SERIES
December at the Trylon
The undisputed master of Chinese wuxia films, Hu and his pursuit of perfect composition, precise lighting, and otherworldly editing caused endless headaches for his studio bosses who simply wanted him to hurry up. But Hu’s careful approach led to a career full of classics that surpass all his many imitators. His exemplars of swordplay cinema, in their beauty and energy, need to be seen on the big screen.
(1967, 111m, Mandarin w/English subtitles) dir King Hu w/Polly Ling-Feng Shang-Kuan, Ying Bai, Feng Hsu. Political intrigue, hidden dragons, crouching tigers, a slow build, and frenetic results. Hu’s breakout classic of swordplay set in a backwater inn packed theaters and jump-started the nascent Taiwanese film industry. SUN 5:00 7:15 MON/TUE 7:00 9:15
Screenings: December 6 5:00, 7:15, December 7 7:00, 9:15, December 8 9:15, 7:00
(1973, 106m, Mandarin w/English subtitles) dir King Hu w/Li Li-hua, Roy Chiao, Feng Hsu. Made in partnership with Golden Harvest (now Orange Sky Golden Harvest), a major film production company in Hong Kong, and starring legendary Chinese actress Li Li-hua, Fate has female warriors front and center in this tale of cross-border intrigue and scheming…
Screenings: December 13 5:00, 7:15, December 14 7:00, 9:15, December 15 9:15
(1974, 102m, Mandarin w/English subtitles) dir King Hu w/Feng Hsu, Ying Bai, Roy Chiao. King Hu assembled a team of his favorite actors and set them loose to fight Japanese pirates (led by Sammo Hung). The chess-playing sequence is a highlight of Hu’s career. SUN 5:00 MON 7:00 TUE 9:00
Screenings: December 20 5:00, December 21 7:00, December 22 9:00
(1966, 95m, Mandarin w/English subtitles) dir King Hu w/Pei-Pei Cheng, Yueh Hua, Chih-Ching Yang. King Hu’s vision and perfectionism struggled under the factory-assembly approach of Shaw Brothers, once the largest film production company in Hong Kong. But before he left the studio, he delivered this, the studio’s best wuxia film, and helped kick off a…
Screenings: December 20 7:15, December 21 9:15, December 22 7:00
(1971, 200m, Mandarin w/English subtitles) dir King Hu w/Feng Hsu, Ying Bai, Chun Shih. Filmed over three years to satisfy Hu’s perfectionist tendencies, Zen was initially dismissed by audiences. But after a Palme d’Or nomination and a Technical Grand Prize win at Cannes, opinion shifted on Hu’s magnum opus of martial arts, intrigue, and enlightenment.…
Screenings: December 27 5:00, December 28 7:00, December 29 7:00