The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber

I remember watching "The New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber" (1986) with my mom when I was only a young child, about 5 or 6 years old. That was the first time I saw Tony Leung Chiu Wai. Since then I have been mesmerized by his captivating onscreen presence. As I grew older I started liking him more. His beautiful eyes speak volumes that no words can ever express, his voice makes me melt – like velvety smooth chocolate on a hot surface.

I remember watching the series on VHS tape over and over until the tapes themselves were too old to watch (thank God for VCD's & DVD's!). Well, I was away in college at Texas A&M University and my dad wanted to surprise me so he sent me a copy of "The New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber" as a present, knowing how much I loved Tony. However, when it arrived, it was actually "The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber 2000" series with Lawrence Ng Kai Wah (Ngo Khai Hoa, Gigi Lai (Ngo Khai Hoa), Charmaine Sheh (Xa Thi Man), Joyce Tang Lai Ming and Eddie Cheung.

At first I was a little disappointed because I really wanted the older version, the one with Tony Leung Chiu Wai. However, it was a well thought out and very well-intended gift from my father, so I told him that I loved it and that I would watch it right away. It sat in the entertainment center for the longest time. Finally, I opened it up and started watching it; my dad spent so much time and effort and not to mention money to get these tapes to me. I couldn't believe he actually had them shipped to my dorm in college (there are so many tapes, so episodes, I don't remember the 1986 version being that long).

Watching the 2000 "Heavenly" as an adult is completely different than watching the 1986 "Heavenly" as a small child. It is different now that I am older and more mature. As a small child there were many things that I did not understand back then that now as an adult I see much differently. For example, I did not think that Cheung Mo Kei’'s parents actually committed suicide, I thought they were literally killed by all the people who came to question his parents for the whereabouts of the Golden Hair Lion guy and the Dragon Saber. Everyone was just standing around talking instead of what they should be doing – forming search parties to look for the missing Mo Kei. Mo Kei'’s parents committing suicide is way out of line -– they had a young child to raise –- why kill themselves? And his mom -– she did it right in front of him, even though his eyes were covered briefly. I know now that this sets the stage for the events which are about to occur in the future; instead of eventually taking revenge slowly on everyone present when his parents committed suicide, Cheung Mo Kei ends up saving their lives, each and every one of those ungrateful, nosey, hard headed “noble” fickle fools. It's great how the storyline allows you to see for yourself who really is righteous and noble and who really is "evil" and black-hearted. You should not judge a book by its cover nor should you judge a person before you get to know who they really are; just because someone is supposed to be a "good guy" does not necessarily mean they actually behave like one behind closed doors, when no is watching but the audience.

The prejudice and hostilities between the members of the Ming sect and the other sects make us think of the prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes in the real world today. The relationship between Yeung Siu and Kei Hiu Fu is like an inter-racial couple (or a couple from different social-economical backgrounds, different religions) in today's society.

First of all, I would like to point out that Damien Lau Chung Yun as Cheung Chiu San (Truong Thuyet Son) was strange; Simon Yam makes a more charming Cheung Chiu San. Damien Lau looks so old; I really did not see the chemistry between him and Michelle Mai Shuet'’s character Yun So So (Han To To) because he looks like an old man (I think Michelle should get her teeth straightened, they really draw attention away from her pretty face). Speaking of older looking men, I really could not see Lawrence Ng as Cheung Mo Kei (Truong Vo Ky). I will always love Tony and he will always be the one and only Cheung Mo Kei; perhaps that is why I am more partial towards the 1986 version. Despite this, I do have to admit I started to like the 2000 "Heavenly." I eventually got used to seeing Lawrence Ng as Cheung Mo Kei, like getting used to a bitter tasting medicine; however, the female characters were all really pretty and talented, which pretty much made up for that.

