Beijing born Hu Jin Quan, better known as King Hu, worked as an actor, scriptwriter, set decorator and assistant director after joining the Shaw Brothers Studio in 1958. Hu slowly worked his way up as the director of “Sons of the Good Earth” (1965) under the influence of director Li Han Hsiang. Besides launching the film career of its star Cheng Pei Pei, Hu’s highly acclaimed wuxia film “Come Drink with Me” (1966) would put him on the world map. After leaving Shaw, he directed “Dragon Inn” (1967) in Taiwan which became a phenomenal cult classic in Southeast Asia.
Hu continued to achieve more fame with films like “A Touch of Zen” (1971), “The Valiant Ones” (1975), “Raining in the Mountain” and “Legend of the Mountain” both in 1979. Although his later films were less successful commercially, he returned from California to direct “Swordsman” (1990) and “Painted Skin” (1992). Actually, producer Tsui Hark‘s team had to finish “Swordsman” due to Hu leaving the project. Before his death, he was to direct “The Battle of Ono” which interestingly had Chow Yun Fat attached as the lead.
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Clocking in at a whopping running time of three hours and forty one minutes, Lin’s “The King of Wuxia” is an impressive and massive documentary divided into two parts. Kicking off with director John Woo‘s comment, the first part, “The Prophet Was Once Here” runs slightly over two hours and it deals mainly with Hu, the filmmaker, the choreographer, producer, actor and above all his films.
Tsui Hark, Ann Hui, Cheng Pei Pei and other filmmakers also join in to talk about Hu’s methods of making films. Hu was obviously a very hands-on director who did intensive research, studied old films, even acting out scenes right down to detailed storyboards. Although Hu exercises strict control over his films, he still has a very humanitarian side with his actors and crew and they all help each other to achieve Hu’s vision.
Hu’s regular lead Hsu Feng also drops in for a chat while Sammo Hung talks about his starring roles in “A Touch of Zen” and “The Valiant Ones” and how he became Hu’s action choreographer. The highlight here is Taiwanese actor Shih Chun, the star of “Dragon Inn” who takes us on a tour of Hu’s various film locations. This includes the bamboo forest in which they filmed the amazing fight in “A Touch of Zen” and the rocky landscape that leads to the inn in “Dragon Inn”. Shih also reveals some of Hu’s styles and methods of shooting his films.
Part two, “The Heartbroken Man on the Horizon” is mostly about Hu, the man and his later years in Los Angeles, California. From interviews with his relatives and snapshots, we learn that Hu travels a lot, from Beijing to Hong Kong, to Taiwan and the States. Here we get to see him interact with friends, family and how he copes with his ups and down. The sad reality is that he never gets to direct “The Battle of Ono”, a film greenlighted by Hollywood about Chinese railway workers who discovered gold. In 1997, Hu passed away due to complications from angioplasty in Taipei and was buried in Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, California.
Besides the usual well known, aforementioned names, Taiwanese writer, awards winning director Lin Jing Jie’s also gives less famous people a chance to reflect and provide worthy insights to Hu’s work. A pair of traditional musicians and two opera actors team up to demonstrate the link between Hu’s approach to music and action, which is a nice touch. The sequences showing actor Shih Chun wandering around the films’ landscapes like a child lost in deep thought are the most memorable.
While the first part of this documentary is more lively and fun to watch, the second part is rather heartbreaking at times. Hu’s colleagues and friends are undoubtedly still feeling the pain of losing him after all this time as they shed a few tears and fondly remember him. Nonetheless, through some arresting visuals and interviews, Lin’s production is a celebration of the determined, weary and even funny Hu and above all, his wonderful passion for films.
“The King of Wuxia” is emotional at times and visually arresting, a highly detailed account of King Hu’s amazing film career, his influence on other filmmakers and his life. For fans of wuxia films or cinema in general, this documentary is a must watch even though it is daunting at times.
