The umpteenth film made by Chor Yuen, one of the masters of wuxia (swordplay films), based on a novel by Gu Long (who helped renew this literary genre), Death Duel was a success and propelled Derek Yee, in the role of the legendary Third Master, to stardom. All of Shaw Brothers know-how funnelled into this film: studio shoots, work on lighting and colours, choreography of the martial arts fights. That same year, 1977, Chor Yuen made three other wuxias with Derek Yee, including the cult films, The Sentimental Swordsman and The Jade Tiger. The quality of the film is above all due to its twilight vision, the tragic story of a man who, having reached the height of his art, seems unable to escape his destiny. JB
SCREENINGS
KATORZA
SAT 16 > 3:30 pm, in the presenceof John Chiang aka David Chiang, actor, director et brother of Derek Yee.
MON 18 > 1:45 pm, in the presence of Clarence Tsui, journalist, critic in Hong Kong and co-programmer of the Derek Yee retrospective.
