Guest HAZ74 Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 Hi, I thought I'd start a new thread about the Crash Master's release of "The Sword"; I just picked up the DVD yesterday & wanted to share some impressions & hear what other folks have to say. It would be cool if the discussion could stay foucsed more with the movie & less with the production of the DVD. I wasn't sure what to expect from "The Sword" - I kinda expected it to be a mess - my impression was colored by the previous thread about the movie & that review posted on another board to which Linn responded. Its really hard to know what to believe when reading KF film reviews on line. I've found that reviews generally tend to be colored by a couple things; Rarity - I collect a few things - some folks here might know me from message boards about records, old lp's. There are some really rare records out there that are sought after by collectors. Rarity for me, though, is not a stamp or assurance of quality. A movie could be rare & still stink. When folks were trumpeting the rarity of "The Sword" my radar went up - "Great" is an adjective that I like to see mentioned first when folks talk about movies/records/art, "rarity" comes later. Nostalgia is another thing that can wreck a review - "I remember seeing ------- on black belt theater when I was seven...My mother was in the kitchen making jam..." F**k you. You want to get sentimental,? Buy a @#%$ hallmark card & go cry in the corner. I don't give a damn about things like that. Thankfully, I didn't see anything like that in relation to "The Sword". Finally, what will make me think a movie will be a pile of doo doo is when people talk about its historical importance. I've picked up movies that were significant historically to the genre, but were so awful I can't begin to say enough bad things about 'em. Hearing that "The Sword" was historically important to the wuxia genre made me think that for sure it must be a real piece of schitt. There was also the quibbling about the subs, the print, etc... Hardly any mention of the film itself, except for a piss poor review on dvddorks.com or whatever. Hardly anthing said about atmosphere, acting, sets, costumes, fights, shot compistion, etc...Well, I found myself in a dvd shop yesterday that almost never has any good movies & "The Sword" was on the shelf staring me in the face with a price tag of only 15 bucks & I said what the heck. And I'm very glad that I did. "The Sword", for any era, regardless of its rarity or historical import, is a really well crafted film. First I wanna talk about Jimmy Wang Yu. This might be one of his best performances - I loved him in The Assassin & One Armed Swordsman, but he shows more maturity in the role of Hsia Ho. He's not overacting, but delievers a balanced performance - exudes menace when he grabs his sword, & carries himself with a regal air that is almost palatable through the celluloid. He is a filial son & a general's son through & through. The supporting cast does a reasonable job, but this is Wang Yu's film & he owns it. I don't know who the director was, but he did an excellent job. Think of King Hu, but with a faster pace. There are some really beautiful shots in this movie - waterfalls, sky, snow, cherry blossoms. The sets are well crafted, maybe better than Shaw sets of the time. The fights could have been a little bloddier & the choreography could have been a bit more inventive, but they were still satisfying. I don't want to spoil the film for anyone, but the romantic plot line of the film does not meander & plays well into the final scenes. The only criticism I have is that Wang Yu could have come across as a bit more manic, crazed, obsessed. Its not that he didn't display passion, but he could have been a bit more crazy-nutzo. I don't think that the script afforded him the opportunity, though. Women in this movie are kind of ornamental, but I didn't care cause they were hot. The final scenes were moving, the last duel ooozes atmosphere - the music & the snow...There's one shot in particular that would be fun to talk about, but I don't want to ruin the movie for people. The end kind of reminded me of "Swordman from double-flag town" because it felt like a dream sequence, especially when Wang Yu's opponent unsheathes his sword...I had to rewind that part & I'm wondering about its significance. Very cool. Anyhow, this is long. Thanks for reading. Peace h Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Linn1 Posted April 8, 2007 Member Share Posted April 8, 2007 there's a lot of places I don't trust for kung fu reviews. Largely because they think of this as a genre that's meant to be funny or strange, and reviewers don't have experience to be reviewing one kung fu release out of a couple of dozen mainstream dvds a year. Before the last thread degenerated, everyone who had seen the film said it was a great film with one of Wang Yu's best performances, excellent sets, etc, glad to hear you agreed. I agree with what you're saying about rare films, fans do hype them up too much. But when something's a classic, it's just that, classic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest morgoth Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 I liked the movie, but I didn't think it was a classic. But if you are a big Wong Yu fan, there is no reason you should not see this. This