Director: Pao-Shu Kao
Screenplay: Kuang Ni
Starring: Lily Ho, Seok-hoon Nam, Hsieh Wang, Yuen-Man Meng, Chih Hsien Po, No Tsai, Lin Ching, Wen-Chung Ku
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 89 min
Year: 1971
BBFC Certificate: TBC
Lady With a Sword (a.k.a. Feng Fei Fei) was released around the time kung-fu films such as The Chinese Boxer and The Big Boss were booming, signalling the decline of the previously very popular wuxia genre. There was life in wuxia yet though, if Lady With a Sword is anything to go by.
What’s interesting about the film, is that it’s directed by a woman, Pao-Shu Kao. This was rare for a Hong Kong martial arts movie at the time. Perhaps Shaw Brothers gave her a chance because wuxia films were beginning to lose favour with audiences, but it’s still an admirable move. It seems particularly fitting though, seeing how many of the most successful wuxia had female protagonists.
Kao herself had been an actress for Shaw Brothers since the late 50s, so Lady With a Sword, her directorial debut, could also be seen as a gift for long service. Following this, she would go on to start her own production company, Park Films, alongside her second husband, Vengee Park. She directed another 10 films through this company, before retiring in the early 80s.
88 Films are releasing Lady With a Sword on Blu-ray. I’d not seen it before, so got my hands on a copy and my thoughts follow.
The film stars Lily Ho as Feng Fei Fei, a swordswoman who vows to get revenge when she learns that her sister has been murdered, not long after her brother-in-law had also met a grisly end at the hand of bandits.
Fei Fei and her nephew, Hu Tou (Yuen-Man Meng), head into town to investigate. However, Fei Fei soon discovers that the man responsible for her sister’s death is her own fiancé, Chin Lien Pai (played by Seok-hoon Nam, aka James Nam).
On learning this, Fei Fei initially decides not to act, not wanting to offend her intended mother and father-in-law. However, on witnessing Lien Pai’s true villainy, she can sit back no longer and attempts to take him to the authorities.
However, Lien Pai’s mother, (Lin Ching) won’t allow this to happen and does everything in her power to save her beloved son. Lien Pai’s father, Kai Yung (Peng-Fei Li), is less forgiving of his son’s actions though and sends for Fei Fei’s parents to attempt to settle the situation without bloodshed.
Can either Madam Chin or Fei Fei’s minds be changed, or is it too late?
Also muddying the waters are the villainous sworn brothers Liang Pa (Hsieh Wang), a criminal acting as the Chin’s Chief Steward, and Hsiao Pao (No Tsai), otherwise known as the Ghost Head Flying Dagger, who is the one responsible for the death of Fei Fei’s brother-in-law.
I enjoyed Lady With a Sword a great deal. It’s a brutal film, in places, with lashings of blood and several vicious and tragic deaths. However, it’s the storytelling and characters that won me over.
Strong dilemmas surrounding family and loyalty drive the narrative and make for a highly dramatic film. Indeed, the work done to build the characters in this way gives the fight scenes a much greater impact than in many similar martial arts films.
The action is well executed too. Simon Hsu and Ying-Chieh Han were the choreographers. The latter could be considered one of the most important stunt coordinators in Hong Kong history. He choreographed the fights for a handful of highly influential wuxia/martial arts films – Come Drink With Me, Dragon Inn, The Big Boss, Fists of Fury and A Touch of Zen. His work alongside Hsu in Lady With a Sword is perhaps not as groundbreaking as in those other titles, but the pair craft some exciting fights.
Lily Ho is not believed to have had a martial arts background but she holds her own here as our badass heroine and is rarely doubled. The young Yuen-Man Meng is also worth a mention. He was one of the Seven Little Fortunes, training at the China Drama Academy under Master Yu Jim-yuen, alongside luminaries like Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao. Whilst his character isn’t much of a fighter, Meng gets to show his Peking Opera skills with plenty of acrobatic flips and tricks.
Like most of the Shaw Brothers’ output, the film looks good too. Unlike a number of titles of the period, however, it was largely shot on location which makes for some handsome natural backdrops.
Overall then, Lady With a Sword is a violent and truly rousing wuxia melodrama. Though not loaded with wall-to-wall action, each fight is given purpose, making for a satisfying and thrilling whole. A Shaw Brothers gem, that’s for sure.
Film: 
Lady With a Sword is out on 21st April on region A&B Blu-Ray, released by 88 Films (pre-order it here). The print and transfer are impressive, with bold colours and a clean image. It’s got a slightly waxy look in places but I find this is common among Shaw Brothers releases from the era. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed. There’s only a Mandarin audio track available but perhaps a dub was never made for this. The audio quality is strong for a film of its era.
LIMITED EDITION FEATURES
– High Definition Blu-ray presentation in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
– Original Mandarin Mono 2.0 audio with new English Subtitles
– Audio Commentary by David West
– Stills Gallery
– Reversible sleeve featuring original Hong Kong art
– Double-sided poster (LE only)
– First pressing o-ring slipcase with new art by Sam Green (LE only)
David West provides a commentary. He digs deep into the backgrounds of most of the key players in front of and behind the camera, as well as discussing the themes of the film. It’s an illuminating track.
So, it’s another must-buy disc from 88 Films for Shaw Brothers fans.
Disc/package: 