I really enjoyed watching the love triangles/tangles in this series, after all –- the martial arts and “special effects” are nothing to look at (I’'ll talk about that later). I especially love the love triangle between Eddie Cheung Siu Fai’'s character, Yeung Siu and the beautiful Kei Hiu Fu (played by Joyce Tang) and Yun Lei Ting. At first it was really creepy how Joyce Tang’'s character was supposed to have been engaged to Yun Lei Ting and then later on in the series her love child (Yueng But Fui) with Yeung Siu (Eddie Cheung) ends up marrying Yun Lei Ting instead, but then again, it is really nice to see Joyce Tang back onscreen again portraying her daughter (that really made it more believable whenever she says that she looks just like her mother –- plus I really did not like seeing her character killed off so soon). Joyce Tang magnificently portrays the two very different characters of both Kei Hu Fu and her daughter Yeung But Fui. Perhaps in another world (or another remake of this series, God forbid) viewers can see Yeung Siu and Kei Hiu Fu ride off into the sunset and live the rest of their days in peace. I really wish that Kei Hiu Fu had taken Yeung Siu’s offer to run away. Eddie Cheung does a really great job of portraying Yeung Siu, I have never seen him look so darn sexy until now, even with those fake looking streaks/highlights. I have to admit, he really stole my heart when he told Joyce Tang'’s character how when he first saw Hiu Fu he could not forget her, the second time he saw her he fell for her... and the third time he saw her he nearly lost his life! It really touched me how Hiu Fu eventually came back to him, like the butterfly he showed her on top of the mountain (that butterfly looked really cheesy and fake by the way – in fact a lot of the scenes looked really cheesy and fake, trust me, they'’re not going to win any awards for that, especially at the end when Cheung Mo Kei and Chiu Man are riding on a horse together –- where in the world are they riding off to -– the background looks so fake,– as if the creators got tired and slapped together that ending).

I also really like Charmaine Sheh'’s exceptional performance as Chow Chi Yuerk (Chu Chi Nhuoc). I think Charmaine is a really wonderful actress. She reminds me of a young Lau Suet Wah (“Deep in the Courtyard”); they are both really versatile performers and are really great at crying, they both get me crying whenever I see them cry onscreen, not to mention they both have a beautiful onscreen presence that literally lights up every scene they are in. I really love a good and honest crying scene every now and then, because it makes me realize that my life is not that bad and that things could be much worse.

Gigi Lai’'s character Chiu Man (Trieu Minh) (I love her costumes! She’'s so beautiful) provides a great foil for Chow Chi Yuerk –- the audience gets to see the wisdom in Yun So So’'s advice that she gave to her son before she committed suicide in front of him: “the more beautiful a woman is the more she will lie and deceive.” On one hand there is the blunt and conniving Chiu Man who on the surface appears to be the “bad girl,” and on the other hand there is the kind and gentle Chow Chi Yuerk who manipulates the scenes in her own subtle and very genius ways. Things aren't always as they appear. They both have sworn to a trusted loved one that they would kill Cheung Mo Kei and both do not have the heart to carry out the deed. Excellent writing.

Both Chow Chi Yuerk and Chiu Man end up sacrificing and suffering for the sake of Cheung Mo Kei -– which teaches young girls a very valuable lesson -– to not waste your life for some silly little boy who can not make up his silly little head and falls in love with every woman he sees. Where would beautiful, clairvoyant Chow Chi Yuerk be if she had never met Cheung Mo Kei -– what greatness would she have accomplished? Where would the intelligent and competent, not to mention stunning Mongolian princess Chiu Man be had she never met the silly little Mo Kei? At least spider girl (Han Ly aka Chu Nhi) had the common sense and clear head to tell her cousin that she did not love the grown-up Cheung Mo Kei even though she was deeply in love with the younger Cheung Mo Kei who bit her long ago (I like the guy who plays the younger Mo Kei). Also, Siu Chiu (Tieu Sieu), Mo Kei's cute and faithful smart servant, had the sense to leave him so that she can go back to Ba Tu (of the Ming sect) in order to save her mother and become "Master and Commander" of her people.

I really liked how they showed that Chi Yuerk finally realizes that Mo Kei did not love her like she loved him. When she realizes this she goes berserk and falls crying at her husband’'s bedside; he looks lovingly at her and gently touches her hand –- and she finally looks back at him and reciprocates his feelings for her. Life has been so rough for poor Chi Yuerk. I like this ending a lot better than the 1986 version where she jumps in front of Chiu Man (Kitty Lai) to save her life and ends up not being able to walk and her husband gets killed by his dad for having killed…, well, you know…). This ending is so sweet -– she forgets everything and lives happily ever after with the man who truly loves her, the guy who willingly got his finger sliced off for her, the guy who would do anything for her, even agree to be a pawn in her futile attempts to make Cheung Mo Kei come back to her.

As for Chiu Man –- she gets to ride off into the fake-looking backdrop with Cheung Mo Kei. She gives up everything in order to be with Cheung Mo Kei, and in the end he hands over his leadership position to Yeung Siu in order to be with her. Even at the end I wished it was Tony Leung Chiu Wai there taking me away on his fast horse, riding off into the sunset.

I would have like to have seen more on the relationship between the spider girl and her dad (Han Da Vuong, Cheung Mo Kei’s uncle on his mom’s side of the family). It was such a relief that she did not really die after being “killed” by Chow Chi Yuerk, she even survived the fire after Chiu Man left her there like that, unable to move (don'’t people have to eat, drink, use the restroom, scratch their nose or something? Really, if you think about it, it was really cruel how Chiu Man left her like that, unable to move - but that’'s just TV).

