A Touch of Zen

A Touch of Zen, that was completed after years in production, was shortened by an hour at the insistence of producer and distributors, but at its premiere in Cannes was still three hours long. With its beautiful long shots linked by almost invisible editing, it is a high light from King Hu’s sizeable oeuvre.

In the 14th century at the time of the Ming dynasty, the young Yang (Hsu Feng) moves into a deserted fortress. She befriends the mother of the young writer Ku. One evening she invites Ku and spends the night with him. In the morning they are startled by a warrior and they only just manage to escape with their lives. Yang explains that she is fleeing from the imperial spies who murdered her father. She is waiting for the right moment to take her revenge. She succeeds in the end with the aid of Buddhist monks.