Leofwine_draca THE LADY HERMIT is a fine swordplay effort from the Shaw Brothers studio, notably starring COME DRINK WITH ME's Cheng Pei-Pei in one of her last roles for the studio. She plays a master swordswoman who takes on a young disciple, as played by yet another Shaw regular Shih Szu. Trouble arises when both women end up falling in love with Lo Lieh (in a rare romantic interest role). Meanwhile, the machinations of a master criminal called the Black Demon threaten to spell disaster for all involved. The unusual love triangle storyline keeps this film moving along well for the first hour or so, and if I'm honest it's the calibre of the acting from the three leads which makes it interesting. Then, in the last half hour, director Ho Meng Hua (responsible for such gruesome horrors as BLACK MAGIC) lets rip with the set-piece action. Limbs are severed, bodies slashed, eyes impaled. The action comes thick and gory in an extraordinarily satisfying way, with massive set-piece towers and rope bridges to add to the fun. It's one of the best endings I've seen in a Shaw film, and is certainly worth the wait.

unbrokenmetal Lady Hermit (Pei-pei Cheng) was injured in a fight against a man called Black Demon 3 years ago. Avoiding the rematch, she hides disguised as a serving maid in the house of Master Wang where Chang Chun (the ubiquitous Lo Lieh) also works. Young Cui Ping (Szu Shih) comes to town, as she wants to become Lady Hermit's student in the martial arts. Of course, she does not recognize the maid. But rumors come to Black Demon that Lady Hermit is back, and after he kills Master Wang, Lady Hermit and Cui Ping want revenge - but the problem is, they are both in love with Chang Chun and have to settle this matter between them first...Wonderful movie. Everything you'd expect from a genre classic of the early 70s is there, blood and tears, love and hate, fights and drama. Not unusual for the time period, violence is close to the edge of cartoon style. Pei-pei Cheng has one scene when she tells 3 rogues she will cut an arm, a leg and the head off one of them each. A few seconds later - whoosh, slash, aaargh - guess what's lying on the floor? An arm, a leg and a head. But there are always the emotional moments, too, which make the characters interesting, for example the storm scene, when the roof is torn off and Lady Hermit offers shelter to Chang Chun. Memorable and highly recommended.

phillip-58 This is a subtle, clever film that is almost as good as it gets. The first two thirds of the film are strongly character driven with the two strong female leads and Lo Lieh interacting very well. There are a few fights and given Cheng Pei Pei showed herself a master of the whip in SHADOW WHIP it is surprising that it is Shih Szu who uses it here - though she switches to the sword for the almost AZUMI like ending. Here no quarter is given and the set pieces on the wooden bridge and the pagoda are very bloody and terrific action. One of the great martial arts films and worth adding to any collection. Unusual for having two strong, almost equal female leads and a real love story. The Celestial DVD is very well done with for example the fight in the misty bamboo forest showing as well as any modern film. An few interviews would have been nice to give some background as it must have been an interesting film to make. This was Cheng Pei-pei's second-to-last Shaw Brothers film. It is also fun to try and spot Sammo Hung who appears briefly as one of the villains several times.

Chung Mo Before the Venom series and the martial art miracles of Liu Chia Liang, Shaw kung fu films were a very mixed batch of stagy melodrama and frequently flimsy martial arts. Not to take away from the many good films from that era but it's like watching pre "2001" science fiction or silent films, you have to make an adjustment in expectations and then enjoy what there is. Many of the sword films are very stagy but that's the tradition they came from. Here is a rarity, a film that mostly transcends the technical limitations of the time and is quite enjoyable today.Since others have covered the plot quite well, I'll write about the similarities to "Crouching Tiger". The love triangle is clearly repeated in the Ang Lee film. Two super fighting women and a man who is quite frankly not their fighting equal but the object of their affection. The younger woman goes on an angry mission to defeat the number one martial artist which includes a fight in a tavern (albiet an open air one). "Crouching Tiger" is not a remake but I would wager that it was influenced by this film.The martial arts in the film are OK until the last third when the fight scenes go into overdrive. There's a noticeable chambara influence which in this case, unlike other Shaw films, is very good. Some of the martial arts are unfortunately simulated by camera tricks but the story keeps that from being a problem. Strangely the young woman is introduced as a whip master but at some point the whip disappears and she never uses it again.A good story driven kung fu film.