Doesn'’t Chiu Man realize that spider girl is Mo Kei’'s cousin and that she did not have to go to extremes to keep spider girl away from him? Jealousy can be a mean four letter female dog -– jealousy and lust and love can make a person do anything. Of course, she wants to clear her name that she did not try to kill spider girl, but she just stands there looking as spider girl’s dad comes back, clearly shaken, at having had seen his daughter'’s “ghost,” she could have told him that his little girl is still alive –- that was sneaky and mean. But everything happens for a reason, spider girl would have never heard her dad telling her that he really loves her and there would have never been a dramatic reunion between the two during the fire.

Also, if she did get killed in the fire, who would be able to help Chiu Man when Chi Yuerk sneaks into her room to plant the broken Dragon Saber and Heaven Sword in her trunk -- Chiu Man should be grateful that spider girl saw what was going on and seized the opportunity (while Chi Yuerk was taking everyone into Chiu Man's room to do a search) to put the broken swords back in Chi Yuerk's room on her table and then put heavy rocks in Chiu Man's trunks - and she scared Chi Yuerk into thinking that she is a ghost!). Twists and turns and drama are what turn the audience on and keeps them watching, which is really great for ratings.

Most of the martial arts and special effects in this series made me want to laugh and then cry. I laughed at first at all the flashing lights, blazing colors and corny effects; then I cried, is this supposed to be deadly martial arts? Isn’'t this the 2000 version? The worse one was the flashlight effect, i.e. when spider girl is practicing her deadly spider poison kung fu(?) and she points at a spider and light from what looks like a flashlight appears on her finger and then runs up her arm…that was really cheesy. You can see that same flash light under Chi Yuerk’'s face when she goes berserk after realizing that Cheung Mo Kei does not love her. I did not enjoy most of the martial arts in this series (can you even call it martial arts? I think 'choreographed dancing' is a better term to describe it). This makes me think of Bruce Lee and how he had said something about the martial arts in certain Chinese films appear to be ridiculous and absurd and how unpractical it was to apply that sort of martial arts in real life situations. Bruce Lee was very wise. I agree, Bruce, I think that dancing around and throwing cartoon-like moves are not exactly practical; it'’s like watching an unanimated version of Dragon Ball, with real people acting like they are some kind of “Super Saiyan,” throwing fireballs and talking too much in between.

But I suppose fantasy is more exciting than real life for some, it’'s just not my cup of Joe. I don’t watch these series for their special effects, I like to watch these series for the storylines and plots – the novels they were based on were all really good, the universal themes like the power of love, the strong bonds of brotherhood, the corruption of officials, the power of the people, the good/evil, ying and yang of the nature of mankind, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy great cinematic classics like “In the Mood for Love,” with its lush, warm colors and tones and its timeless quality - just don’t look for any of that here. Without the great support from wonderful talents like Charmaine Sheh, Gigi Lai, Joyce Tang and the rest of the female ensemble, this version of the series would have drowned –- oh –- and Eddie Cheung –- he did great, also.

On a positive note, I would like to give HSDS credit for having some very great Shakespearean qualities -- there was a "ghost" coming back for answers (spider girl), there was a play that Chiu Man had acted on in front of her family and a large crowd of people, which included important characters, Cheung Mo Kei, Chi Yuerk, Siu Ciu and some of his crew from the Ming sect. The play acted out how Chi Yuerk poisoned the Golden Haired Lion guy's drink and a person dressed in all black came to knock the deadly drink on the ground (I'm assuming that's one of Chiu Man's goons), there were suicides (Cheung Mo Kei's parents), there was a battle for the coveted leadership positions (Chi Yuerk and her crew went through that unnecessary ordeal after the death of their leader at the burning tower), there were people going mad, there were star crossed lovers, there was an emperor (KING), there was someone in disguise (Siu Chiu's mom disguised herself as an old lady), there was also poison involved, lots of it... and the list goes on.

There is also another thing that I have been wondering about for quite some time now. Didn't Eddie Cheung play the character Yun Lei Ting in the 1986 version, "The New Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber"? Can someone please answer my question?! If I am correct, wouldn't it be really cool how he played the guy who loses the girl in the 1986 version and then turns around and plays the guy who he lost the girl to in the 2000 version? I really don't remember because it has been awhile since 1986 and I was only around 5 years old at the time - plus I can not find out who played Yun Lei Ting in the 1986 and the 2000 versions.