Seven Swords
Encyclopedia
Seven Swords is a 2005 Hong Kong wuxia
film adapted from Liang Yusheng
's novel Qijian Xia Tianshan. It was produced and directed by Tsui Hark
, and starred Donnie Yen
, Leon Lai
, Charlie Yeung
, Sun Honglei
, Lu Yi
and Kim So-yeon
. It was used as the opening film to the 2005 Venice Film Festival
and as a homage to Akira Kurosawa
's Seven Samurai (1954).
s take over sovereignty of China and establish the Qing Dynasty
. While nationalistic sentiments start brewing within the martial artists' community (jianghu
), the Qing government immediately imposes a ban forbidding the common people from practising martial arts. Fire-Wind sees the new law as an opportunity to for himself to make a fortune and offers to help the government execute the new rule. Greedy, cruel and immoral, Fire-Wind ravages northwest China with his army, killing thousands of pugilists as well as innocent civilians. His next goal is to attack Martial Village, which houses a large number of martial artists.
Fu Qingzhu, a retired executioner who served during the previous Ming Dynasty
, feels an urge to stop Fire-Wind's brutality, and he sets forth to save Martial Village. He brings with him two young villagers, Han Zhibang and Wu Yuanying, to Mount Heaven
to seek help from Shadow-Glow, a reclusive master swordsman and sword-forger. Shadow-Glow allows his four students (Chu Zhaonan, Yang Yuncong, Xin Longzi and Mulang) to accompany the trio on their quest. He also gives each of them a special sword he forged, and the seven of them title themselves "Seven Swords". The Seven Swords return to Martial Village in the nick of time and succeed in driving away Fire-Wind's soldiers. In order to buy time for the villagers to prepare for an evacuation, the Seven Swords advance to Fire-Wind's base and cause chaos. During the raid, Chu Zhaonan encounters Fire-Wind's Korean slave girl, Green Pearl, and brings her along as they make their escape.
As the party makes its exodus, strange things start happening along the way. Their food and water supplies are mysteriously poisoned, and their trail is marked by signs leading the enemy to them. The Seven Swords realize that there is a spy among them and understand that they must eliminate him / her before Fire-Wind catches up. Green Pearl immediately becomes a suspect because she does not speak their language. The situation is further complicated by a romantic affair between Chu Zhaonan and Green Pearl. Once, Green Pearl leads Chu into a trap unintentionally and manages to escape despite suffering serious injuries. Chu is captured by Fire-Wind, and Green Pearl manages to inform the other swordsmen before she dies.
The other six swordsmen travel to Fire-Wind's base and engage him in a fierce battle to rescue Chu Zhaonan. During the Swords' absence, the spy, Qiu Dongluo, reveals his identity and begins killing the unsuspecting villagers systematically. He is discovered by the village chief's daughter, Liu Yufang, and eventually killed by her. However, Liu is traumatized by the experience and turns hysterical. Meanwhile, the Seven Swords defeat and slay Fire-Wind, forcing his army to retreat temporarily. The swordsmen return to the hideout, only to find that all the villagers have been killed, except for Liu Yufang and the children. Han Zhibang calms Liu down and decides to stay behind and protect the survivors. The Seven Swords realize that the only way to save the jianghu is to persuade the emperor to withdraw the Martial Arts Ban. Liu tells Han that she can take care of the survivors and Han rides away to join his comrades as they travel towards the capital city.
