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THE QUEEN OF TIBET (1985)
Kam & Ronson
Directed by Wu Fa Shen
Produced by Lung Sam Yam, Wei Jia Dao, and Chen Yi
Written by Chen Yi
Fight Choreography by Hon Gwok Choi, Mak Fei Hung, and Wong Leung.
Cast: Wong Ang Chiu, Yam Hui Lam, Che Fong, Cheung Hei Ling, Wong Leung, Hon Chi Yue, Suen Gwok Liu, Fung Fook Sung
Video: Widescreen (2.35:1)
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English, Chinese
Packaging: Keepcase
Chapter Stops: 8
93 Minutes

The Hua Wen Film Company produced many independent martial arts pictures throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s. The studio, headed by producers Wei Jia Dao, Lung Sam Yam, and Yu Yang Gian, filmed all their pictures outside of the mainland China film industry. Instead of using experienced film crews and name stars, the company went with lesser (and cheaper) talent. Instead, all the budgets for these Hua Wen productions went into costuming, production design, and cinematography. In the 1980’s the company filmed some true martial arts epics, like YAO’S YOUNG WARRIORS, ARHAT’S IN FURY, and the SOUTH SHAOLIN MASTER 1 and 2. In 1986, the Hua Wen Film Company released their most ambitious historical epic yet, THE QUEEN OF TIBET. This movie has a huge cast, good drama and plot, and plenty of action. However, during this time at the HK Box Office, the period martial arts film was pretty much over, and almost everybody ignored Hua Wen’s sprawling epic. A new Hong Kong video label called Kam and Ronson have secured the release rights for the Hua Wen Film Co. catalog. What sets these releases apart from other HK DVD companies (like Universe, Mei Ah, etc.) Kam and Ronson are going all out for these classics and remastering the video and incorporating Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. In addition, this company is very English friendly in that these discs include English subtitles, dub track, and even menus! Surely, they have put some foresight into releasing these overlooked films on DVD. I wish the other HK labels would get with the program. Besides THE QUEEN OF TIBET, Kam and Ronson also released THE SOUTH SHAOLIN MASTER, YAO’S YOUNG WARRIORS, and ARHATS IN FURY on DVD.

In the early days of the Tang Dynasty, China and Tibet sign a peace treaty, thereby ending decades of war with one another. In a show of good faith between the neighboring countries, the Emperor of Shi Han promises his daughter’s hand in marriage to a young Tibetan Prince (Wong Ang Liu). Their eventual wedding symbolizes the joining of the two nations, and will act as an example for the people of each country. The Emperor’s daughter has never met the Princess, but she believes that marrying him sight unseen will be good for their countries. The Prince leaves Tibet in the guise of a ragamuffin and travels to Shi Han to learn more about the Chinese—he’s not entirely convinced of their sincerity in the treaty agreement. While in the city, the Prince spies his future bride in the distance and is moved by her beauty and grace. There are those, however, who wish to obstruct the peace process. A corrupt Chinese General conspires with a power-mad Tibetan usurper. The Emperor orders his daughter to travel to Tibet for the marriage, unaware the Prince is in his own Kingdom. The Emperor assembles his army to escort the Princess through the hostile territory. He sends his best fighters to aid and protect her on this journey. The minions of the alliance against peace recognize the Prince, and send their guards against him until he is captured and tortured. Having detained him, the alliance turns their attention toward the Princess. Despite the large army protecting her, the cunning alliance manages to cut her off from her protectors. The assassins and killers make life difficult for the Princess, who uses her martial arts skills and Indiana Jones sensibilities to confound her aggressors. Meanwhile, the Emperor receives word of the conspiracy within his ranks, and orders his army to the hills of Tibet, where his daughter and her entourage are under siege by the Tibetan rebels. With the help of some peasants, the Prince finally escapes and joins up with his Princess in a combined attempt to expose the conspiracy and the evil doers behind it.

