oskff 2023

OSKFF 2023 Review: Chang Peng-I’s NIGHT ORCHID (1983)

Taiwanese cinema is something else. To say the least, my proximity to this particular market has been scant in the twenty-seven years since Asian genre cinema gained its second foothold in the mid-nineties, so when I talk about just how fucking lit a film like Chang Peng-I’s Night Orchid is, it’s about as raw a reaction as you’ll get from me. The film sort of dives right into the middle of nowhere, during a deep conflict pitting swordsmen and warlords against one another in a story penned by none other than screenwriter and literary legend Gu Long, which takes off from a pre-existing TV series featuring Robin Hood-like character Chu Liu-xiang, played by Adam Cheng. Cheng takes the mantle once more, here joining actress Brigitte Lin who plays Su-su, a mysterious damsel he saves from a ritualistic sacrifice. There’s an air of foul play in the midst as Chu and […]

OSKFF 2023 Review: Chen Hung-Min’s VENGEANCE OF THE PHOENIX SISTERS (1968)

Lee B. Golden III

Chen Hung-Min’s 1968 directorial debut lends another poetic treat for curious audiences sitting in for this year’s Old School Kung Fu Festival spotlighting Taiwanese classics. Vengeance Of The Phoenix Sisters is the name with eighty-seven minutes of straightforward action and drama with just a few frills and snags but nothing that takes too much away from the institutionalized efforts to revitalize and restore this bygone action adventure. Chinese opera and silver screen stars Yang Li-hua, Liu Ching, and Chin Mei take on the respective roles of Xieufeng, Qingfeng, and Zhifeng in a story that leaps forward fifteen years following the deadly massacre of a former sheriff and his wife at the hands of three criminals he once jailed. Chen’s story takes off with Xieufeng front and center as she desperately begs her master and uncle, Zhenhai, for his blessing after years of training, hereby promising not to waste the skills […]

OSKFF 2023 Review: Joseph Kuo’s THE SWORDSMAN OF ALL SWORDSMEN (1968)

Lee B. Golden III

While I’ve known the name Joseph Kuo, his 1968 wuxia feature, The Swordsman Of All Swordsmen, is a freshman venture for me into classic Taiwanese cinema. It delves into the time-honored revenge tale of a child orphaned at a young age when his parents are murdered by a quartet of killers looking to acquire his father’s sword, all leading up to our protagonist’s key story kicking off twenty years later when he arrives in a village and ultimately acquires his first of four targets who just happened to be harassing a street performer and his daughter at the time. Accommodating the film’s pristine digital restoration, the cinematography is fantastic from top to bottom, and with a story and pacing steady enough to keep the viewer interested. Tien Ping’s portrayal of Tsai Ying-Jie lends the audience an anti-hero you can root for and empathize with, and who emotes really well on […]