It's the first post of 2017 good people, and Hai!Karate returns with a flick that might very well be timely to those up on certain things. This particular martial arts movie is one of my chosen favorites, from a year that would see the Shaw Brothers Studios capture the attention of American audiences heavily. The movie in question? From 1972, The Water Margin!! Let's not delay, and dive right into the plot and the reasons why this film is one of Hong Kong cinema's powerhouses.
The origins of The Water Margin come from a highly renowned
Chinese classical novel of the same name. This text was
written in the 14th century, and details the exploits of
a band of 108 fighters who meet at Liang Shan to fight
against evil and tyranny on all fronts - including against
the Sung government. The leader of these fighters? Song
Jiang. They would eventually come to terms with the Sung
government and gain amnesty in the 12th century which led
to them being mobilized to repel foreign invaders. But not
without a series of uprisings and clashes, which are laid
out in some versions that swell the novel to 100 chapters.
Other versions omit these narratives, and as such there is
a 70-chapter version which was translated by the famed
American novelist and author of The Good Earth, Pearl S.
Buck. Another version has 120 chapters with all accounts
included. For the Shaw Studios production, the wellspring
behind the plot lies in chapters 64 through 68.
The movie begins with the ambush of "Heavenly King" Chao
Kai, the leader of the Liangshan Heroes by "Golden Spear"
Shi Wengong. Golden Spear is requested to perform this act
at the behest of the local Sung magistrate. When news of
Heavenly King's death reaches Liangshan, the heroes are
distraught and plan for revenge. In his stead, seniors
"Welcome Rain" Song Jiang and "Clever Star" Wu Yong come
up with an idea that will serve two purposes - to gain a
new leader for the Outlaws of The Marsh and to defeat
Golden Spear. The plan? Enlist the services of the noted
pugilist - and Golden Spear's former classmate - Jade
Unicorn, Lu Junyi. They also note that if successful, they
will also gain the services of Junyi's servant, "The Prodigy"
Yen Ching. Clever Star and "Black Whirlwind" Li Kui are
tasked to go to the town where Jade Unicorn resides.
Both men arrive in the town just as Jade Unicorn is being
set up to go to jail and be executed - all a plot cooked
up by his treasurer, who is sleeping with Jade Unicorn's
wife who felt neglected by his heavy martial arts training.
They appeal to him through The Prodigy, who is making plans
to free his master on his own. These men ultimately combine
forces and set the stage for the showdown between Golden
Spear's clan and the Liangshan Heroes.
The Water Margin bowed to cinemas in Hong Kong in 1972 as a crowning epic from the Shaw Studios. It was so much of an epic that THREE directors helmed the film, with the legend Chang Cheh at the forefront with Wu Ma and Pao Hsueh-Li. The cast assembled was a who's who of cinema in the region at that time. You had David Chiang as Yen Ching, a flashy heartthrob who could throw hands with the best of them. Yueh Hua as Leopard Spear. The Japanese action and noir actor Tetsuro Tamba as Lu Junyi. Chen Kuan Tai. Lily Ho. Ku Feng. Even Danny Lee, who you may know from the John Woo classic The Killer. When I say epic, I mean EPIC. Let's go to Tamba for a second. It's astounding that he was tapped to play the role of Jade Unicorn but not totally surprising. The Water Margin was also well regarded in Japan, and would be the basis for a television series there soon after this movie aired. Tamba had gained worldwide attention as Tiger Tanaka in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice five years prior. In addition, he also appeared in the classic film based on Lafcadio Hearn's collection of Japanese ghost tales, Kwaidan. Interestingly enough, Golden Spear is played by another prominent Japanese actor, Toshio Kurosawa. No relation to the legendary director, Kurosawa had built a solid career to this point. From this he would go on to play a pivotal role in the cult classic Lady Snowblood...
The Water Margin became a film that caught the eye of
the West - and led to a re-release stateside that took
a curious turn. See, I first saw this film years ago as
the filler movie after a doubleheader of NBA games on TNT.
There wasn't any iconic Shaw Brothers logo lead-in - and
it was billed as Seven Blows Of The Dragon. This Western
re-cut of the film is entertaining but has some parts that
make you scratch your head. You've got your requisite voice
dubbing that can verge on comical. The musical cues don't
stray too much from the original version. BUT this US
version runs 79 minutes. Which means that they cut out
over close to an HOUR of the HK version, which I didn't
peep until afterwards. Word has it that Roger Corman was
part of the revamp - I haven't seen much to fully verify
that. The film re-naming was essentially what studios
here did in order to lure audiences into the movie houses
to these films, and the trend began with King Boxer being
re-titled Five Fingers Of Death.
The flick is well-paced and composed throughout. Cheh and
the other directors do a great job of letting the characters
flourish in relation to the plot. Now, you might be asking
about other characters who show up in the movie. The Water
Margin would be shot with three other films in that time
period - Pursuit, The Delightful Forest and All Men Are
Brothers. However, the latter film was released some time
after. In terms of action, it's worth noting that David
Chiang's acrobatic prowess was engaged in a totally unique
way with more wresting grips and throws incorporated into
Yen Ching's fighting style. Cheh and the action directors
took pains to highlight this with slow-motion filming, and
this probably led US studio execs to make that the core as
well. Is there a good deal of bloodshed? This is a Shaw flick-
that's like asking if Allen Iverson ever had a nasty dribble.
People get cut down with ruthless zeal here.
The Water Margin is one of the best films that the Shaw
Studios has ever made. From Black Whirlwind's cry "THE
MOUNTAIN BROTHERS ARE ALL HERE!!!" to the funky musical tinges
throughout, to the sense of satisfaction upon seeing the
Liangshan Heroes arrive, you will find yourself wrapped
up in just how the story of the people uniting to fight
against injustice and evil is laid out in glorious '70's
fashion. You can actually find the original version now
on DVD, and I highly recommend it. It's not one of the most
talked about films from the Shaw Brothers, but once you
watch it you realize it should be.
RATING: 5 OF 5 DRAGON PUNCHES
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