Flying Sword Heroes: Gravity-Defying Tales from Taiwan

Proctors Collaborative proudly welcomes New York City’s esteemed Subway Cinema to Schenectady. Founders of the annual New York Asian Film Festival at New York’s Lincoln Center, Subway Cinema has been thrilling New York audiences with breathtaking Asian film premieres and retrospectives since 1999. In their first event outside of the five boroughs, they arrive “flying through the air and chopping down fools with the biggest retrospective of Taiwanese wuxia (sword fighting hero) movies ever seen outside of any major U.S. city.”

EVERY SCREENING IS FREE OF CHARGE (reserve your tickets online or at the Box Office).

ICFS and Subway Cinema present “The Assassin” (2015)

7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14 and Friday, Aug. 22
Directed by: Hou Hsiao-hsien
Starring: Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Zhou Yun
Shu Qi, a Taiwanese actress and longtime veteran of the Hong Kong film industry, plays a veteran assassin towards the end of the Tang Dynasty, less than a single human lifetime away from when the grandeur of that dynasty would disappear, taking all its elegant refinements with it. She’s been trained from birth to kill for her masters, but now a sense of justice and mercy is beginning to compromise her kill count, making her wonder if the people who polish mirrors and repair robes might be more deserving of justice and mercy than the rich people who order her around. Made with meticulous attention to realism in its combat, clothes, and furniture, this is a gem of a movie, crafted, refined, and polished until it gleams.

ICFS and Subway Cinema present “A Touch of Zen” (1971)

7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24
Directed by: King Hu
Starring: Hsu Feng, Shih Chun, Pai Ying, Tien Peng, Tsao Chien, Roy Chiao, Sammo Hung

Astonishing is the only word for it. Running three ecstatic hours, “A Touch of Zen” is the kind of movie you surrender to, and you’ll walk out of the theatre with your soul in better shape than when you came in. Starting as a ghost story, it slowly spins its web as a scholar (Shih Chun) living next door to a haunted house, falls for the woman warrior he first mistakes for a ghost (Hsu Feng). By the time he finds out she’s on the run from the government, he’s caught in her grip and willing to go wherever she goes, and so is the audience, as this movie delivers bamboo forest fights, martial arts transcendence, and Zen Buddhism. “Zen” made Hsu Feng’s ferocious swordswoman a major star and established that King Hu had more on his mind than mere swordplay. Spending 25 days shooting scenes that occupy a mere 10 minutes of screentime, “Zen” made it clear that for King Hu, making movies was a way of life.

ICFS and Subway Cinema present “The Valiant Ones” (1975)

2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16
Directed by: King Hu
Starring: Roy Chiao, Hsu Feng, Sammo Hung, Han Ying-chieh

For a microscopic story told like an epic, the tale couldn’t be tinier. Corrupt Ming officials have taken bribes and allowed a band of Japanese pirates to terrorize the South China coast. The government dispatches a small band of fighters, anchored by a husband-and-wife team, to take care of them. Outnumbered, they must rely on guile, cunning, and clever strategy to take down their opponents. What follows is almost non-stop action courtesy of fight choreographer Sammo Hung (Jackie Chan’s “Big Brother”) and director King Hu, who deliver some of their greatest set pieces, including a chess battle that has to be seen to be believed.

ICFS and Subway Cinema present “The Swordsman of All Swordsmen” (1968)

4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23
Digital Restoration!
Directed by: Joseph Kuo
Starring: Tien Peng, Polly Shang-kuan, Chiang Nan

Running a breakneck 85 minutes, the film begins with Tsai Ying-jie (Tien Peng) setting out to kill the five martial arts masters who murdered his parents. He’s spent 20 years preparing for this moment, so he’s understandably bummed when things go awry almost immediately and he winds up owing his life to Flying Swallow (Polly Shang-kuan) whose father orchestrated the murder of his parents, and Black Dragon (Chiang Nan) who tells Tsai that he owes him a duel to the death once vengeance is served.