THE QUEEN OF TIBET is one of most unique martial arts films we’ve had the joy to experience. This is truly an epic mutli-cultural production which is bold and beautiful to look at. THE QUEEN OF TIBET boasts a tight, robust script with a massive ensemble cast that rises to the occasion. However grand the film may be, it does have one major flaw—not enough Kung Fu. The fight scenes are choreographed by the multi-talented Hon Gwok Choi, a Chinese performer who appeared in many Kung Fu films such as BLOODY FISTS, CRACK SHADOW BOXERS, and THE FOUR INVINCIBLES. He is a superior fight choreographer, so the combat scenes here are impressive (with lots of swords and staffs), but there’s not nearly enough of them. The fighting style is naturalistic and authentic, without any overcranking or cable work (which was becoming the norm at the time). The action also consists of some battle scenes between armies which are deftly executed for an old school martial arts film. Director Wu Fa Shen didn’t make a lot of movies, yet his skills at positioning the camera are right out of the Akira Kurosawa textbook. Wu Fa Shen also took a few pages from the Chang Cheh school as well, as there are surprising amounts of brutality. In one of the darkest moments of the film, a peasant is being tortured by a sadomasochist. The torture device clamps to the victims head and applies pressure to the orbital sockets until the man’s eyeballs pop out of his face in a fashion similar to a Lucio Fulci flick. THE QUEEN OF TIBET is a beautiful film and the bloody brutality does not take away from it’s power; instead the violence supplements it.

You could say that THE QUEEN OF TIBET lacks big-name actors, and this is true. But the true stars of the film are the photography, the locations, and the costuming. In general, the imagery over powers the cast. Lead actor Wong Ang Liu, who played the hero in REVENGENCE SUPERLADY (1986) is good because he plays his role with vulnerability and righteousness (instead of the cliched unstoppable Kung Fu madman prevalent in the genre). The actress who portrays the Princess is stunningly beautiful, and her performance imbues the character with honor and sacrifice. When the Princess goes into martial arts overdrive (the director never hints of her ability), it further adds to the her gracefulness. Co-star Wong Leung is another regular in the Hua Wen stable, and has a starring role in their 1985 film, ARHATS IN FURY. Cheung Hei Ling played one of the warriors in YAO’S YOUNG WARRIORS (1983). Even though the rest of the ensemble cast consists mostly of unknowns, the actors and actresses deliver capable acting performances (far better than the leads in EPISODE 2).

SIGHT

THE QUEEN OF TIBET is presented uncut in the original widescreen ratio of 2.35.1. The video quality appears to be remastered, as the image is rendered with exceptional clarity and detail. There are some shots that appeared overly grainy or murky but these moments are few. Even the best widescreen stuff to come from Crash Cinema and Ground Zero show their age, but this print is so clean and radiates such detail that it seems almost unnatural. The colors are full bodied and never bleed. The photography comes to life with the brilliant period costuming and scenic mountain views of China, Taiwan, and Tibet. The visuals do tend to overwhelm the action scenes. There are no digital compression errors either, that plague other Hong Kong imports. Kudos to Kam and Ronson for such outstanding work!

SOUND

The sound is Dolby Digital 5.1; language tracks are available in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. All three soundtracks feature identical sound effects and music; only the voice tracks differ with each one. Martial arts fans are in for a real treat, sound-wise. These Hua Wen films were originally released with mono sound. Kam and Ronson have provided exclusive Dolby Digital 5.1 remixes which, simply put—are awesome. The clanging swords reverberate in the sound field, with plenty of depth and ambiance. The score is regal like the scope of the film, with plenty of local color for the Chinese and Tibetan celebration sequences. The music is full and rich with hints of bass. The Cantonese and Mandarin dialog are rendered cleanly and without distortion. The English dubbing is also presented with clarity, though the voice actors delivering their lines are not the ones we have come to expect, and sound more like the generic Japanese-animation styled voice characterizations of today. THE QUEEN OF TIBET is such an authentic presentation of Chinese history that the original language tracks are preferable anyway.

FEATURES

CONCLUSION

If THE QUEEN OF TIBET delivered more martial arts fights scenes to liven up the pace, this could have been a killer flick. We still enjoyed the appeal of the film, even though there were only a few familiar faces. Anyone who enjoys historical Chinese dramas injected with savage action will surely appreciate what this epic has to offer. Those with short attention spans may want to pass on this one, or go the rental route instead. Regardless, the DVD treatment afforded by Kam and Ronson is fabulous; the image and sound are exceptional for the genre. Let’s hope this relatively new company releases more films from the Hua Wen Film Company.

THE QUEEN OF TIBET is available from HKFlix.com

-- Tony Mustafa

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