In the 1960s and 1970s, Chinese martial arts films reached a climax. As a powerful figure in the wave of martial arts films, Shaw Brothers has appeared a large number of directors and actors who have been involved in the creation of martial arts films one after another. However, due to the limitations and similarity of its model movies, there are only a few directors who can truly be called masters in the more than 20 years that Shaw Brothers has spread across the country, including Zhang Che, Liu Jialiang, and Chu Yuan.
But in addition to this, there is another director who has to mention it. He is of great significance to Chinese martial arts films, and can even be said to be the first director to promote Chinese films internationally. This person is Hu Jinquan .
Director Hu Jinquan
Although director Hu Jinquan is also from Shaw Brothers, he is an alien in the Shaw Brothers film mode. He only left his pioneering work of martial arts movie "The Drunken Hero" on Shaw's credit book, and his later works were more of his own author's movies. Putting aside personal preferences, strictly speaking, Hu Jinquan's martial arts movies are far higher than those of Shaw Brothers.
Hu Jinquan was born in a scholarly family in Beijing and became famous in Hong Kong Shaw Brothers. Later, he traveled to Taiwan and became a master. Therefore, like many intellectuals in the 1930s and 1940s, after the anti-Japanese war and civil war, the young Hu Jinquan also had some general value in his mentality, hating the tyrannical corruption of those in power, and sympathizing with the tragic fate of the general public.
So his early work "The Children of the Earth" (1965) is a typical anti-Japanese war movie, telling the story of the people and guerrillas defeating the Japanese army in a small city occupied by the Japanese army. The first half of the movie is full of urban atmosphere, and the people's dramas are very simple and moving, but the second half of the movie falls into the routine of anti-Japanese dramas. It is said that Shaw was adept at that time to delete a large number of shots in the movie, which made the plot incomplete, and finally became what we see now.
"Children of the Earth" poster
This incident seriously hit Hu Jinquan's creative passion in Shaw Brothers. Since then, Hu Jinquan gave up the realistic themes and devoted himself to the world of martial arts. As the saying goes, it is a blessing to lose one's fortune, which makes one more master in the world of martial arts movies, but perhaps also makes one less master in the world of realistic films.
1966, the pioneering work of Hu Jinquan's martial arts film "The Drunken Hero" (1966), was released. The movie tells the story of Jin Yanzi and the Drunken Heroes jointly rescue a court official. This movie still preserves the pattern of Shaw Brothers martial arts movies - the plot is laid out, fierce killing, fast-paced photography, and sharp editing all present the beauty of dynamics and power.
Although Hu Jinquan's most famous "Hu's Inn Drama" has already shown its strength in this movie, its most eye-catching romantic character, poetic pursuit and Zen meaning in its later period are still not revealed. It was also from this movie that he realized that Shaw could not do as he pleased, so he had to fly far away - to Taiwan and choose a more bizarre path.
"The Drunken Hero" poster
Hu Jinquan's first work "Longmen Inn" (1967) after arriving in Taiwan was unprecedentedly successful. The story background was set as the "Snatching the Gate Change" of the Ming Dynasty. Cao Shaoqin, the eunuch of the Jinyiwei in the East Factory, killed Yu Qian, the Minister of War Yu Qian, and sent the big and second-tier heads to chase Yu Qian's descendants with the Jinyiwei, trying to eradicate the roots. Yu Qian's old subordinates fought a fierce battle at Longmen Inn, rescued Yu Qian's descendants and killed Cao Shaoqin.
In this movie, Hu Jinquan's advantages as an expert in Ming history were able to exert his strengths. He has become a habit of textual research on historical events and characters in the Ming Dynasty, and his methods and uses are unique and profound. He mentioned in many visits: "The Ming Dynasty was the most corrupt of all dynasties. There was a big gap between intellectuals and the government, the poor and the rich, and the party struggle was the most serious."
