Home cinema: breathtaking action epic from legendary director appears on Blu-ray for the first time

Years before Chinese action cinema became internationally acceptable through Bruce Lee and later Jackie Chan, rather than the actors in front of the camera, it was the filmmakers behind them who enjoyed popularity as faces of the genre. Someone who has had a lasting impact on the genre like no other: King Hu.

Born in Beijing, he emigrated to Hong Kong in his youth, where a few years later he found work at the legendary Shaw Brothers kung fu film factory. He built sets, took on small supporting roles and eventually tried his hand as an assistant director and screenwriter. That with films like Dragon Gate Inn (1967) and A Touch of Zen (1971), he would change wuxia cinema forever, producing some of the genre’s greatest masterpieces that are still widely admired over fifty years later. but almost no one thought possible at the time.

Of “Rain in the mountains“ (1979), one of King Hu’s greatest classics, will be released on Blu-ray for the first time on November 24, 2023. TG Vision gives another Hu milestone its local HD premiere after “The Courageous” (1975) was released last August limited edition* published.

Also The Blu-ray premiere of “Rain in the Mountains” is a limited edition. So if you have had the film on your viewing list for a while, you would do well not to wait too long before purchasing – even though we at FILMSTARTS unfortunately cannot assess the technical rating of the Blu-ray. In the case of “The Courageous”, opinions in the reviews on Amazon differ: While on the one hand there is talk of a “clean, sharp image”, elsewhere it is pointed out that the image part is heavily cropped.

Alternatively, in the case of “Rain in the Mountains” you can also use the successful one Blu-ray from Great Britain* dodge. Although it doesn’t come with a German soundtrack (and only with the original sound and English subtitles), it scores points with a technically successful 2K implementation – as you’d expect from distributor Eureka Entertainment and the series know.

Visually powerful, atmospheric & philosophical: this is “Rain in the Mountains”

“The great masterpiece of cult director King Hu,” says the official product description, among other things – just as was the case with “The Braves”. It’s best for everyone to decide for themselves whether the movie actually lives up to its title, even if “Rain in the Mountains” is on the reviews collection page While the reviews are 100 percent positive, this value ultimately reflects only nine reviews – not counting the fact that several other King Hu classics also achieved that perfect score.

For the author of this article, “King Hu’s great masterpiece” is “A Touch of Zen” – not only because it is his best film, but also because the 180-minute epic is ultimately a complete failure in every respect, literally. But maybe that’s exactly where it is a plus of “Rain in the Mountains”. Because this is certainly one of King Hu’s most accessible filmsalso because of the relatively short playing time of just under two hours.

However, you should not be under any illusions and expect an entertaining, brutal action spectacle. ‘Rain in the Mountains’ is primarily a slowed-down, almost meditative excursion into Buddhism, which lives mainly from its breathtakingly beautiful, poetic images. The martial arts interludes are usually staged in a picturesque manner, but are always used carefully – and ultimately play only a supporting role. However, if you can get involved, you can look forward to an almost spiritual journey into the Far Eastern cinema of the 1970s.

At the center of the story of ‘Rain in the Mountains,’ set during the Ming Dynasty, a corrupt general and a squire go to great lengths to steal a sacred scroll said to be in the library of a remote country. monastery. In addition to Hu regular actress Feng Hsu, the cast also includes Sun Yueh (“City On Fire”, “Pedicab Driver”) and Tien Feng, known for numerous Jackie Chan films such as “Masters of All Classes” and “Dragon Lord”. .