famous for it's innovation in the sense of timing and originality. Even though the film was made circa 68?.. The action pays true homage (till this day) to the style that solidified a way that generations would try to follow. They would never be able to get it quite like that again but then again that had a lot to do with the script. In either event you have to realize that a "piece of shit" script can be turned into gold by the right people and a script ''made out of gold'' can still be turned into shit by the wrong people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hermeskungfu Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 1966. I just updated the film review on Wikipedia. The trouble is that a lot that looked fresh and original in '66 has been so heavily copied that it has lost some of its impact. But the Inn scene is still damn good. By the way the audio commentary on the Celestial release is more or less unlistenable as they got the levels wrong and for some reason never corrected them. You can hardly hear Cheng Pei Pei but when her daughter speaks your ear drums burst. Bey Logan is about right but this is not one of his best. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eaHD7StfzOs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cobra_Kai Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 I really liked CDWM as well, but King Hu's Touch of Zen is much better, imo. I just wish there was a decent dvd of it available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Markgway Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 Nah, CDWM is much better than the overlong, pretentious ATOZ. Though, IMHO, The Fate of Lee Khan is his best film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted November 6, 2007 Member Share Posted November 6, 2007 Hey guys, no one has said anything but, NEO! LOL. I do feel ATOZ is good but too long. It's actually the opposite of what the complaint is with most MA films of the old era, too much speakie, not enough fightie. LoL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Stuntman Jules Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 Come Drink With Me is a very interesting animal. It feels totally different from the much grittier 70s Shaw Brothers flicks, it's more like a Kurosawa film than anything else. It's really an incredible piece of cinema and the production values feel way above pretty much any other Shaw Brothers film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HAZ Posted November 6, 2007 Share Posted November 6, 2007 I'll take a "touch of zen" over "come drink with me". The best King Hu film I've seen Is "Raining In The mountain". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sammofan Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 The first time I saw "Come Drink With Me" I was surprised by how classy it seemed compared to other 60s Shaw Brothers wuxia films I had already watched. Stuff like "One Armed Swordsman" and "Golden Swallow" seemed clumsy in comparison. It felt more like a world cinema classic on par with a David Lean, Kurosawa or Powell & Pressburger. A shame King Hu didn't do more films for Shaws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Hermeskungfu Posted November 7, 2007 Share Posted November 7, 2007 King Hu has a tragic story really. I think he felt constrained by Shaw's as he was a perfectionist and his films were generally speaking not going to be money spinners. He spent the last decade of his life in Los Angeles looking for money for various film projects but though critically acclaimed, no one wanted to finance his films. The Swordsman (completed by Tsui Hark) and Painted Skin were his last two films in the early 90's. I keep seeing rumours of a remake of Come Drink with Me. Quentin was touted as directing it and there are even publicity photographs of Cheng Pei Pei and her daughter (who was to star in the remake) posing for it but I can't see what has happened since. IMDB has a film of the same name for 2008 but no details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member The Dragon Posted February 3, 2008 Member Share Posted February 3, 2008 Sometimes I feel this film is not acknowledged enough, when sooo many that followed borrowed tremendously from it's themes. I loved the Opera beats, eccentuating the action, a key picked up by Stephen Chow with his Kung Fu Hustle, proving that even today, King Hu's influences are still being used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member tai_shin_mun Posted February 3, 2008 Member Share Posted February 3, 2008 though how anyone would think the gorgeous (I think she was about 19 at the time) Cheng Pei Pei was a man is one of those mysteries of HK films. It beats damn out of me any time I see in films woman tries to hide his sex and act as a man.Are chinese blind?..however there is kind of opposite case too.In Shaw film Enchanting Ghost main character male looks more woman than real ones.Even his voice is thin and high:rolleyes:. CDWM is fantastic film,acting and action are topnotch.Version I have is licensed from IVL,same high quality print but does not have interview+other extras.I can only guess IVL would have wanted more money from those and market of kung-fu films over here not large. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Winfred Posted February 3, 2008 Member Share Posted February 3, 2008 The male scholar in The Enchanting Ghost is played by Taiwan's male impersonator Miss Yang Li-hua. She is the Taiwanese equivalent of Hong Kong's Ivy Ling Po. My best friend who comes over to watch a Shaw movie with me every night dislikes male impersonation. He terms it "gal-in-drag" and can't understand why in the swordplay movies, no one can see through the heroine once she is dressed in male garb despite looking very girlish. Were folks so simple minded then, he asked. Actually male impersonation only works on stage in operas. Women dressed up as men look more attractive and traditionally women are sought after to play the heroes. Ivy Ling Po at her best, looked boyish in her male roles. The movies where she looked most boysh are The Love Eterne, A Maid From Heaven & The Crimson Palm. After Shaw studio forced her to undergo plastic surgery to enhance her looks, she was no longer convincing as a male scholar in the huangmei operas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member bobo Posted March 20, 2008 Member Share Posted March 20, 2008 COME DRINK WITH ME and HEROES OF THE EAST are delayed to MAY -27th. seems to me we went threw this once before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Yakuza954 Posted March 20, 2008 Member Share Posted March 20, 2008 I think it's to the point where you have to assume every Dragon Dynasty release is going to get delayed at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member gravedigger666 Posted March 20, 2008 Member Share Posted March 20, 2008 Too bad..CDWM I already have and going to buy today IVL Heroes Of The East,don`t want to wait DD release any longer to see movie many has said is one of finest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted June 16, 2013 Member Share Posted June 16, 2013 I just wanted to add that this movie is one of the best martial arts movie ever made, am I right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member masterofoneinchpunch Posted June 17, 2013 Member Share Posted June 17, 2013 I just wanted to add that this movie is one of the best martial arts movie ever made, am I right? It is pretty high on my list of top HK films, not just martial art films. I wonder if I like it as much as A Touch of Zen ( would love to see a good copy of this, because of this I have seen CDWM several times and ATOZ only once). Its importance is duly noted, but why is it in your top MA movies? Top 10? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member OpiumKungFuCracker Posted June 17, 2013 Member Share Posted June 17, 2013 It is pretty high on my list of top HK films, not just martial art films. I wonder if I like it as much as A Touch of Zen ( would love to see a good copy of this, because of this I have seen CDWM several times and ATOZ only once). Its importance is duly noted, but why is it in your top MA movies? Top 10? I don't remember the plot/story much, been awhile since I've seen it but do remember my reaction being blown away like leafs on a windy autumn's day. Pei Pei was cute as fuck in this movie, and the guy with the painted white face was an awesome Villain??? Or was he not the villain, shit I need to watch this movie again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Killer Meteor Posted June 17, 2013 Member Share Posted June 17, 2013 I've always thought Chen Hung-Lieh (the White Faced Tiger) would have made a great Joker. CDWM is one of my faves, mainly because King Hu is such a great director. I feel, though, that in general the quality of Shaw's costume epics was greater in the 60s. Fresher, less burnt out directors with more attention to detail and nice period music as opposed to generic western library cues, and a more authentic Chinese look and feel. I've just seen a Celestial trailer for their 1964 Mulan and the army scenes looks much better then the counterparts in various 70s flicks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.