Film & TV

OzAsia on Screen Film Review: Raining in the Mountain

Raining in the Mountain

A classic tale of intrigue, drama & cool kung fu fighting from Hong Kong, set in a Buddhist temple where the Abbot of the temple is set to name his successor.

 

Raining in the MountainThis year’s OzAsia Festival is one full of kick-ass women. As part of a series of screenings affectionately titled The Good, The Sometimes Bad and the Never Ugly Action Women of Hong Kong (long title, I know), the Adelaide Festival Centre and Adelaide Cinematheque present Raining in the Mountain, a classic Honk Kong action film by King Hu.

Raining in the Mountain is a tale of intrigue, drama and cool kung fu fighting set within the walls of a Buddhist temple. The Abbot of the temple is set to name his successor, inviting a general and an esquire to help make the decision. White Fox, a deadly and dazzling thief played by Hsu Feng, joins the esquire on his secret mission to obtain an ancient scroll. Little does he realise that the general is also out for the prize and has been accompanied by his own master martial artist.

Considered by many to be a Honk Kong classic, and perhaps one of Hu’s best films, Raining in the Mountain is a masterfully crafted film, at least for its time. Instead of relying on painful melodrama as many other films did, Hu told his story of mind games through action. In true martial-art movie style everything is animated through both action and superbly energetic choreography. Sometimes it goes over the top, but that’s what makes it entertaining. Why simply step off a ledge when you can back-flip off it and kick someone on the way down?

Unfortunately, by today’s standards, Raining in the Mountain would appear quite inaccessible and dated. The sound editing and colour grading (that is, editing the light and colours of the film) is all over the place, and cuts between scenes are handled quite differently to contemporary films. There is obviously a bit of a quality issue as well, the copy screened featured a number of rather nasty data corruptions that totally ruined the scenes affected.

Despite this, Raining in the Mountain is still a technically impressive film. Shot in widescreen and filmed within some beautiful locals, it is an undeniably gorgeous movie. The scene in which monks chant at the side of a lake, next to bathing concubines, is a particularly beautiful one and one that would have challenged any film-maker. How Hu directs his cast to move and interact with the environment is also a point of note. He makes very good use of every angle, every beam, window or shadow to add to the action or suggest nefarious goings-on.

I’m not exactly convinced that this film is a great example of female-led action films. While White Fox is a damn cool character, and a powerful one, she hardly gets a lot of screen time compared to the male cast. She isn’t allowed to command the action, or attention, but at least does emerge as a strong female character.

Raining in the Mountain is a beautiful, walloping slice of Hong Kong film history. Who knew temple life was so dangerous?

Reviewed by James Rudd

Rating out of 10:  6

OzAsia on Screen – Raining in the Mountain
When:
season ended
Where: Mercury Cinema, Lion Arts Centre, 13 Morphett Street, Adelaide

OzAsia on Screen runs exclusively at the Mercury Cinema from 3-20 September 2014 as part of the broader OzAsia Festival.

 

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