Tsui Hark's Seven Swordsmen and Liang Yu Sheng's novel

[Temujin]

Just sharing what I found, since I'm not too familiar with a lot of Liang Yu Sheng's novels, other than Bai Fa Mo Nu Zhuan (The Legend of Demonic Woman with White Hair) and Lofty Water, Vendant Bow.

But this new movie by Tsui Hark (which is scheduled to hit the theaters this month in Asia) should be really neat, and probably the best Wuxia fiction adaptation to ever hit the cinemas. The trailer looks impressive. I just learnt that the seven swordsman are the students of the three main characters of Bai Fa Mo Nu Zhuan.

The Seven Swordsmen comprise of :

4 students of Yue Ming Ke
2 students of Yu Luo Cha
1 student of Zhou Yi Hang

Looks like Tsui Hark is following this movie with a TV series, also from the same novel Qi Jian Xia Tian Shan.

When will be the day when we see a great director take upon the grandeur of Jin Yong's trilogy and visualize it into mega budget movies like LOTR. But this is indeed a good start.

Has anyone read the novel ? This is a good story I hope and we'll see how much loyalty Tsui Hark put into this project. Keeping my fingers crossed until it premieres.

[mong lang]

Does the movie originally comes in cantonese or mandarin?


Cheers!

[SkineePanda]

I have a question to ask: is the 1993 movie Bride with White Hair anything like the LYS novel?

Zhou Yi Hang stayed on the mountain top for the flower for ten years straight?

[TaiHan]

I have only read part of the novel, but the movie seem to be almost a different story.

[Long]

I have a question to ask: is the 1993 movie Bride with White Hair anything like the LYS novel?

Zhou Yi Hang stayed on the mountain top for the flower for ten years straight?

Like most HK movies, you'll be lucky if it is 10% true to the original novel... It's more like a fanfic based on characters developed by LYS.

[Long]

Has anyone read the novel ? This is a good story I hope and we'll see how much loyalty Tsui Hark put into this project. Keeping my fingers crossed until it premieres.

There's no loyalty to the novel from what I read.

Doesn't sound at all promising where in one article it was rumoured that Tsiu Hark advised the cast that they should not read the novel nor study the characters in the novel as that would contradict they way he wanted them to act on the set.

[Temujin]

There's no loyalty to the novel from what I read.

Doesn't sound at all promising where in one article it was rumoured that Tsiu Hark advised the cast that they should not read the novel nor study the characters in the novel as that would contradict they way he wanted them to act on the set.

That is a SAD news indeed. Looking at the pictures, galleries, and trailer, this probably the best Wuxia movie adaptation ever put into the movie screen.

But if the movie is HARDLY loyal to the novel, and after Tsui Hark's going out-of-control with lame storyline and overboard visual effects in the last 5-7 years, I am very nervous about this movie .... though I would give him some credit for adapting Liang Yu Sheng's novels, which are under-represented in the Asian movie industry, where so many directors/producers went for Jin Yong/Gu Long novels.

Not to mention, although the cinematography looks great with breathtaking sceneries, the trailer looks like another version of THE BLADE.

Gosh... why can some hardcore Wuxia directors/fans direct great Wuxia movies with enough loyalty (sigh) ?

But I'll give him a glimpse of chance and hope, until I see the finished product myself, keeping my fingers crossed though

[Temujin]

Well the movie is out all over Asia now and although I haven't watched the whole movie firsthand yet, but had a chance to catch the first 30 minutes of it. It falls short of my great expectation so far.

From everyone else who have watched it entirely, I heard it sucked real bad. I think Tsui Hark has just lost it, this movie is supposed to be his ticket to a great come back to his past glory in Asian cinema.

It has a potential to be great, with excellent cinematography but he butched the 4 hours movie himself with ridiculous editing making it into a 2.5 hour disaster with choppy scenes integration, causing the lost connection among the different scenes and without explanation on supporting scenes to strengthen the character of each swordsman at all. Most audience got lost watching it and felt no attachment to any characters.

Again, without belittling Tsui Hark's potential and talent, I feel that this is quite pitiful, not only the movie failed in its own merit but also a loss-potential to Liang YuSheng's great work.