As one of the rulers of the Hong Kong film industry in the 1980s and 1990s, director Tsui Hark (徐克) has made a remarkably smooth transition into the 21st century with Seven Swords (七劍), an ambitious project that reopens the world of wuxia martial arts. Determined to draw a clear distinction between hot films from the East such as Hero (英雄) and House of Flying Daggers (十面埋伏), Tsui has made a splash by providing an alternative vision of the martial arts saga.
Letting go of the stagy and surrealistic costumes, settings and dazzling special effects of many mainstream martial arts movies, Tsui has once again proved himself a master of narration, with playful yet pointed camera angles, ingenious composition and editing. There are also beautifully choreographed action scenes and his juxtaposition of close-ups and long shots admirably convey the inner development of characters.
In the world of Seven Swords, there is no line between good and evil. Instead ordinary people are confronted with their own demons and weakness. Each character is painted as an ordinary human being, with a loveable side and a dark side. For example, the greedy, blood-thirsty general who chases after the seven swords master, Fire-Wind, is not merely an incarnation of pure evil, but rather a morbidly charming persona with a sense of childlike innocence.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CATALYST LOGIC COMPANYN
Tsui wants to present a world of wuxia that is not divorced from reality. His themes are the issue of universal humanity and contemporary society.
The film is not without its weaknesses, however. As in most of Tsui's movies, the characters' personalities develop throughout the film. But here the personalities do not seem to fully mature and are rather shadowy in their portrayal. Perhaps the reason for this is that Tsui originally conceived a four hour film, rather than two-and-a-half hours.
Another problem is the music composed by Kenki Kawai, who creates a grand score which is nevertheless devoid of human emotions and merely serves as a supportive role to the visual elements.
Despite the defects, Seven Swords sees a director who has total confidence and control in his craftsmanship and artistry. As intended, Tsui has made a film that is a worthy homage to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurais.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Mirror mirror on the wall, what’s the fairest Disney live-action remake of them all? Wait, mirror. Hold on a second. Maybe choosing from the likes of Alice in Wonderland (2010), Mulan (2020) and The Lion King (2019) isn’t such a good idea. Mirror, on second thought, what’s on Netflix? Even the most devoted fans would have to acknowledge that these have not been the most illustrious illustrations of Disney magic. At their best (Pete’s Dragon? Cinderella?) they breathe life into old classics that could use a little updating. At their worst, well, blue Will Smith. Given the rapacious rate of remakes in modern
RSS