"Heroic Grace" catalog - UCLA Film & Television Archive

DRAGON INN [LONGMEN KEZHAN]
Taiwan 1968 Director: King Hu
King Hu’s follow-up to COME DRINK WITH ME (1966) is a rousing period tale about a heroic trio who defy the ruthless secret security
forces of a corrupt despot to protect a family of political exiles. At the eponymous frontier establishment, the murderous
agents of a powerful imperial eunuch, Cao Shaoqin (Bai Ying), lie in wait for the banished children of an executed rival. The trap
is, however, complicated by a series of mysterious warriors—including Polly Shangguan Lingfeng as a dexterous female
knight—who arrive at the inn as meddlesome guests to distract the waiting killers. An exquisite game of cat-and-mouse ensues
as each side tests the martial skills of the other. When the exiles finally arrive, the mounting tension explodes in successive,
sword-flashing climaxes that build to the entrance of the reputedly invincible Cao himself.
A painstaking recreation of Ming Dynasty costumes and settings circa 1450 adds a new element of authenticity to the film’s
mythic clash of knights and evil agents. Hu times the fluid dance of Han Yingjie’s action choreography to the percussive syncopation
of Beijing Opera. (Han himself appears as one of the arch-villain’s lieutenants.) A huge hit across Asia, DRAGON INN firmly
established Hu as a master of the emerging “new school” wuxia film, and later became a touchstone of the subgenre’s revival
when Tsui Hark paid direct homage to it in his 1992 remake.
—Paul Malcolm
Studio: Union. Producer: Sha Rongfeng. Screenplay: King Hu. Cinematography: Hua Huiying. Martial Arts Director: Han Yingjie. Art
Director: Zou Zhiliang. Editor: Chen Hongmin. Sound: Zhang Hua. Music: Zhou Lanping. Cast: Polly Shangguan Lingfeng, Shi Jun, Bai
Ying, Xu Feng, Miao Tian.
35mm, in Mandarin with English subtitles, 111 min.
Print Source: Chinese Taipei Film Archive
HAN YINGJIE
A frequent onscreen performer, Han Yingjie made his most lasting
contribution to the cinema as King Hu’s martial arts director.
In seminal works from COME DRINK WITH ME (1966) to A TOUCH OF
ZEN (1971), Han brought Northern-style acrobatics, grace and
power to his fight choreography, even as Hu’s editing and camera
techniques pushed the martial arts film into new kinetic terrain.
Han is often credited with introducing the trampoline as a
hidden aid for somersaulting stunts. He is also noted for his work
with Bruce Lee on THE BIG BOSS (1971) and FIST OF FURY (a.k.a. THE
CHINESE CONNECTION, 1972). His assistant Sammo Hung eventually
succeeded him as martial arts director to Hu on THE FATE OF LEE
KHAN (1973) and THE VALIANT ONES (1975).
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SUNDAY MARCH 9