Bloody, brutal, and full of thorny moral conundrums that can only be solved by killer chopsticks and razor-blade-lined hats, this flick was such a huge hit it spawned two sequels featuring the Tsai Ying-jie character, including “The Ghost Hill,” the crazy climax to the trilogy that we are excited to share on another date.

ICFS and Subway Cinema present “Dragon Inn” (1967)

7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16 and 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23
Directed by: King Hu
Starring: Polly Shang-kuan, Shih Chun, Pai Ying, Hsu Feng, Tsao Chien

Dragon Inn — King Hu’s razor-sharp, wuxia landmark that turned the lonely desert inn into a blood-soaked waiting room for destiny — marked the first time Hu fully incorporated the aesthetics and movement of Beijing Opera into his filmmaking, shaping a signature cinematic style, and setting the box office on fire in Taiwan and Hong Kong. When a power-mad eunuch executes a loyal general, the general’s kids become next on the chopping block. But not so fast — mysterious heroes start arriving at the remote Dragon Inn, where the wine flows cheap and the blades fly cheaper. Is that traveling swordsman just here for a drink, or to slice through a dozen assassins before dessert?

With vast landscapes, balletic swordplay, and more tension than a teapot full of gunpowder, Dragon Inn redefined the martial arts movie, inspiring generations of filmmakers. And while the film’s prologue subtly frames its narrative as a timeless allegory — one of resistance against authoritarian rule, where forces of freedom challenge oppression — the result is pure pulp entertainment: arrows zing, doors slam, identities shift, and the body count climbs like a mountain monk on Red Bull.

ICFS and Subway Cinema present “The Fate Of Lee Khan” (1973)

2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17
Directed by: King Hu
Starring: Tien Feng, Hsu Feng, Roy Chiao, Pai Ying, Han Ying-chieh, Angela Mao

King Hu’s most ferocious statement of feminist principles, this flick features five actresses throwing flying fists (Hu Chin, Helen Ma, Angela Mao, Hsu Feng, and Li Li-hua). The first half of the movie is all set-up, as rebels, spies, and government officials in disguise descend on a remote inn looking for a pivotal McGuffin (a battle map). The second half of the movie sees all hell break loose as identities are revealed, loyalties are betrayed, and all the furniture gets bashed, crashed, and thoroughly smashed. Think of it as “The Hateful Eight” but with women wielding swords instead of Jennifer Jason Leigh getting punched in the face a lot.

This is also the movie where King Hu, the great action innovator, met the next step in the evolution of the action movie, Sammo Hung, who does the action choreography in this movie (and in Hu’s “The Valiant Ones”). Sammo isn’t fooling around, and his approach challenges and elevates Hu’s vision, making the action feel rougher, rowdier, and harder hitting than the elegant ballet of previous King Hu films.

ICFS and Subway Cinema present “Reign of Assassins” (2010)

4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17 and Saturday, Aug. 23
Directed by: Su Chao-bin, John Woo
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Jung Woo-sung, Leon Dai

Lady assassin Drizzle (Kelly Lin) knows the Ming Dynasty is a cutthroat world — literally. So when she steals the sacred remains of a kung fu monk whose bone marrow holds mystical martial arts secrets, she doesn’t just make enemies — she becomes one giant target. Her solution? Go under the knife and emerge as…Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”). Of course, this begins “Reign of Assassins,” a slick, soulful wuxia that was a highlight of NYAFF 2011. Reborn as tofu-slicing housewife Zeng Jing, Drizzle settles down with a kindhearted courier (Korean superstar Jung Woo-Sung) and tries to forget the whole murder-for-hire thing — until her old gang, the delightfully twisted Dark Stone, crashes back into her life.

A genre-hopping spectacle from director Su Chao-Pin (with a strong assist from John Woo, credited as co-director), “Reign” delivers gravity-defying action, romantic longing, and some of the most stylish assassins this side of a fever dream. From a nympho bride to a killer with a Technicolor coat, every blade-wielding freak hides a tragic backstory. The fights are sharp, but the emotions cut deeper.

