King Hu-Da zui xia ('Come Drink with Me') (1966)

Come drink with me (1966) was directed by King Hu, whose fanciful Hong Kong/Taiwan costumed swordplay films from the 1960s and 70s are often cited as an inspiration for Ang Lee's hit of 2000, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. This film stars Golden Swallow Cheng Pei-pei who fights on behalf of the local governor (her father) against a group of rebel bandits, led by Jade-faced Tiger, who have kidnapped his son (her brother). She is aided in her adventures by a drunken wanderer called Drunken Knight (starring Yue Hua), who is equally good with a sword, and whose guise may be a cover for other activities… This renowned movie was recently screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, and also won lots of applause at film festivals at New York and Tokyo as well. YesAsia




A ruthless band of thugs kidnaps a young official to exchange for their leader who has been captured. Golden Swallow (Cheng Pei-pei) is sent to take on the thugs and free the prisoner (who is also her brother). Though she is able to handle the overwhelming odds, she is hit by a poison dart and gets help from a beggar who is really a kung-fu master in disguise (Vueh Hua). With his help, she forms a plan to get her brother back. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0059079/plotsummary)




Come Drink with Me was made in 1966. It was King Hu's first attempt at Wuxia genre, as well as Cheng Pei-pei and Yue Hua's debut in a Wuxia movie. Before the release of this film, Wuxia was not a popular genre in Hong Kong. In some senses, it is not inappropriate to say that Come Drink with Me was the first movie to arouse the attention of Hong Kong audience to new style Wuxia film. King Hu was also known as a synonym of Wuxia genre later. YesAsia




One of the most impressive aspects of King Hu's movie is his aesthetic consideration. Unlike many other Hong Kong movies at that time, his compositions are always carefully constructed. For instance, when Golden Swallow first appears in the beginning of the film, the background of the small town looks extremely sophisticated, even though this setting only appears once in the movie. Later in the movie, scenes like the buddhist temple and the small hut of Fan Dabei are also elaborate. You can feel the attention to details obviously. In addition to the compositions, camera work is also highly appreciated. The consideration of camera angle is not merely for the sake of storytelling, there is also an unique and significant artistic touch. YesAsia




Aesthetic consideration is not limited to composition or camera work only, the action choreography is also very elegant. It is very different from any hardcore action movies we see today in which a lot of blood is shed, Hu's fight scenes are very exquisite and acrobatic. The movements of the actors are not fast or authentic, in some senses, they are more like dancing than fighting. Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is the most devoted successor of King Hu's Wuxia film that captures Hu's spirit wholeheartedly. No matter the aesthetic consideration of the settings or the elegant and acrobatic fight scenes, everything is just evolved from Hu's films. YesAsia




This is the movie that started it all, the watershed wu xia movie in Hong Kong to which pretty much all the kung fu and wire fu movies owe a debt. King Hu was the visionary director who introduced this new style of movie making to the world, and Come Drink With Me is the movie where he first did it. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0059079/usercomments)




Such an important movie in HK history was clearly going to be one of the jewels in Celestial Pictures' remastered Shaw Brothers series, and indeed it was chosen as the flagship title - a restored print did a small tour of the world to build up interest in the catalog and secure distribution. The DVD was one of the first released, and is a very nice package with beautiful picture and sound quality, great subtitling and an interesting set of interviews. After so many years it's great to see the movie looking and sounding so good. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0059079/usercomments)




If you want to learn about renowned master King Hu's world of Wuxia, Come Drink with Me is no doubt a good place to start. YesAsia