"Longmen Inn" poster
After "Longmen Inn", Hu Jinquan spent many years to finally make the movie "The Heroes" (1971) and won the Grand Prix of the Supreme Technical Committee of the Cannes Film Festival.This film is considered a milestone work in Hu Jinquan's career, and both the plot design and technical techniques are more refined.
The first half of the movie is secular. It not only tells the story of martial arts in the martial arts world, but also directly writes about scholars. It can be said that they are both literary and military, and use force and strategy to resist evil forces; the second half of the movie turns into the metaphysical mysterious world and enters the realm of Zen and Buddhism. The charm of Eastern culture shown in the whole movie, including bamboo forests, mountains and rivers, winds that exist or not, clouds that gather and disperse, a ray of sunshine behind the dark clouds, and a bell that floats from afar, all of which are full of Eastern philosophy.
"Hello" poster
To put it inappropriately, I think only the orientals can truly understand the artistic conception here.
Hu Jinquan believes that all the civil, martial, Confucian and heroes in the world have their own fatal limitations, such as the cycle of cause and effect, revenge triggers struggle, and revenge brings new revenge, so if you want to truly be liberated, you must enter the Buddhist path. At this time, Hu Jinquan had transformed from a Confucian hero in the martial arts world to a Taoist monk.
Stills of "The Legend of the Goddess"
, after "The Storm of Yingchun Pavilion" (1973) and "The Picture of Loyalty and Martyrdom" (1975), have returned to the heroism again. "The Storm of Yingchun Pavilion" is a knight of spies, and "The Picture of Loyalty and Martyrdom" is a knight of patriots. The killings and continuous struggles shown in these two films have made Hu Jinquan more determined to enter the Zen path. The so-called heroic person violates the ban with martial arts. Martial arts will inevitably bring about struggle and conflict, and even killing. Only Buddhist arts can save oneself and sentient beings.
"The Storm in the Welcome Pavilion" poster
"Loyalty and Martyrdom" poster
Therefore, the two subsequent movies, "Empty Mountain Spirit Rain" (1979) and "Legend of the Mountain" (1979) are no longer simple martial arts movies. The former is a perfect interpretation of Zen, while the latter is an exploration of the way of ghosts. And between the two, Hu Jinquan's ethereal poetry is full of Hu Jinquan. In these two films, the mysterious oriental culture is refreshing, with Buddhist expressions and Taoist styles fascinating.
"Empty Mountain Spirit Rain" poster
"Legend in the Mountain" poster
Although Hu Jinquan's martial arts movie has lofty artistic conception, when it comes to the audience at that time, the viewing ability is far less than that of Zhang Che and Chu Yuan. Therefore, his movies often have poor box office, which puts his creations in the dilemma of transformation and investment. Therefore, all of the three works of director Hu Jinquan's later period have their own shortcomings. "The No. 1 in the World" (1983) was the first and the last, "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" (1991) was all Tsui Hark's style, and "The Painted Skin of Yin and Yang Dharma King" (1993) was outdated, far behind the tide of the times.
"The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" poster
After three consecutive movies failed, Hu Jinquan was discouraged and settled in the United States, making his final efforts for his movie "The History of Blood and Tears of Chinese Workers". Unfortunately, he died before his ambition was fulfilled. Hu Jinquan unfortunately died in early 1997 when the movie was about to start filming. A generation of master passed away with regret.
Throughout his life, Director Hu Jinquan only had fourteen works (two of which were combined into feature films with other directors), and in terms of quantity, it was about one-tenth of Zhang Che. The wildness and bloodiness in Zhang Che's movies destined him to create fast-paced and uninterrupted throughout his life, while Hu Jinquan could only slowly examine the poetry in light and shadow.
Stills of "The Legend of the Goddess"
So, Hu Jinquan should be a literati first, and then a director. His movies are not arranged as much as Zhang Che. He wants to leave blank space, and the places left behind let the poetry of Chinese culture seep in like a ray of light, clouds and fog. Light and clouds are precisely the most commonly used landscapes in Hu Jinquan's movies, all of which are like a painting of ink and water landscape.
