A Touch of Zen (Eureka - MoC) LIMITED EDITION: 2,000 COPIES

[reason108]

Originally Posted by Owenjohnston

Only watched this yesterday for the first time ever! Absolutely loved the film and it looked fantastic in most places (a few scenes with a lot of scratches on the lens).

Something I wondered about the transfer was if it was sped up in places (or if that was how it was filmed?) As this is the only reference point for me, sometimes it was as if it was played at 30fps or something, mostly during panning shots towards the end as if they really wanted to get the film in under 3 hours without cutting any scenes?

Yeah, King Hu played around with film speeds during the shooting of the movie. That was a part of his style. You should check out Dragon Inn if you haven't.

[rapta]

This is still the best King Hu I've seen so far, but I'm really looking forward to The Fate of Lee Khan being released by MoC later this year. I hope they also get Raining in the Mountain at some point, which has also been recently restored by TWI (there's a clip of the restoration on their YouTube channel).

And I agree with the above - Dragon Inn and Legend of the Mountain are worth picking up too.

[reason108]

Originally Posted by rapta

This is still the best King Hu I've seen so far, but I'm really looking forward to The Fate of Lee Khan being released by MoC later this year. I hope they also get Raining in the Mountain at some point, which has also been recently restored by TWI (there's a clip of the restoration on their YouTube channel).

And I agree with the above - Dragon Inn and Legend of the Mountain are worth picking up too.

Isn’t Raining in the Mountain the sister film of LOTM? Love these films and I will keep buying as long as Eureka keep releasing.

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by reason108

Isn’t Raining in the Mountain the sister film of LOTM? Love these films and I will keep buying as long as Eureka keep releasing.

They were filmed back to back.

[Shingster]

Originally Posted by ravenus

I don't know if its an unequivocal improvement. I would think the darkness is more pervasive (looking more like night) and the colors are richer in the Eureka version.

Yeah the German release doesn't really improve the overall image at all imo and takes away the saturation of the primary colours and adds issues with clipping of shadows and highlights. They made the blacks black, but that's the only gain they made. It's a case of one step forward and three steps back.

I think viewers are just better off sticking to the UK/US releases and letting their eyes adjust to the to the green as they watch. There simply isn't a satisfying release out there!

[Marlew]

I finished this last night after getting somewhat lost/bored/overfaced towards the end of the first 'act' a couple of weeks ago. I had very much enjoyed the opening hour and loved the atmosphere and sense of mystery but I wasn't prepared for a flashback or displacement or for the introduction of so many characters at that stage. I may have been overtired and I suspect that on a rewatch, it will feel like a more satisfying transition but that was my initial feeling.

Having determined to give it another go, I worked through that lull and I thought the second and third phases of the film were fantastic, overall. I knew almost nothing about it besides the running time so the whole kung fu monk element was a total surprise. The bamboo forest scenes must be pretty legendary, they felt familiar so I can assume this has influenced plenty of other stuff I've seen. They still felt fresh and creative, though. I've been spoiled recently with so much Jackie Chan and Jet Li that a direct comparison isn't a 'fair fight' but I was impressed by how exciting the action scenes were here. Not so much in terms of athleticism and physicality but there's a balletic fluidity and a great sense of pace and immediacy.

The final scenes were completely unexpected and I will have to watch it again to see how I feel about it. The fantastical, ineffable elements have stayed with me, at least. I admire the ambition. I'm not sure how much it has to say about Buddhism (never mind 'Zen') but I understand it's a recurring theme in his later films so I'll look forward to exploring. Next up, though, back to Dragon Inn!

[reason108]

Originally Posted by Marlew

I finished this last night after getting somewhat lost/bored/overfaced towards the end of the first 'act' a couple of weeks ago. I had very much enjoyed the opening hour and loved the atmosphere and sense of mystery but I wasn't prepared for a flashback or displacement or for the introduction of so many characters at that stage. I may have been overtired and I suspect that on a rewatch, it will feel like a more satisfying transition but that was my initial feeling.

Having determined to give it another go, I worked through that lull and I thought the second and third phases of the film were fantastic, overall. I knew almost nothing about it besides the running time so the whole kung fu monk element was a total surprise. The bamboo forest scenes must be pretty legendary, they felt familiar so I can assume this has influenced plenty of other stuff I've seen. They still felt fresh and creative, though. I've been spoiled recently with so much Jackie Chan and Jet Li that a direct comparison isn't a 'fair fight' but I was impressed by how exciting the action scenes were here. Not so much in terms of athleticism and physicality but there's a balletic fluidity and a great sense of pace and immediacy.

The final scenes were completely unexpected and I will have to watch it again to see how I feel about it. The fantastical, ineffable elements have stayed with me, at least. I admire the ambition. I'm not sure how much it has to say about Buddhism (never mind 'Zen') but I understand it's a recurring theme in his later films so I'll look forward to exploring. Next up, though, back to Dragon Inn!

There is a reason why director, King Hu, called it "A Touch" of Zen. And, he really did. He said there was a touch of zen in the movie but not overwhelming amount or heavy-handed.

[Marlew]

Originally Posted by reason108

There is a reason why director, King Hu, called it "A Touch" of Zen. And, he really did. He said there was a touch of zen in the movie but not overwhelming amount or heavy-handed.

Haha, that sounds like it could be a very dry joke on your part but I'll take it as a fact, and very interesting stuff! My impression was that the Zen elements were quite superficial mysticism but I did enjoy the fantastical side to the film. Totally came from nowhere.