Dynasty
His generals Kwei and Tsao-Tsang-Wen at his command, the high courtier Chao has stepped beyond his granted authority in his unfounded accusation that His Royal Highness Prince Chu of the Ming Dynasty is a traitor, ordering that he be hunted down and he and any who conceal or defend him are killed.
Chao using his vendetta to forward his own personal agenda, so does his lieutenant Lang Si-Yu, hoping to enhance his own position by sidestepping the generals of whom he is dismissive, but also hoping to seek an alliance with Tan Hsiao-chien, champion of Prince Chu, ostensibly to turn him to his side but also believing that only by uniting their powers that Chao can be defeated.
Directed by Mei-Chun Chang from a script by Kuo-Hsiung Liu, Dynasty (千刀万里追, Qian dao wan li zhu, literally Chase after a thousand knives) was released in 1977, notable as the first Hong Kong film to be shot in 3-D with integrated eight track “sensurround” stereo sound, a large and ambitious production undoubtedly, but not one of particular note shorn of those dubious enhancements.
Starring Tao-Liang Tan and David Wei Tang as rival warriors Tan Hsiao-chien and Lang Si-Yu with Yung-Hsiang Chin and Ying Bai as Prince Chu and Chao, the fight scenes are energetic and acrobatic and above all frequent, but beyond that the film has little to offer, the locations, sets and costumes and sheer number of horses impressive but in service of a generic plot.
The wide frame filled with layers of people and architecture or mountainsides, sentries running in different directions simultaneously through both foreground and background to emphasise the perspective, Dynasty was obviously filmed to capitalise on both the 3D fad and the wuxia genre but there is restraint, the fantasy elements mild and the shots of swords, spears and pottery flying at the screen largely confined to the opening scenes.
Also known as Dragon Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, with little differentiation between opposing forces or context to illuminate the grudges and rivalries, the film never really engages, little more than a series of repetitive battles and the characters thinly drawn, Lang Si-Yu a bland turncoat and Tan Hsiao-chien a curious hero, adept at smashing tiles and other assorted crockery but understandably preferring to use his sword concealed within his parasol.
Dynasty will be streaming on the Arrow platform from Friday 2nd January
