A Touch of Zen

A masterpiece of Hong Kong cinema, filmmaker King Hu's 1971 romantic chivalry adventure is best known to American audiences as one of the films that inspired Ang Lee's Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This story of an honorable scholar named Gu (Shih Chun) who helps a noblewoman (Hsu Feng) on the run from the forces of a corrupt eunuch begins as a conspiracy drama, adds an ingenious game of tricks and traps sprung in the dark, and transforms through floating, leaping, airborne fights into one of the most beautiful martial arts movies ever made. The promised touch of Zen is introduced by a brotherhood of monks who are dedicated to defending the innocent with nothing but their bare hands against swords. The acrobatics are more balletic and graceful than athletic: the heroes jump (with the help of hidden trampolines) and somersault through the air, leap up trees and over walls, dance on the leaves of branches, and land as if floating like a feather to the ground. Hu accomplishes all of this through smart editing and camerawork—long before the advent of digital effects—along with a dramatic sense of dynamic composition. Presented with a 4K restoration, this handsome Criterion release features extras including a 2012 documentary on Hu, cast and crew interviews, and a booklet with an essay by film scholar David Bordwell. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)