The Swordsman | |||||||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 笑傲江湖 | ||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 笑傲江湖 | ||||||||||
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Directed by | King Hu Ching Siu-tung (Executive director) Tsui Hark (Executive director) Raymond Lee (Executive director) Ann Hui (uncredited) Andrew Kam (uncredited) | ||||||||||
Screenplay by | Wong Ying Edward leung Tai Foo-ho Lam Kee-to Lau Tai-muk Kwan Man-leung | ||||||||||
Based on | The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Louis Cha | ||||||||||
Produced by | Tsui Hark | ||||||||||
Starring | Sam Hui Cecilia Yip Jacky Cheung Sharla Cheung Fennie Yuen Lau Siu-ming | ||||||||||
Cinematography | Andy Lam Peter Pau | ||||||||||
Edited by | Marco Mak David Wu | ||||||||||
Music by | Romeo Díaz James Wong | ||||||||||
Production companies | |||||||||||
Distributed by | Newport Entertainment | ||||||||||
Release date |
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Running time | 120 minutes | ||||||||||
Country | Hong Kong | ||||||||||
Languages | Cantonese | ||||||||||
Box office | HK$16,052,552 |
The Swordsman, also known as Swordsman, is a 1990 Hong Kong wuxia film. King Hu was credited as the director but allegedly left the project midway, and the film was completed by a team led by producer Tsui Hark. The film is loosely adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer . The film was followed by two sequels: Swordsman II (1992) and The East Is Red (1993).
The story is set in 16th-century China during the Ming dynasty. Gu Jinfu, a eunuch from the spy agency Eastern Depot, leads a team to retrieve the Sunflower Manual, a martial arts manual stolen from the imperial palace. They track down and attack the thief, Lin Zhennan. Around this time, Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan, members of the Mount Hua School, encounter Lin Zhennan and save him. Before succumbing to his wounds, Lin Zhennan tells them to tell his son, Lin Pingzhi, where he had hidden the manual.
While making their way to rendezvous with their Mount Hua School fellows, Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan chance upon Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang, who are planning to retire from the jianghu (martial artists' community). Just then, Zuo Lengshan, who works for Eastern Depot, shows up with his men and tries to arrest Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang. Linghu Chong and the others manage to escape, but Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang are seriously wounded in the process. Before committing suicide, the duo perform "Xiaoao Jianghu", a musical piece they composed together, and pass their instruments and the score to Linghu Chong.
Linghu Chong encounters the reclusive swordsman Feng Qingyang and learns the skill Nine Swords of Dugu from him. He also finds out that his gentlemanly master, Yue Buqun, is actually a power-hungry hypocrite. In the meantime, Gu Jinfu's henchman, Ouyang Quan, impersonates the dead Lin Pingzhi and infiltrates the Mount Hua School. He tricks Linghu Chong into revealing the whereabouts of the Sunflower Manual and then poisons him. Linghu Chong is saved by Ren Yingying and Lan Fenghuang of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. They combine forces to defeat and kill Zuo Lengshan and his men.
Around the same time, Yue Buqun, Ouyang Quan, Gu Jinfu and the others have arrived at the location where the Sunflower Manual is hidden and are fighting over the manual. Linghu Chong shows up, kills Gu Jinfu, exposes Yue Buqun's treachery and defeats him. He decides to spend the rest of his life roaming the jianghu with his friends.
The theme song of the film, "Chong Hoi Yat Sing Siu" (滄海一聲笑; "A Sound of Laughter in the Vast Sea"), was composed by James Wong, who also wrote its lyrics, performed in Cantonese by Samuel Hui and also in Mandarin by Lo Ta-Yu, James Wong and Hark Tsui.
The film grossed HK$16,052,552 at the Hong Kong box office. [1]
The Swordsman currently holds a 73% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [2]
Andrew Saroch of Far East Films writes that
"Swordsman is undoubtedly a film that improves with successive viewings. Initial impressions are that this is a convoluted and confusing swordplay film that attracts the eye with its visual flair, but is ultimately easier to admire than to warm to. However, on second and especially third viewing, Swordsman reveals more of its hidden depths and draws the now prepared viewer into its character-laden storyline". [3]
Awards and nominations | |||
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Ceremony | Category | Recipient | Outcome |
10th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Jacky Cheung | Nominated |
Lau Shun | Nominated | ||
Best Film Editing | David Wu, Marco Mak | Nominated | |
Best Art Direction | James Leung | Nominated | |
Best Action Choreography | Ching Siu-tung | Won | |
Best Original Film Score | James Wong, Romeo Diaz | Nominated | |
Best Original Film Song | Song: A Sound of Laughter in the Vast Sea (滄海一聲笑) Composer/Lyricist: James Wong | Won | |
27th Golden Horse Awards | Best Feature Film | The Swordsman' | Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor | Jacky Cheung | Won | |
Best Adapted Screenplay | Kwan Man-leung, Wong Ying, Lam Kee-to Lau Tai-muk, Edward Leung, Tai Foo-ho | Nominated | |
Best Cinematography | Andy Lam, Peter Pau | Nominated | |
Best Art Direction | James Leung | Nominated | |
Best Makeup & Costume Design | Bobo Ng, Edith Cheung | Nominated | |
Best Film Editing | David Wu, Marco Mak | Nominated | |
Best Original Film Song Award | James Wong | Won | |
Ashes of Time is a 1994 Hong Kong film written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, and inspired by characters from Jin Yong's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. Director Wong Kar Wai regards the film as his most important work.
