Magic Blade DVD

THE MAGIC BLADE (1976)
IVL/Celestial Pictures
Directed by Yuen Chor
Produced by Runme Shaw
Written by I Kuang & Szu To An
Music by Chen Yung Yu
Fight Choreography by Tang Chia
Cast: Ti Lung, Lo Lieh, Ku Feng, Ching Li, Lily Li, Fan Mei Sheng, Norman Chu, Tan Chin, Ha Ping, Cheng Miu
Video: Widescreen (2.35.1)
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: Mandarin, English, Malaysia
Packaging: Keepcase
Chapter Stops: 12
93 Minutes

During the mid-1970s, director Chor Yuen filmed a score of Shaw Brothers martial arts epics back to back; most with the same cast and crew members. Together, Chor Yuen and his stock players crafted several noteworthy efforts (if not downright classics) like KILLER CLANS, DEATH DUEL, SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN, and CLANS OF INTRIGUE. Many of these pictures were adapted from the works of Chinese novelist, Gu Long, who is often regarded as a literary genius. In an effort to differentiate THE MAGIC BLADE from his other Gu Long adaptations, Chor Yuen chose to film the movie in a very over-the top yet stylized manner. This resulted in THE MAGIC BLADE exhuding a frenzied, fantastical aura. The end result is that Chor Yuen unknowingly created the first Wuxia martial arts films that are so popular with the mainstream. However, the Shaw Brothers performers (like Ti Lung, Ching Li, Ku Feng) bring much more to THE MAGIC BLADE than any wire-fu specialists like Donnie Yen, Maggie Chung, and Yu Ron Guang bring to their respective films and genres. The wonder of this unique martial arts fantasy, THE MAGIC BLADE can now be appreciated and admired as it originally played in Hong Kong theaters way back in 1976, thanks in no small part to Celestial Pictures’ special edition DVD release.

In the village of Pheonix Town, two sworn enemies Fu Hung Hsueh (Ti Lung) and Yen Fei (Lo Lieh) meet inside an abandoned Holy Temple to determine the superior swordsman. As they begin their joust, they are recruited by Chiu Yu Cheng (Ching Li) to join forces to eliminate the insidious warlord Yu. It seems that the evil Clan leader has discovered the ancient martial arts relic called the Peacock Dart, a weapon that can destroy even the greatest warriors in the land. Yu sends his emissaries out into the primeval martial arts world to secure this magnificent weapon for himself. This means that Fu Hung Hsueh amd Yen Fei must locate the relic and uncover its mysteries before Yu does. But Yu is a powerful and resourceful man, and he quickly discovers that his opponents—two superhuman unstoppable fighters—must be eliminated if he is to retain the Peacock Dart. Through the use of deception and betrayal, Yu is able to seize control of the legendary weapon. It’s up to Fu Hung Hsueh to set things straight before the powerful Yu uses his trump card to take control!

It’s not easy for me to say anything negative about one of my favorite directors of all time, Chang Cheh. Yes, I adore Cheh’s style and every movie he touches has his handiwork written all over it. In my opinion, the I Kuang-Chang Cheh connection is the best that the genre has to offer, hands down. However, I must admit that Cheh’s films are somewhat repetitious; they all have many of the same earmarks (for instance the predictable deaths of the heroes in the conclusion of almost every film he’s done). Not only is Chor Yuen’s style totally different, but he puts a lot of effort into giving each production a fresh, uncliched approach. Just check out THE SENTINMENTAL SWORDSMAN for example. Or the Chambara-influenced KILLER CLANS. For THE MAGIC BLADE, Yuen goes all out with the depiction of over-the-top story elements, characterizations, and plot twists. This movie is rich with intrigue, often playing with audiences mind and luring them into certain realizations then changing gears completely. Everything in THE MAGIC BLADE is just not what it appears to be. The acting is superb too, with an energetic performance by Ti Lung and a rare heroic role by Lo Lieh. Though these two actors dominate the film, you’ll see such HK luminaries as Lily Li, Ku Feng, Fan Mei Sheng, Ching Li, Norman Chu, and many, many more!