ICFS and Subway Cinema present “A City Called Dragon” (1970)

7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19
Directed by: Larry Tu Chong-hsun
Starring: Hsu Feng, Shih Chun

Hsu Feng debuted in a small part in King Hu’s “Dragon Inn” and almost immediately Hu tapped her to star in “A Touch of Zen” alongside Shih Chun. But “Zen” was a massive production that seemed to drag on forever, so during the downtime Hsu Feng, Shih Chun, and most of the “Zen” cast and crew teamed up with Hu’s assistant director, Larry Tu Chong-hsun, to make “A City Called Dragon.” Hsu’s performance in this flick is so hardcore that it won her “Most Promising Newcomer” at the Golden Horse Awards…before “A Touch of Zen” even came out!

Hsu plays a rebel infiltrating Dragon City to get a MacGuffin (battle plans) which will help overthrow the Northern Manchus. Her contact gets beheaded by the Governor (played by Shih Chun, as the bad guy this time) who then locks down the city, leaving Hsu with three missions: find those plans, take righteous revenge, and don’t get murdered. That last one’s harder than it sounds because Dragon City is crawling with spies and assassins and they’re all hunting for her. Sporting as much intrigue as action, Hsu Feng is a righteous sword of holy vengeance in this shadowy flick that’s like what would happen if John LeCarre’ decided to put down his pen and pick up a sword.

ICFS and Subway Cinema present “The Grand Passion” (1970)

7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20
Directed by: Yang Shih-ching
Starring: Polly Shang-kuan, Pai Ying, Tsao Chien, Shih Chun

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. King Hu’s “A Touch of Zen” was such a massive production that seemed to drag on forever, that during the downtime his cast and crew went off to make another movie. This time, it was his production manager, Yang Shih-ching, who picked up a camera, and tapped Hu’s other major female discovery to headline the cast, Polly Shang-kuan. “Dragon Inn” may have put Hsu Feng on the road to stardom, but the intense Polly Shang-kuan was the actual lead swordslinger in that movie, and this hardcore flick is a showcase for what she can do. Like “A City Called Dragon,” it’s also about rebels trying to deliver a MacGuffin (a list of names) but this time Polly Shang-kuan and Pai Ying are siblings as well as part of a secret spy network, and they need to take the list to a middleman at the local teahouse. Standing in their way, of course, is the government’s torture-loving General, and numerous creeps who start coming out of the woodwork who may be friends or who may be foes. Eschewing the occasional silliness and flights of fantasy you can find in the genre, this one is a locked-down, intense drama with gorgeous production design and a sense of realism that grounds the action and makes the twists feel real. Polly Shang-kuan would go on to be one of Taiwan’s biggest action stars, and Director Yang Shih-chung would make two more movies with her following this.

ICFS and Subway Cinema present “The Ghost Hill” (1971)

7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21
Directed by: Ting Shan-hsi
Starring: Tien Peng, Polly Shang-kuan, Han Hsaing-chin, David Tang Wei

While this is the final installment in the “Swordsman of All Swordsmen” trilogy, no familiarity with the other two movies is required to have a blast. Polly Shang-kuan reprises her Flying Swallow character, alongside Tien Peng’s Tsai Ying-jie, and this time they decide to storm Hell itself in revenge for the death of Flying Swallow’s dad. After all, when life is this cruel, you want to speak to a supervisor.

Lord Chin, the Ruler of Hell, likes to bathe in boiling oil and he’s guarded by the Left and Right Judges, the Ox Head Demon, the Black and White Wuchangs, the Murdering Wonder Child, and Soul Hunter Yaksha, so this won’t be easy. Fortunately, Flying Swallow and Tsai have a just cause and an entire hobo army to help them crash through the styrofoam caves of doom and chop necks under multicolored disco lights. Shot by a cinematographer who films fight scenes like he’s storming the beach at Normandy, the visuals come flying at your eyes fast and furious in this delirious, blood-soaked fantasia.

About Subway Cinema

Subway Cinema is a New York-based not-for-profit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to the exhibition and appreciation of Asian popular cinema and the preservation of America’s Asian film exhibition heritage since 1999. Today it’s run by three of its founders, Paul Kazee, Goran Topalovic, and Grady Hendrix. Learn more at www.subwaycinema.com.