and Tsui Hark said that he was "hoping to see another side of him (Leon Lai).") trained in horseback riding and swordplay for their respective roles but Song Seung-heon dropped out near the start of the filming period in order to work on other projects. Donnie Yen was offered the role of Chu Chaonan after Song Seung-heon dropped out, Yen after "understanding the gravity" of the situation took up the role with no hesitations. Actor Lu Yi
has said once that he will never do a wuxia / martial arts project ever again but when he was offered the role of Han Zhibang he immediately took it up due to the all-star cast tied to the project and that he will probably never get another chance to work with such a strong cast ever again. The role of Prince Dokado was at first offered to mainland Chinese actor Hu Jun
but was turned down for some unknown reason, and was later offered to veteran actor Wang Xueqi
but he apparently also turned it down as well and it eventually went to Hong Kong actor Michael Wong
. Actor Li Yuan auditioned for a role as one of the Seven Swords and was even picked by Tsui Hark himself but owing to some commercial reasons, the role was given to a more prominent actor instead. During the shooting of the ending finale fight Donnie Yen accidentally injured actor Sun Honglei
near the corner of his eye mistaking him for a trained martial artist. Sun was rushed from Xinjiang to a Beijing hospital on the night of 7 December. Sun immediately returned to the set a day later, insisting on finishing his scenes, and his eyesight was not effected. The production manager and scriptwriter of Seven Swords, Cheung Chi-sing, revealed that the initial cut made by Angie Lam was four hours long. However, the distributors were worried that such a lengthy running time would limit screening arrangements and affect box office performance, so Tsui Hark re-edited it to two versions - 150 minutes and 120 minutes. Finding the 120 minutes version suffering from underdeveloped relationships, the investors opted for the 150 minutes (2.5 hours) version for the theatrical run.
intended Seven Swords to be a hexalogy
, however the prospects for the second installment have not come to fruition. In 2008, Tsui was known to be still developing the script for the sequel in between production and/or direction of other projects; the actual release and production for the sequel had yet to officially be announced. It is believed that Tsui is completing scripts for both the second and third installments of the film to complete the hexalogy in successive development and production.
As of 2011, there has been no news of Seven Swords at all, and there is speculation that it would not be completed as planned. The last known news about the film was in its pre-production phase between 2007-2008, yet neither Tsui Hark nor anyone attached to the film made any statement of commitment to the planned hexalogy for about 3-4 years. While unconfirmed, it is believed the film has been stalled or quietly scrapped due to lack of interest in completing the story.
Wuxia
Wuxia is a broad genre of Chinese fiction concerning the adventures of martial artists. Although wuxia is traditionally a form of literature, its popularity has caused it to spread to diverse art forms like Chinese opera, manhua , films, television series, and video games...
film adapted from Liang Yusheng
Liang Yusheng
Chen Wentong , better known by his pen name Liang Yusheng , is a Chinese writer of wuxia novels.He is credited as the pioneer of the "new school" wuxia genre in the 20th century, as well as one of the three most esteemed wuxia writers in the second half of the 20th century .-Biography:Chen was...
's novel Qijian Xia Tianshan. It was produced and directed by Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
, and starred Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen
Donnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
, Leon Lai
Leon Lai
Leon Lai is a Hong Kong-based actor and Cantopop singer. The media refer to Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings . He uses the stage name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming" which literally means "dawn."-Biography:...
, Charlie Yeung
Charlie Yeung
Charlie Yeung Choi-Nei, sometimes spelled Charlie Young, is a Chinese film actress and singer. She was first noticed after appearing in a jewellery commercial with Aaron Kwok...
, Sun Honglei
Sun Honglei
Sun Honglei, born 16 August 1970 in Harbin, China is a Chinese actor.-Background:Sun developed an interest in acting and performances at a young age. He often skipped school to learn breakdancing on the streets and eventually gave up his studies entirely to pursue dancing as a career, eventually...
, Lu Yi
Lu Yi (actor)
Lu Yi is a Chinese film and television actor.He graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1999.Lu has appeared in more than one dozen films including the part of Han Shibang, one of the seven heroes, in the wuxia film Seven Swords directed by Tsui Hark.-TV series:*Field of Dreams...
and Kim So-yeon
Kim So-yeon
Kim So-yeon is a South Korean actress best known for her starring role in the television series All About Eve and Iris.-Career:As of 2005 she performed Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords". In 2008, she also had a main role in the drama Gourmet. She was one of the main actresses in the hit drama Iris. The...
. It was used as the opening film to the 2005 Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
and as a homage to Akira Kurosawa
Akira Kurosawa
was a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema, Kurosawa directed 30 filmsIn 1946, Kurosawa co-directed, with Hideo Sekigawa and Kajiro Yamamoto, the feature Those Who Make Tomorrow ;...
's Seven Samurai (1954).
Plot
In the mid-17th century, the ManchuManchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
s take over sovereignty of China and establish the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. While nationalistic sentiments start brewing within the martial artists' community (jianghu
Jianghu
The jianghu is the milieu, environment, or sub-community, often fictional, in which many Chinese wuxia stories are set.In modern Chinese culture, jianghu is commonly accepted as an alternative universe coexisting with the actual historical one in which the context of the wuxia genre was set...
), the Qing government immediately imposes a ban forbidding the common people from practising martial arts. Fire-Wind sees the new law as an opportunity to for himself to make a fortune and offers to help the government execute the new rule. Greedy, cruel and immoral, Fire-Wind ravages northwest China with his army, killing thousands of pugilists as well as innocent civilians. His next goal is to attack Martial Village, which houses a large number of martial artists.
Fu Qingzhu, a retired executioner who served during the previous Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, feels an urge to stop Fire-Wind's brutality, and he sets forth to save Martial Village. He brings with him two young villagers, Han Zhibang and Wu Yuanying, to Mount Heaven
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan , also spelled Tien Shan, is a large mountain system located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Victory Peak , ....
to seek help from Shadow-Glow, a reclusive master swordsman and sword-forger. Shadow-Glow allows his four students (Chu Zhaonan, Yang Yuncong, Xin Longzi and Mulang) to accompany the trio on their quest. He also gives each of them a special sword he forged, and the seven of them title themselves "Seven Swords". The Seven Swords return to Martial Village in the nick of time and succeed in driving away Fire-Wind's soldiers. In order to buy time for the villagers to prepare for an evacuation, the Seven Swords advance to Fire-Wind's base and cause chaos. During the raid, Chu Zhaonan encounters Fire-Wind's Korean slave girl, Green Pearl, and brings her along as they make their escape.
As the party makes its exodus, strange things start happening along the way. Their food and water supplies are mysteriously poisoned, and their trail is marked by signs leading the enemy to them. The Seven Swords realize that there is a spy among them and understand that they must eliminate him / her before Fire-Wind catches up. Green Pearl immediately becomes a suspect because she does not speak their language. The situation is further complicated by a romantic affair between Chu Zhaonan and Green Pearl. Once, Green Pearl leads Chu into a trap unintentionally and manages to escape despite suffering serious injuries. Chu is captured by Fire-Wind, and Green Pearl manages to inform the other swordsmen before she dies.
The other six swordsmen travel to Fire-Wind's base and engage him in a fierce battle to rescue Chu Zhaonan. During the Swords' absence, the spy, Qiu Dongluo, reveals his identity and begins killing the unsuspecting villagers systematically. He is discovered by the village chief's daughter, Liu Yufang, and eventually killed by her. However, Liu is traumatized by the experience and turns hysterical. Meanwhile, the Seven Swords defeat and slay Fire-Wind, forcing his army to retreat temporarily. The swordsmen return to the hideout, only to find that all the villagers have been killed, except for Liu Yufang and the children. Han Zhibang calms Liu down and decides to stay behind and protect the survivors. The Seven Swords realize that the only way to save the jianghu is to persuade the emperor to withdraw the Martial Arts Ban. Liu tells Han that she can take care of the survivors and Han rides away to join his comrades as they travel towards the capital city.
Cast
- Donnie YenDonnie YenDonnie Yen is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film director and producer, action choreographer, and world wushu tournament medalist...
as Chu Zhaonan, wielder of the Dragon - Leon LaiLeon LaiLeon Lai is a Hong Kong-based actor and Cantopop singer. The media refer to Aaron Kwok, Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as the Cantopop Four Heavenly Kings . He uses the stage name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming" which literally means "dawn."-Biography:...
as Yang Yuncong, wielder of the Transience - Lau Kar-leungLau Kar-leungLau Kar-Leung is a famous Hong Kong martial arts filmmaker, choreographer, and actor.Lau Kar-Leung is best known for his movies which he made during the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio...
as Fu Qingzhu, wielder of the Unlearnt - Charlie YeungCharlie YeungCharlie Yeung Choi-Nei, sometimes spelled Charlie Young, is a Chinese film actress and singer. She was first noticed after appearing in a jewellery commercial with Aaron Kwok...
as Wu Yuanying, wielder of the Heaven's Fall - Lu YiLu Yi (actor)Lu Yi is a Chinese film and television actor.He graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1999.Lu has appeared in more than one dozen films including the part of Han Shibang, one of the seven heroes, in the wuxia film Seven Swords directed by Tsui Hark.-TV series:*Field of Dreams...
as Han Zhibang, wielder of the Deity - Duncan ChowDuncan ChowDuncan Chow , September 19, 1978) is a Hong Kong-born actor who is popular in Taiwan. Originally he was a professional windsurfer and a fashion show model, but chose acting as a career in 2001...
as Mulang, wielder of the Celestial Beam - Tai Li-wu as Xin Longzi, wielder of the Star Chasers
- Sun HongleiSun HongleiSun Honglei, born 16 August 1970 in Harbin, China is a Chinese actor.-Background:Sun developed an interest in acting and performances at a young age. He often skipped school to learn breakdancing on the streets and eventually gave up his studies entirely to pursue dancing as a career, eventually...
as Fire-Wind, a warlord - Kim So-yeonKim So-yeonKim So-yeon is a South Korean actress best known for her starring role in the television series All About Eve and Iris.-Career:As of 2005 she performed Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords". In 2008, she also had a main role in the drama Gourmet. She was one of the main actresses in the hit drama Iris. The...
as Green Pearl, Fire-Wind's Korean slave girl - Zhang JingchuZhang JingchuZhang Jingchu is a Chinese film actress. She graduated in Directing at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing.Zhang was brought up in a middle-working class family in the countryside...
as Liu Yufang, Liu Jingyi's daughter and Han Zhibang's lover - Ma Jingwu as Shadow-Glow, a reclusive swordsman and sword forger
- Michael WongMichael Wong (actor)Michael Fitzgerald Wong aka Wong Man-Tak is a Chinese-American and a Hong Kong based actor, director, singer and producer.He is fluent in English, but not so in Chinese, which is reflected in many of the characters he has portrayed. His most notable film is the 1998 film Beast Cops which won a...
as Prince Dokado, a Manchu noble - Jason Pai as Liu Jingyi, the village chief
- Chi Kuan-chunChi Kuan-chunChi Kuan-chun , also known as Chik Goon-Gwan, is a Hong Kong martial arts actor and Hung Ga practitioner, best known as Shaolin rebel Hu Huei Chien , a role he played in several movies in 1970's and he was repeatedly co-starred with Alexander Fu Sheng.-Life and career:Born as Wu Dong-wai in...
as Qiu Dongluo, the traitor - Huang Peng as Guan Sandao, a villager
- Zhang Chao as Zhang Huazhao, a villager
- Chen Jiajia as Kualo, Fire-Wind's follower
- Liu Mingzhe as Jiaoci, Fire-Wind's follower
- Li Haitao as Siyilang, Fire-Wind's follower
- Jiang Guangjin as Sanzi, Fire-Wind's follower
- Xie Zhang as Bald Lion, Fire-Wind's follower
- Wang Chi-man as Dagger Peak, Fire-Wind's follower
- Zhang Jie as Hair Wolf, Fire-Wind's follower
- Tang Tengfei as Stone Beast, Fire-Wind's follower
- Liu Zhenbao as Mud Trot, Fire-Wind's follower
- Lin Haibin as Sangen, Fire-Wind's follower
- Guo Fengqiang as Black Spirit, Fire-Wind's follower
- Jia Kun as Bangmuzi, Fire-Wind's follower
Production
The film, the first of a planned six part film franchise. The role of Chu Zhaonan was in fact offered to Korean actor Song Seung-heon with a reported pay of US$400,000 (It is unknown whether Donnie Yen was paid this amount for the role). Both Song Seung-heon and Leon Lai (who was given the role of Yang Yuncong due to his performance in The Sword of Many LoversThe Sword of Many Lovers
The Sword of Many Lovers, also known as Sword of Many Loves, is a 1993 Hong Kong film based on Louis Cha's novel Other Tales of the Flying Fox...
and Tsui Hark said that he was "hoping to see another side of him (Leon Lai).") trained in horseback riding and swordplay for their respective roles but Song Seung-heon dropped out near the start of the filming period in order to work on other projects. Donnie Yen was offered the role of Chu Chaonan after Song Seung-heon dropped out, Yen after "understanding the gravity" of the situation took up the role with no hesitations. Actor Lu Yi
Lu Yi (actor)
Lu Yi is a Chinese film and television actor.He graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1999.Lu has appeared in more than one dozen films including the part of Han Shibang, one of the seven heroes, in the wuxia film Seven Swords directed by Tsui Hark.-TV series:*Field of Dreams...
has said once that he will never do a wuxia / martial arts project ever again but when he was offered the role of Han Zhibang he immediately took it up due to the all-star cast tied to the project and that he will probably never get another chance to work with such a strong cast ever again. The role of Prince Dokado was at first offered to mainland Chinese actor Hu Jun
Hu Jun
Hu Jun is a Chinese actor of Manchu ethnicity. He is known for his dramatic roles in various films and television series.-Filmography:-External links:***** - Official recognition fan site...
but was turned down for some unknown reason, and was later offered to veteran actor Wang Xueqi
Wang Xueqi
Wang Xueqi is a Chinese film actor whose career has spanned over 25 years. He was often cast in early Fifth Generation films, such as Chen Kaige's Yellow Earth and The Big Parade , Huang Jianxin's Samsara, and Zhang Yimou's Codename Cougar...
but he apparently also turned it down as well and it eventually went to Hong Kong actor Michael Wong
Michael Wong (actor)
Michael Fitzgerald Wong aka Wong Man-Tak is a Chinese-American and a Hong Kong based actor, director, singer and producer.He is fluent in English, but not so in Chinese, which is reflected in many of the characters he has portrayed. His most notable film is the 1998 film Beast Cops which won a...
. Actor Li Yuan auditioned for a role as one of the Seven Swords and was even picked by Tsui Hark himself but owing to some commercial reasons, the role was given to a more prominent actor instead. During the shooting of the ending finale fight Donnie Yen accidentally injured actor Sun Honglei
Sun Honglei
Sun Honglei, born 16 August 1970 in Harbin, China is a Chinese actor.-Background:Sun developed an interest in acting and performances at a young age. He often skipped school to learn breakdancing on the streets and eventually gave up his studies entirely to pursue dancing as a career, eventually...
near the corner of his eye mistaking him for a trained martial artist. Sun was rushed from Xinjiang to a Beijing hospital on the night of 7 December. Sun immediately returned to the set a day later, insisting on finishing his scenes, and his eyesight was not effected. The production manager and scriptwriter of Seven Swords, Cheung Chi-sing, revealed that the initial cut made by Angie Lam was four hours long. However, the distributors were worried that such a lengthy running time would limit screening arrangements and affect box office performance, so Tsui Hark re-edited it to two versions - 150 minutes and 120 minutes. Finding the 120 minutes version suffering from underdeveloped relationships, the investors opted for the 150 minutes (2.5 hours) version for the theatrical run.
Sequel
Tsui HarkTsui Hark
Tsui Hark , born Tsui Man-kong, is a Hong Kong New Wave film director and producer. He is viewed as a major figure in the Golden Age of Hong Kong cinema .-Early life:...
intended Seven Swords to be a hexalogy
Hexalogy
A hexalogy is a compound literary or narrative work that is made up of six distinct works, just as a trilogy is made up of three works, and a tetralogy of four. The word apparently first appeared in English as a borrowing from German, in discussions of August Bungert's Wagnerian opera cycle...
, however the prospects for the second installment have not come to fruition. In 2008, Tsui was known to be still developing the script for the sequel in between production and/or direction of other projects; the actual release and production for the sequel had yet to officially be announced. It is believed that Tsui is completing scripts for both the second and third installments of the film to complete the hexalogy in successive development and production.
As of 2011, there has been no news of Seven Swords at all, and there is speculation that it would not be completed as planned. The last known news about the film was in its pre-production phase between 2007-2008, yet neither Tsui Hark nor anyone attached to the film made any statement of commitment to the planned hexalogy for about 3-4 years. While unconfirmed, it is believed the film has been stalled or quietly scrapped due to lack of interest in completing the story.
See also
- Qijian Xia Tianshan
- Seven SwordsmenSeven SwordsmenSeven Swordsmen is a 2006 television series directed by Clarence Fok and produced by Tsui Hark. The series is adapted from Liang Yusheng's novels Qijian Xia Tianshan and Saiwai Qixia Zhuan...
- List of Dragon Dynasty releases
External links
- Seven Swords (archived from the original on 2007-02-16)
- Review of Seven Swords on kfccinema.com