One of the highlights of THE MAGIC BLADE is the unbelievable choreography of Tang Chia. You see, THE MAGIC BLADE is loaded with weapons work, some real and some imaginary. The main villain Yu commands an army of comic-book styled assassins, each who wield a different and terrible weapon. Ti Lung’s own swirling buzz saw blade has its roots in Chinese folklore, but it’s believably brought to the screen with conviction. There are also numerous weapons clashes by swordsmen and other javelin carrying fighters. These clashes are so brilliantly staged on those awesome Shaw Brothers sets that they are worth the cost of this disk alone. Tang Chia was seriously ahead of his time, delivering superb VENOMS style weapons clashes before the VENOMs were even together. The characterizations of the villains in this film are wondrous to behold with my favorite, the hag-like cannibal called the Devil’s Grandmother (deliciously portrayed by respected HK actress Ha Ping). Chor Yuen depicts all these outrageous bits in a completely serious manner; there is plenty of blood and graphic violence in THE MAGIC BLADE; and thankfully not a trace of humor.

Still no 16x9 anamorphic enhancement, but Celestial Pictures produces another beautifully remastered transfer that’ll make you burn your old VHS tape. THE MAGIC BLADE is in the original 2.35.1 Shawscope ratio, with oh-so-slight matting of the image (which is barely noticeable). The transfer is supremely clean with not a scratch in sight. Good image depth and natural colored hues make this one a winner. The image delineates all the picture information without any loss of film-like quality. Chor Yuen makes fine use of the lavish interiors and the crisp image showcases the detailed production designs. Tang Chia’s choreography features no hand-to-hand combat—its all weapon based and the cinematography helps preserve the meticulous combat scenes. Flesh tones are full and blacks are deep. The easy-to-read subtitles are presented below the black letterboxed area.

Celestial has remixed the original mono soundtrack elements into a new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. The exclusion of the original mono track is going to piss off a lot of purists. That being said, this new remix is extremely subtle, producing an encompassing sound field that resonates with clanging swords (and other weapons), explosions, and cackling villains. THE MAGIC BLADE lacks true 5.1 audio separation that is common in Region 1 discs. The bass is also rather flat; just check out the few explosion scenes. Chen Yung Yu's compositions provide a backbone to the plot revelations and action. Rarely does the music call attention to itself. The disc includes the original Mandarin dubbed dialog track, which is crystal clear fidelity. So while its disappointing that the original mono track is missing, and there’s no English language option, the sound field is superior to any Kung Fu classics we have in Region 1.

In addition to remastered video and audio quality, Celestial includes an wealth of bonus materials. From the Special Features menu, you can select the Behind the Scenes option, which takes you on set of the 1976 production of THE MAGIC BLADE in the form of Black & White sideshow complete with English subtitles. You can also view the original Chinese theatrical poster and the access a gallery of Photo Stills. Don’t forget the Production Notes and short Bios for Ti Lung, Lo Lieh, Ching Li and Yuen Chor (in English yet!). Also included are remastered original language widescreen trailers for these recent Celestial DVD releases: THE MAGIC BLADE, EMPRESS DOWAGER, THE PLAYBOYS, TIL THE END OF TIME and BRIDE NAPPING. Hong Kong film champion Bey Logan provide insightful audio commentary for THE MAGIC BLADE and sheds a lot of light on the production and cast members. There is also a long interview director with director Chor Yuen who explains not only about the production of THE MAGIC BLADE, but also how he rose through the ranks of the Shaw Brothers studios to become one of their most prolific directors. After Chor Yuen we hear from Ching Li, Yuen Wah (who was an extra on the film), and New Wave superstar Jade Leung. I do not understand why Celestial felt they had to include Jade Leung here. She was not even in THE MAGIC BLADE and she has little to say about the film, so instead she talks about herself and her own career which seems very out of place here. Maybe Celestial felt the need to include a current big name star to appeal to the mainstream trendies out there. All these interviews feature optional English subtitles!

THE MAGIC BLADE ranks high on the classic Kung Fu scale because the movie is tightly paced, tautly directed, well-plotted, and features some phenomenal martial arts weapon choreography that must be seen to be believed. Don’t forget another amazing cast of Shaw Brothers principals who entice you into their world. The DVD looks and sounds great, and features and worthy supplements. Get your hands on THE MAGIC BLADE DVD now!

Movie:	4.5
Video:	4.5
Audio:	4.0
Extras:	3.5
Overall:	4.5