may be his best performance ever and is just on fire in every scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fightlikeapes Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 there's a lot of places I don't trust for kung fu reviews. I'll take it a step further: I don't trust ANY reviews. Or actually what I should say is I don't use reviews as a guide to whether or not I should purchase a movie. That's not to say I don't read reviews, I read them all the time. But what I tend to do is self-filter out all the opinions. To me they're valuable for facts they might contain dealing with the presentation of the release, etc. For the opinions presented in any review to mean anything to me, I have to develop a relationship with the reviewer, which is to read a number of their reviews and come to realize I agree with their opinion or disagree, for the most part. I do that all the time on the boards, there are certain posters I tend to agree with and certain ones I tend not to agree with. But even someone I find as a trusted reviewer, I will not decide on whether or not I'm going to pick up a film based on their review. There were too many times when I was younger when I missed out on seeing things because I took the advice of someone else. As for The Sword, I have to agree with morgoth, I like the film but I don't love it. I think of a film I watched recently, The Valiant Ones, I found that a much better movie than The Sword. And it's a lesser King Hu film in my opinion. But I've also found throughout the years that films I dislike I've grown to love, and films I've loved I think stink now. A lot of times how someone feels about the film has more to do with the mood they're in when they watch it than anything else. God I've posted a lot today. I never do this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HAZ74 Posted April 8, 2007 Share Posted April 8, 2007 I find too often people annoint movies as "classic" too soon. I'm enthusiastic about "The Sword", but I'd call it classic if I'm still watching it in a few months. Right now, I can say its a movie I really enjoyed & that its worth picking up. Just out for curiosity - I heard this made a list of 30 great swordplay films - does anyone know where it ranked & what the other movies are? Peace h Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HwangDi Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 I don't know if it's Wang Yu's BEST performance as he's a brilliant actor in many movies I've seen, kinda difficult choosing whats his very best but the Sword ranks in my top 5 of his so far. If it ain't a classic it's pretty darn close at least... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Linn1 Posted April 9, 2007 Member Share Posted April 9, 2007 I was in a rush and didn't really finish my thought. What I mean is if a film is good, it's good. Historical importance or not. Just becauses a film is important, doesn't mean it's bad or vice versa. I think that everyone has a different idea of what they like, which is different for every genre. I don't mean that The Sword is an all time classic. When I mentioned it was important in a historic sense to the reviewer in my response, it's because he clearly didn't know what he was reviewing. While I think it's among the better independent swordplay films of the period, I don't think it's the best swordplay film of all time. Sorry I wasn't being clear there. As for the list of 30, it was a series of showings covering from the '30s-'90s. They didn't have rankings as such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest morgoth Posted April 9, 2007 Share Posted April 9, 2007 Hey Linn, just so you know, I wasn't commenting too much on your thoughts. Basically, I was just saying that I didn't personally think it was a classic, but I can see how other people would think so. Also, I totally agree wth HAZ's first post that one thing that could have made thsi movie better is that Wang Yu could have been shown goin crazy more. I think it's a really good movie, but it's hard for me to say what all is wrong with it, so nice job of bringing that up HAZ. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hkpyanfar Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 I really enjoyed the character developement in the film. JWY's change in character and final revelation reminds me of CYF in the Killer and in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. The blood-thirsty revenge plots that end in massive final slaughter are too common. Here, the hero wins the battle for his own soul. I love the theme and love the movie. This was one great buy and a great viewing experience...and worthy of more discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest the dirty tiger Posted April 12, 2007 Share Posted April 12, 2007 Oh, I never pay any heed to anyone else's reviews. Everyone else keeps asking 'is it good, should I buy it ?' Buy it and find out for yourself if it is good or not. I always watch myself and make up my own mind. As for the Sword it is an absolute classic ! Many rare films are rare for a reason - cause they are crap But this falls into the category of lost classics that desaerve to be seen and known by everyone, I for one love it and reccomend it highly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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