A Touch of Zen

King Hu’s visionary Ming Dynasty epic stands as one of the cornerstones of the wuxia genre. Set in 14th century China, the story sees a young painter named Gu befriend a beautiful woman living in an abandoned – and supposedly haunted – fortress. The mysterious beauty reveals she is in fact in hiding from the secret police who tortured and murdered her father. Gu finds himself caught between the woman, who's still hounded by her father’s enemies, and the schemes of the nefarious eunuch who seeks to eradicate all trace of her family.

Not content to simply repeat his past success in the genre, Hu structures his film like a set of Chinese boxes, defying audience expectations as he deftly moves from ghost story to detective story to philosophical action film. Symbolism and visual motifs recur throughout, with the opening scene of murky woods and tangled spiderwebs – suggesting the menacing and predatory nature of the Imperial Eunuch and his East Chamber Guards – crowding the screen before sunlight pierces through, signifying the dazzling clarity afforded by Buddhist enlightenment.

Stunning action sequences influenced by Peking Opera – including the memorable, much-imitated fight in the bamboo forest – are expressively captured by the intoxicating cinematography and the sound design is impeccable. A classic.

Extras:

A select scene commentary by critic and Asian cinema expert Tony Rayns provides valued insight for more inquisitive viewers while Golden Blood – a video essay by critic and filmmaker David Cairns – makes for an interesting companion piece to the film. Standout however is King Hu 1932-1997, a 47-minute documentary about the director featuring interviews with colleagues and historians, which provides a fascinating look at Hu’s history, what informed his works and some vivid anecdotes.

Released by Masters of Cinema – buy at eurekavideo.co.uk/moc/touch-zen