077 Zu Warriors From the Magic Mountain

Retro Grade Podcast

“THEY ARE THE BAD GUYS, WE ARE THE GOOD GUYS. UNDERSTAND?“
On this week’s episode of Retro Grade Podcast, we talk about a film from a genre we have never covered before. We talk about the 1983 Hong Kong Wuxia classic Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain, directed by Hong Kong New Wave filmmaker Tsui Hark, starring Yuen Biao, Adam Cheng, Corey Yuen, Brigitte Lin, Moon Lee, Damian Lau, Mang Hoi, and Sammo Hung.

We begin by talking about the story, breaking it down by what we thought of the characters, comedy, the philosophy depicted by the use of the Dual Swords, and whether there can be a connection between the story on screen with the real-life history of Hong Kong under rule of differing governments and how the film can be interpreted as a call for unity. We talk about the depiction of the elders and masters in the film, and how their inability to enact real change has thrown the world into conflict that the new generation must find a resolution for.

From there we get into the technical side of the film, from it’s impressive use of wire work during the fight scenes, to the in-camera techniques that were used to achieve the amazing choreography, to the film’s very dated visual effects (though ambitious may not have aged as well.) But the film’s editing becomes a larger focus in the episode, breaking down how the fast-paced editing helps the film, but also might be hindering it when compared to other wuxia films.

Lastly, we go into the multiple versions that exist of the film, calling into question whether Tsui Hark ever got the version of the film he wanted. We breakdown the elements that go into a wuxia film, and how well Zu Warriors follows it, and go briefly go into the history of the Hong Kong New Wave cinema, and how Zu Warriors was a huge success for the movement but also a source of inspiration for future filmmakers.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy this special episode of Retro Grade Podcast!

Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes.

Artwork by @jannelle_o