Friday, November 4, 2016

Legend in the Mountain

The second film he filmed in Korea was "Raining in the Mountain." This, honestly, is his most bizarre, different but unique film he has ever made. This is a straight up ghost story. No fights, no long exposition in the beginning. Long sequences of walking, talking, fog, and falling in love.

These types of moves may seem troublesome, but I argue that a mark of a good director is one that can jump into any genre and be great at it.

Let's play a game: Here are two movies, name its director.

1. Trainspotting.
2. Slumdog Millionaire.

Answer: Danny Boyle





Here's another one:

1. The Hulk
2. Brokeback Mountain

Answer: Ang Lee






Last one:

1. Casino
2. Hugo

Answer: Martin Scorsese




Raining in the Mountain

"Raining in the Mountain" is one of two films King Hu filmed in Korea after he found renewed success after "A Touch of Zen" won a Palme D'or at the Cannes Film Festival.

This film is very different from his previous works, with an emphasis on things other than fighting. The film was split into two different parts: a heist movie and a religious movie. Two things that seemingly do not go together work very well in the hands of King Hu.

The most interesting person in the movie is the gentle giant of the film. The underdog, the misunderstood, the guy you want to win. This has been a staple of many films, which is always entertaining. One reason is that it clearly shows the prejudiced notions that many people have when they look at someone for the first time. The unnecessary redemption these people have to go through is frustrating but the feeling you get when they finally get the respect they deserve is overwhelming.

Great examples of these: