MovieChat Forums > Wu du (1978) Discussion > Takes place during the Song dynasty

Takes place during the Song dynasty


For lovers of old-time, classic Shaw Brothers Kung Fu movies (Was there any other?) they might be interested in the historic time period of this movie, THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS.

Answer: the Song Dynasty, 960 A.D. - 1278 A.D.

Unanswered question: I just don't know when during the Song Dynasty. The
movie appears to take place during the prosperous time
of the northern Song, 960 A.D. - 1127 A.D., or the
prosperous heyday of the southern Song, 1127 A.D. -
1278 A.D.
The Song Dynasty was unusual like the great Han Dynasty
in that it was split into two separate time periods
due to violent political conflict and military warfare.

Clues that it was the Song Dynasty:

1) Biggest clue, is when the corrupt governor/judge tells the 'snake' brother
that, "Song law requires a signed statement before sentencing".

2) Paper money is being used. The later Ming dynasty did not use paper money
and had reverted to solely precious metals and valuable metals for coin
currency. The Song dynasty invented paper money, initially in several
forms, one of which you see in the movie, 'money certificates', a kind of,
'promise to pay' document certificate. In the movie, one of those
certificates is worth, 1,000 taels of silver.

3) Hair styles. Both the Song and Ming dynasties used similar men's hair
fashions. At the movie's beginning this is the main clue that the time
period is NOT the Qing dynasty since no one is wearing queues, or,
pejoratively, pigtails. But the viewer did not know specifically which
dynasty, the Song, or the Ming, until the later clues.

NOTE: Communist China has been building its own version of Hollywood for the last twenty years and is now producing some quite good historic Chinese movies, without the hogwash flying stunts of the Hong Kong movie genres. I really enjoy the historic Chinese movies coming out of mainland China these days; especially as the communist Chinese government and the Chinese people rediscover their own historic past and greatness and begin to fully embrace it once more, something the communist government tried hard to suppress in its first three decades of existence. The present communist rulers of China discovered the obvious, that embracing China's glorious imperial past did not jeopardize the ruling authority of the communist party. Imperial China was as totalitarian as today's China and the Chinese people have always been used to totalitarian government. Present day China discovered that embracing its glorious past great dynasties has been good for the morale and unity of its present day Chinese Han population.

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without the hogwash flying stunts of the Hong Kong movie genres.


Those "hogwash flying stunts" are exactly what made these movies so popular in the first place, thank you very much.

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