A young woman tries to find a group of villains responsible for her eldest sister’s death, but is shocked to discover that her fiancé is one of them.
In the opening scene of 1971’s “Lady with a Sword,” a young boy, Hu Tou (Ming Yuen-Man), and his mother are traveling to her parents’ house following the murder of her husband. They are soon attacked by a group of men who viciously beat both mother and son before one of the men, Lian Bai (James Nan Seok-Hoon), kills the mother. Hu Tou manages to escape and continues to his grandparents’ house, where he tells his aunt, Fei Fei (Lily Ho), what has happened to her sister and brother-in-law.
It’s a rather brutal and shocking opening, paving the way for a more complex story than the ones these martial arts/sword-play films usually deliver. “Lady with a Sword,” directed by Kao Pao-Shu, delves into themes of family loyalty in addition to its numerous fight sequences.
Fei Fei promises to avenge her sister’s death, traveling with Hu Tou to identify the man responsible. What they hope will be a swift vengeance quickly becomes complicated once Fei Fei makes a shocking discovery.
Pao-Shu, a female director, keeps the film moving at a brisk pace, preventing it from entering more exploitative territory. While I was more engrossed in this movie than I usually am with films in this genre, I still found the final scene somewhat dull and repetitive. The frequent sword-play and fights, driven chiefly by narrative needs, quickly became rote. There is also a mish-mash of tones between some scenes. However, I did appreciate the filmmakers’ storytelling decisions that pushed the film away from the expected conclusion.
This Blu-ray™ disc is another in the line of limited edition releases of Shaw Brothers Studio’s works from 88 Films. Like their other releases, this edition features a slipcover and a double-sided foldout poster inserted inside the case. There is no information included about the film’s transfer. I’d expect that this isn’t a remastered image. While the disc doesn’t look bad, it doesn’t appear as I’d expect a high-definition image to look. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with the image here, but I’d say it looks processed, although not to the point of distraction. The mono audio sounds fine.
The special features include a commentary from David West and a stills gallery. I listened to about 15 minutes of West’s commentary. He is very knowledgeable about this genre of film and packs in plenty of information.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this movie more than other films in the genre; however, I still don’t find myself completely absorbed into these movies. Nonetheless, I think “Lady with a Sword” is worth viewing.
Available on Blu-ray™ April 22nd from 88 Films
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