The Smiling, Proud Wanderer is a wuxia novel by Jin Yong. It was first serialised in Hong Kong in the newspaper Ming Pao from 20 April 1967 to 12 October 1969. The Chinese title of the novel, Xiao Ao Jiang Hu, literally means to live a carefree life in a mundane world of strife. Alternate English translations of the title include The Wandering Swordsman, Laughing in the Wind, The Peerless Gallant Errant, and The Proud and Gallant Wanderer. Another alternative title, State of Divinity, is used for some of the novel's adaptations.
Swordsman II, also known as The Legend of the Swordsman, is a 1992 Hong Kong wuxia film very loosely adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was the second part of a trilogy: preceded by The Swordsman (1990) and followed by The East Is Red (1993). Directed by Ching Siu-tung, Swordsman II starred Jet Li, Brigitte Lin, Rosamund Kwan and Michelle Reis in the leading roles. None of the original cast from the previous film return except Fennie Yuen.
Laughing in the Wind is a 2001 Chinese television series produced by Zhang Jizhong, starring Li Yapeng and Xu Qing in the leading roles. The series is an adaptation of Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was first broadcast on CCTV in China in 2001.
Juedai Shuangjiao is a wuxia novel by Gu Long first published in 1966. The novel is about a pair of twin brothers who, because of a feud between two formidable martial artists, were separated at birth and raised on opposing sides. As of 2020, it has been adapted into four films and eight television series.
Dongfang Bubai, literally "Invincible East", is a fictional character in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong. He is the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult (日月神教), an "unorthodox" martial arts school. In his quest to dominate the wulin, he castrated himself to fulfil the prerequisite for learning the skills in a martial arts manual known as the Sunflower Manual (葵花寶典), and became a formidable martial artist after mastering those skills. His castration and supreme prowess in martial arts make him one of the most memorable characters in Jin Yong's wuxia universe even though he appears in only one chapter of the novel. His name has also become virtually synonymous with homosexuality and LGBT sexual orientations in Chinese popular culture.
The Mount Hua Sect, also known as the Huashan Sect, is a fictional martial arts sect mentioned in several works of wuxia fiction. It is commonly featured as one of the leading orthodox sects in the wulin. It is named after the place where it is based, Mount Hua. The sect appears in three of Jin Yong's novels.
The Five Mountain Sword Schools Alliance is a fictional alliance formed by five "orthodox" martial arts schools in the wuxia novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong. The five schools specialise in swordplay and are based on the Five Great Mountains in Taoism: Mount Hua, Mount Tai, (South) Mount Heng, (North) Mount Heng and Mount Song. The alliance was initially established to counter the "evil" Sun Moon Holy Cult. However, as the story progresses, the alliance ultimately disintegrates due to mutual distrust and infighting.
The Legendary Swordsman is a Singaporean television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was first broadcast on TCS-8 in Singapore in 2000. It stars Steve Ma, Fann Wong, Ivy Lee, Chew Chor Meng, Jacelyn Tay, Florence Tan, Chen Tianwen, Priscelia Chan & Zheng Geping as the casts of the series.
State of Divinity is a Taiwanese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was first broadcast on CTV in Taiwan in 2000.
The Proud Youth is a 1978 Hong Kong film loosely based on Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. It was produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, directed by Sun Chung and starred Wong Yue, Shih Szu, Michael Chan and Ling Yun.
The Brave Archer 2, also known as Kungfu Warlord 2, is a 1978 Hong Kong film adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes. The film was produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio and directed by Chang Cheh, starring Alexander Fu Sheng and Niu-niu in the lead roles. The film is the second part of a trilogy and was preceded by The Brave Archer (1977) and followed by The Brave Archer 3 (1981). The trilogy has two unofficial sequels, The Brave Archer and His Mate (1982) and Little Dragon Maiden (1983).
Chor Lau-heung is a Taiwanese television series adapted from Chu Liuxiang Xinzhuan of Gu Long's Chu Liuxiang novel series. Adam Cheng starred as the titular protagonist, Chor Lau-heung. The series was divided into four parts, each lasting 4 to 6 episodes and with a different director. It was first broadcast on CTV in Taiwan in 1985. The series is an unofficial sequel to the 1979 Hong Kong TVB TV series of the same title, with the story continuing from where the 1979 series left off. The character Su Rongrong does not appear in this series because the character died at the end of the 1979 series.
Return of the Sentimental Swordsman, also known as The Flying Blade, is a 1981 Hong Kong wuxia film written and directed by Chor Yuen and produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, based on Gu Long's Xiaoli Feidao series of novels. It stars Ti Lung, Alexander Fu Sheng and Derek Yee.
Justice Bao is a Chinese TV series starring producer Jin Chao-chun as the Song dynasty official Bao Zheng. The series ran for 3 seasons from 2010 to 2012. In addition to Jin, Kenny Ho, Fan Hung-hsuan and Lung Lung again reprise their iconic roles from the 1993 Taiwanese hit Justice Pao and the 2008 Chinese series Justice Bao.
Swordsman is a 2013 Chinese television series adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. The series is written and produced by Yu Zheng, and stars Wallace Huo, Joe Chen, Yuan Shanshan, Chen Xiao and Yang Rong. Shooting started on 24 March 2012 in Xiandu, Jinyun County, Lishui, Zhejiang. It was first aired in China on Hunan Television from 6 February to 4 March 2013. The plot deviates significantly from the novel, with Dongfang Bubai depicted as a woman and having a romantic affair with Linghu Chong.