Sadly having to miss seeing A City Called Dragon (1970-also reviewed) on the big screen during the HOME cinema in Manchester having a season of rare Taiwan Wuxia Action films (but thankfully being able to find Dragon online with English subtitles.) Knowing that this was the last screening of the season,I got set to meet the ghost on the hill.
View on the film:
From the moment that the opening credits are whipped across two warriors in mid-battle,hanging in mid-air, writer/ director Shan-Hsi Ting & The Wheel of Life (1983-also reviewed) cinematographer Tsan-Ting Lin unleash a spectacular, off the deep end atmosphere, clashing swords to crash-zooms, freeze frames, Wuxia rolling thunder ground level panning shots, scatter-gun whip-pans and burning close-ups on the gallons of blood spilled across the battlefield.
Closely working with The Love Eterne (1963-also reviewed) art director Nien-Lung Tsao and set designer Shang-Lin Chen (along with a tasty, over-ripe wah-wah score, from a sadly un-credited composer) to wrap the Purple Light Sword in gloriously lush primary colours, which is mixed into the candle wax red blood,and shimmering costumes of the warriors (played by an enthusiastic ensemble cast), that ignites a mad-cap final boss battle, which rolls in a flying head (who bites the rival gang) and a utterly strange zip-line final take down in the last Boss Battle.
Pouring the peculiar appearance of the film into the writing, the screenplay by Ting draws the fighters for the Purple Light Sword and the henchmen of the King Gold (who when using his fire power skills, is happily cackling every chance he can get) in zany colours, that thankfully lean sincere, rather then grating,due to the high-spirited nature which ties this group together, as they soar to the top of the ghost hill.
View on the film:
From the moment that the opening credits are whipped across two warriors in mid-battle,hanging in mid-air, writer/ director Shan-Hsi Ting & The Wheel of Life (1983-also reviewed) cinematographer Tsan-Ting Lin unleash a spectacular, off the deep end atmosphere, clashing swords to crash-zooms, freeze frames, Wuxia rolling thunder ground level panning shots, scatter-gun whip-pans and burning close-ups on the gallons of blood spilled across the battlefield.
Closely working with The Love Eterne (1963-also reviewed) art director Nien-Lung Tsao and set designer Shang-Lin Chen (along with a tasty, over-ripe wah-wah score, from a sadly un-credited composer) to wrap the Purple Light Sword in gloriously lush primary colours, which is mixed into the candle wax red blood,and shimmering costumes of the warriors (played by an enthusiastic ensemble cast), that ignites a mad-cap final boss battle, which rolls in a flying head (who bites the rival gang) and a utterly strange zip-line final take down in the last Boss Battle.
Pouring the peculiar appearance of the film into the writing, the screenplay by Ting draws the fighters for the Purple Light Sword and the henchmen of the King Gold (who when using his fire power skills, is happily cackling every chance he can get) in zany colours, that thankfully lean sincere, rather then grating,due to the high-spirited nature which ties this group together, as they soar to the top of the ghost hill.