Soul of the Sword (Sha jue, 1978)

Hua Shan

Hong Kong

85 min, color, Mandarin (English subtitles)

Review © 2004 Branislav L. Slantchev

Favorite quote: A long enough sword... but flaccid.

I thought that with Chu Yuan and Chang Cheh I had found my favorite swordplay directors. Boy, was I mistaken. I've watched Hua Shan's film twice now and it seems that he delivers in the one department where the other two are usually sorely lacking: intense drama based on emotional conflicts. Chu Yuan gives incredibly dense and rich in fantasy stories that feel quite contrived. Chang Cheh's emphasis on bloody action and manliness usually shoves everything else to the background. Hua Shan, on the other hand, takes the genre and manages to give the old "ultimate swordsman" story his own tragic twist without skimping on the requisite fights.

Lu fights a young challenger	Ti Lung: worth the price of admission

On the surface, there's nothing much to recommend the story in terms of originality. A rich sire (Yue Wing) keeps the "King of Swords" (masked and not revealed until the end although astute viewers will probably recognize him within a minute) as a retainer. It's a cushy well-paid sinecure except for all those pesky youngsters who periodically show up to challenge the master for the title. Said master unsuccessfully tries to dissuade them but they nevertheless get themselves killed. Why? Because they are not ready to challenge him: they have worldly distractions that, as usual, manifest themselves in beautiful female form. One such distraction kills herself when her rash beau is ignominiously skewered.

We are not a circus troupe!	Liu Hui-Ling still has her clothes on

A young boy witnesses the double deaths and vows to defeat the master (do not confuse matters, it has nothing to do with revenge). The boy grows up to be Nameless (Ti Lung). He's an excellent swordsman who goes from hall to hall ruining perfectly good furniture and securing non-stop work for dry cleaners. He is well on his way to becoming a star except that he has periodic visions of the female suicidee. These visions, however, are not enough to stop him from killing Lily Li who shows up in his bathroom masquerading as a good Sword Lady. In addition, we find that Liu Hui-Ling also wants to kill him although at his point we do not know why (and never find out really).

Ku Feng as the drinking vivacious doc	Ti Lung checking Lee Hoi-Sang's close shave

Nameless goes to the mansion but the sword master Lu is out visiting relatives. At least we are treated to an excellent fight between Ti Lung and Lee Hoi-Sang. Nameless befriends a doctor (Ku Feng) who asks way too many questions about Nameless's intentions (hint, hint). The good doctor takes Nameless to brothels but the dedicated athlete cannot let his sperm weaken... until, that is, he meets Ho Lien (Lin Chen-Chi). At this point, the nameless sperm quickens enough to abdicate her and rape her. Fortunately, it turns out that she has fallen in love with her, so it wasn't really rape... maybe. At any rate, Yien (Norman Chu) is devastated. Who's Yien? A cowardly guy in love with Lin. Why do we care? No idea. Favorite line about him delivered by Nameless:

Excellent skill! You may pass for an expert with a theatre troupe.

At this point we know these guys are not gonna be friends forever.

Can't let the sword go at the brothel	Her umbrella works better than his sword

Nameless slowly entangles himself in the web of worldly attraction which gets him distracted from his goal. It is at this point that the film begins to veer into darker territory. I could not make up my mind if he was just a really dedicated zealous man or someone who is a stupid bully. The guy barges in, gets the girl, humiliates the other man repeatedly, but at the same time is tormented by the vision of the woman (who is an exact replica of Ho Lien) and tries to figure out why. We have arrived at the classic choice: should he abandon his quest for immortality to stay with the woman he loves, or should he leave her to pursue eternal fame?

Lin Chen-Chi anticipates the ending	Ti Lung taunts Norman Chu

Hua Shan tells us it's not that simple. Nameless cannot simply leave Ho Lien for her image is in his mind. He will not be able to escape his attachment to her (unless perhaps he turns into a zealous Buddhist and abandons all earthly passions). Most importantly, as the good doctor warned him, he will be unable to defeat Lu for the real swordsman has only one attachment --- his sword, and everything else is a sure recipe for surgery without painkillers. Nameless almost seems human when he relents and whispers his name into Ho Lien's ears... and then Hua Shan delivers the shocking resolution to the swordsman's dilemma: Nameless sacrifices the woman he loves, thereby freeing himself for the duel.

Can't let the sword go in the bathroom	Do you want to kill me?

Predictably, he defeats Lu only to discover that fame and riches mean nothing without Ho Lien. He refuses to give his name, symbolically rejecting the very goal that he pursued with such reckless abandon. He then returns to Ho Lien where he is ambushed by his embittered rival and the scheming Liu Hui-Ling. His reflexes are enough to dispatch both contenders but he allows himself to be mortally wounded. Nameless passes out and expires within reach of Ho Lien's cold body. Sic transit gloria mundi.

Liu Hui-Ling with fewer clothes on	If you are a man, you will do what I tell you

Although not innovative, the film is very satisfying. Ti Lung does not often get to play real bastards on screen, and here is one of the rare occasions. The scene where he murders Ho Lien is astonishingly well-done. From a brisk pace where she chirps on and on about how he's going to win the duel with Lu and how she's going to wait for his return, to the abrupt stop when she turns around only to find herself impaled on his blade, the camera manages to convey the entire sequence flawlessly, slowly moving up towards his face showing a cold and determined expression.

Nameless ready to face the challenge	Was this suicide by proxy?

The Celestial Pictures DVD has a fairly crisp anamorphic widescreen transfer at the usual 2.35:1 aspect ratio. This time only the Mandarin (DD 2.0) soundtrack is available. The subtitles are pretty decent, even managing to convey some of the original humor. The extras are limited to the usual suspects: photo gallery, trailers, and talent files. Recommended purchase for fans of Ti Lung and more emotional swordplay films.

June 30, 2004