King Hu

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King Hu ( Chinese  胡 金 銓  /  胡 金 铨 , Pinyin Hú Jīnquán , Jyutping Wu 4 Gam 1 cyun 4 , Cantonese  King Wu ; born April 29, 1931 in Beijing , China , † January 14, 1997 in Taipei , Taiwan ) was a Chinese film director and screenwriter who worked in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

biography

Hu was born in Beijing. His grandfather was the governor of Henan in the late Qing Dynasty . In 1949 he emigrated to Hong Kong. There, Hu initially worked in a number of different jobs before joining the Shaw Brothers film studio in 1958 to initially work as a set designer, actor, screenwriter and assistant director. Among other things, Hu worked on the very successful film The Love Eterne (1963) by director Li Han-Hsiang .

In 1965 Hu was able to realize his first film as a director: Sons of the Good Earth . His second film, The Sword of the Yellow Tigress , was a huge hit in 1966 and is still considered a cult classic of the Wuxia genre. This success enabled Hu Shaw Brothers to leave. Another Wuxia film followed in 1967: The Hostel to the Dragon Gate , shot in Taiwan, which was also very successful.

In 1969 work began on A Touch of Zen , which was not completed until 1971. This film is now considered King Hu's masterpiece and was awarded at the Cannes Film Festival , among others . Hu then made other films, at times even with his own production company, but none of these films should build on the success of his three wuxia films The Sword of the Yellow Tigress , The Hostel at the Dragon Gate and A Touch of Zen , despite some favorable reviews.

In 1990 King Hu attempted a comeback in the wuxia genre with the film Masters of the Sword (international title Sworddsman ). However, after a falling out with the producer of the film Tsui Hark , he left the production, so the film had to be completed without him. Nevertheless, Hu is mentioned in the credits of Master of the Sword .

Hu spent the last ten years of his life in Los Angeles . In 1997 he died of a stroke while preparing a new film project in Taipei .

Style and influence

King Hu's early wuxia films, which are now considered cult classics, had and continue to have a major impact on East Asian cinema. Already Come Drink With Me , though still largely in the former Shaw Brothers style, included typical of Hu elements. But only in Die Herberge zum Drachentor and then in A Touch of Zen , Hu was able to fully develop this and thus revolutionize the wuxia genre. The fight scenes in these films reached an intensity that was unheard of at the time. On the one hand they were more realistic due to their greater hardness, but on the other hand they also emphasized the supernatural abilities of the fighters due to the rapid cut, moving camera, use of wireworks and breathtaking choreographies. Inspired by the traditions of Chinese opera , Hu saw combat as a type of dance. Thus, Cheng Pei-pei for Come Drink With Me cast because of their dance training. An example of such a fight scene is the famous fight in the bamboo forest in A Touch of Zen .

Another special feature was the use of female heroes, who moved as fighters on an equal footing in the male world and never lost their femininity despite all the harshness. So it is not surprising that Hu is considered to be the discoverer of three of the greatest "Swordswoman" actresses in Hong Kong / Taiwan cinema: Cheng Pei-pei ( The Sword of the Yellow Tigress ), Polly Kuan ( The Hostel at the Dragon Gate ) and Hsu Feng ( A touch of Zen ).
Hu's films also highlighted the influence of Buddhist ideas. Raining in the Mountain and Legend of the Mountains in particular are shaped by religious themes.

Virtually all modern wuxia films could be considered Hu influenced, such as Tiger and Dragon and House of Flying Daggers .

Filmography (selection)

  • 1965: Sons of the Good Earth (大地 兒女 / 大地 儿女, 1965)
  • 1966: The sword of the yellow tigress / Come Drink with Me (大醉 俠 / 大醉 侠, 1966)
  • 1967: The Herberge zum Drachentor / Dragon Gate Inn (龍門 客棧 / 龙门 客栈, 1967)
  • 1970: Anger (Episode In The Four Moods ) (喜怒哀樂 之 '怒' / 喜怒哀乐 之 '怒', 1970)
  • 1971: A Touch of Zen / A Touch of Zen (俠女 / 侠女, 1971)
  • 1973: The Fate of Lee Khan (迎春 閣 之 風波 / 迎春 阁 之 风波, 1973)
  • 1975: The Pirate Gang of the White Tiger / The Valiant One (忠烈 圖 / 忠烈 图, 1975)
  • 1979: Regen in den Bergen / Raining in the Mountain (空 山 靈 雨 / 空 山 灵 雨, 1979)
  • 1979: Legend of the Mountains (山 中 傳奇 / 山 中 传奇, 1979)
  • 1981: The Juvenizer (終身大事 / 终身大事, 1981)
  • 1983: All the King's Men (天下第一, 1983)
  • 1983: The Wheel of Life (Episode) (大 輪迴 之 '第一 世' / 大 轮回 之 '第一 世', 1983)
  • 1990: Master of the Sword (The Swordsman) (笑傲江湖, 1990)
  • 1991: Painted Skin (畫皮 之 陰陽 法王 / 画皮 之 阴阳 法王, 1991)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Hu, King
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wu, King (Cantonese); Hu, Jinquan (pinyin); Wu, Gamcyun (Jyutping); 胡 金 銓 (Chinese - traditional character); 胡 金 铨 (Chinese - abbreviation)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Chinese film director and screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH April 29, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Beijing
DATE OF DEATH January 14, 1997
Place of death Taipei