King Hu is one of China’s most influential filmmakers, famous for his historical martial arts films which helped to popularise the wuxia (‘martial chivalry’) genre in the 1960s and 70s with classic films like 'Come Drink with Me' (1966), 'Dragon Inn' (1967), and 'A Touch of Zen' (1971) - the latter of which he received the Technical Grand Prize at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival. His work has inspired directors ranging from Tsui Hark to Ang Lee, Zhang Yimou to Quentin Tarantino, and since his death in 1997 at the age of 64, organisations like the King Hu Foundation have continued to promote and champion his work. As a result, much of his exquisite output is now readily available around the world in lovingly restored digital formats. To discuss the life and work of this extraordinary filmmaker, we welcome two King Hu Foundation board members: Michael Berry, Director of the Center for Chinese Studies at UCLA, who is also a Professor of Contemporary Chinese Cultural Studies; and the filmmaker, Céline Zen, a Chinese-born, France-based producer and director. We discuss the early life of the Beijing-born auteur who was forced into exile in Hong Kong after the Chinese Communist Revolution, and his journey from artist to actor, writer, and director, becoming one of the biggest talents at new Shaw Brothers production company before his relocation to Taiwan. We discuss the meaning of 'wuxia'; his influences - from his love of calligraphy to Ming dynasty history and the Chinese Opera - and how, despite his critical praise, his films were not always successful in their day, and the toll this took on his work in later life. A huge thank you to Audrey Edwards at the King Hu Foundation for her help in organising this episode.
LINKS
King Hu Foundation website: https://kinghufoundationusa.org/
King Hu Foundation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kinghufoundation/
Michael Berry's website: https://michael-berry.com/
Michael Berry on the UCLA website: https://www.alc.ucla.edu/person/michael-berry/
Michael Berry on Douban: http://site.douban.com/108600/
Michael Berry on Weibo: https://weibo.com/bairuiwen
Michael Berry on X: https://x.com/Bairuiwen
Michael Berry on ClubHouse: http://clubhousedb.com/user/bairuiwen
Buy Michael Berry's books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Michael-Berry/author/B001HCVQQW
Céline Zen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celine-zen-7a6570195/
Céline Zen on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4508435/
Trailer for Céline Zen's 'Vous êtes jeunes, vous êtes beaux' (2018): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vIOOeqph08
A tribute to King Hu: https://youtu.be/rGueQmyN_kM
Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast - 'Dragon Inn' special - Live in Lewes with Katrina Durden: https://bit.ly/KFMGPodKatrinaDurdenLive
Buy King Hu films on Blu-ray in the UK from 88 Films and Eureka Entertainment: 'Come Drink with Me' (https://88-films.myshopify.com/products/come-drink-with-me-88-asia-24), 'Dragon Inn' (https://eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/dragon-inn/), 'A Touch of Zen' (https://eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/a-touch-of-zen/), 'The Fate of Lee Khan' (https://eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/the-fate-of-lee-khan/), 'The Valiant Ones' (https://eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/the-valiant-ones/), 'Raining in the Mountain' (https://eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/raining-in-the-mountain-kong-shan-ling-yu/), 'Legend of the Mountain' (https://eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/legend-of-the-mountain/).
King Hu profile on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/KingHuProfile
'Dragon Inn' review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/DragonGateInn
'A Touch of Zen' review on Kung Fu Movie Guide: https://bit.ly/ATouchOfZen
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