The Swordsman (1990 film)

The Swordsman
Film poster
Traditional	笑傲江湖
Simplified	笑傲江湖
Mandarin	Xiào Ào Jiāng Hú
Cantonese	Siu3 Ngou6 Gong1 Wu4
Directed by	King Hu Ching Siu-tung (uncredited) Ann Hui (uncredited) Andrew Kam (uncredited) Tsui Hark (uncredited)
Produced by	Tsui Hark
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
Starring	Sam Hui Cecilia Yip Jacky Cheung Sharla Cheung Fennie Yuen Lau Siu-ming
Music by	Romeo Díaz James Wong
Cinematography	Andy Lam Peter Pau
Edited by	Marco Mak David Wu
Production company	Golden Princess Film Production Long Shong Pictures Film Workshop
Distributed by	Newport Entertainment
Release date	5 April 1990 (1990-04-05)
Running time	120 minutes
Country	Hong Kong
Language	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 adapted from Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.

Plot

The film is set in the Ming dynasty, during the Wanli Emperor. Gu Jinfu, a eunuch from the spy agency Eastern Depot, leads a team to retrieve the Chrysanthemum Manual, a martial arts manual which was stolen from the imperial palace. They track down and attack Lin Zhennan. Lin Zhennan encounters Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan, two students from the Mount Hua Sect, and asks them to inform his son, Lin Pingzhi, where the manual is hidden.

While making their way to rendezvous with their Mount Hua Sect fellows, Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan chance upon Liu Zhengfeng, who is planning to retire from the jianghu (martial artists' community) with his friend Qu Yang. Just then, Zuo Lengshan, who works for Eastern Depot, shows up with his men and tries to arrest Linghu Chong and Qu Yang. Linghu Chong and the others manage to escape, but Liu and Qu are seriously wounded in the process. Before committing suicide, Liu and Qu 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 teacher, Yue Buqun, who leads the Mount Hua Sect, is actually a power-hungry hypocrite. In the meantime, Gu Jinfu's henchman, Ouyang Quan, impersonates Lin Pingzhi (who is dead) and infiltrates the Mount Hua Sect. 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 from 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.

Cast

• Sam Hui as Linghu Chong
• Cecilia Yip as Yue Lingshan
• Jacky Cheung as Ouyang Quan
• Sharla Cheung as Ren Yingying
• Fennie Yuen as Lan Fenghuang
• Lau Siu-ming as Yue Buqun
• Wu Ma as Liu Zhengfeng (guest appearance)
• Lam Ching-ying as Qu Yang (guest appearance)
• Yuen Wah as Zuo Lengshan *(guest appearance)
• Lau Shun as Gu Jinfu (guest appearance)
• Cheung Ming-man as Luk Ta-yau (guest appearance)
• Kam Shan as Lam Chan-nam
• Han Ying-chieh as Feng Qingyang (guest appearance and final performance)
• Wong Chi-wai as New head of Seun Fung Tong
• John Cheung as Clan member
• Cheung Yiu-sing as Ouyang's man
• Chang Sing-kwong as Gu's thug/Mount Hua Sect's disciple
• Joe Chu as Gu's thug/snake fighter
• Wong Lik as Victim of snake fighter
• Lai Sing-kwong as Gu's thug/Victim of snake fighter
• Kong Chuen as Gu's fighter
• Fei Kin as Gu's thug
• Cho Yuen-tat as Gu's thug
• Fan Chin-hung as Gu's thug
• Lau Chi-ming as Gu's thug
• Ling Chi-hung as Gu's thug
• Cheng Chi-ho as Gu's thug
• Lee Wah-kon as Imperial librarian
• Woo Wing-tat
• Chan King-chi
• Wong Wai-fong

Music

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, and performed in Cantonese by Sam Hui.

Box office

The film grossed HK$16,052,552 at the Hong Kong box office.^[1]

Reception

Critical review of the film has found deep themes involving the film's exploration of the nature of power, loss, relationships and memory. The irony of the villains' search for the world's most powerful martial arts scroll is that it is repeatedly mistaken for a scroll containing the score for an eloquent song about the folly of man and the mystery of life.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• The Swordsman on IMDb
• The Swordsman at AllMovie