the first time i saw this film i was very young and i just recently purchased it again and some of it seems different from the original vhs copy i had before. im pretty sure that in the first version i saw of this film yuen biao was in like the modern day world for the beginning and i think he gets in a car accident or something. am i mixed up or is there two versions of this film?
sharethere were indeed 2 versions. Golden Harvest re-cut the original to include the storyline you remember - idea being to appeal to western audiences.
shareInvestors at Golden Harvest wanted "Zu: The Warriors from the Magic Mountain" to have Western appeal presumably so the film could earn back its record-breaking budget of $30 million (HK) or $4 million (USD) which was a lot of money to spend on a movie even during the industry's golden age.
Against director Tsui Hark's wishes Golden Harvest sent him to Canada to film around 25 additional minutes of footage that would bookend the Hong Kong print.
This version would be released to international audiences as "Zu: Time Warriors" and completely reworks the original script through newly-shot footage of Yuen Biao as a modern day college student studying in the West who enjoys fencing.
While visiting an ancient Chinese art exhibit on campus Yuen becomes entranced by a painting (of the "Zu" cast) and later enamored with another Chinese student (portrayed by Moon Lee) who he believes bares a strong resemblence to one of the women in the painting.
Yuen and Lee end up falling in love but a car accident soon leaves Yuen in a coma and the original version of the film begins only now it has something of a "Wizard of Oz" feel to it achieved in part by additional sequences, noticable cuts, and English dubbing. The original print of the film now acts as a fantasy land that Yuen has been transported to where he searches for Moon Lee who he believes is his true love.
Yuck!
In the U.S. "Zu: Time Warriors" was released (without warning) on the old Tai Seng VHS under the film's original title. If you're interested in viewing footage used for "Zu: Time Warriors" without having to sacrifice the original film, Hong Kong Legends (R2) makes the additional footage available on the supplement features.
Hmmm. Actually sounds quite interesting. Where can I find this Zu Time Warrior version?
"Because anything else would be uncivilized."
-Hulk Hogan, Old Spice commercial
The UK includes all the Time Warriors scenes in the special features section ("The Wizard's Cove!") as well as the film proper.
shareAre you talking about this edition ?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zu-Warriors-Magic-Mountain-DVD/dp/B000065C0Z
ha, thanks for the info. i figured it was something like that but for awhile i thought i was for sure mixing two films together.
sharewhen I first saw this movie it blew me away. One Of Tsui Harks early films it show his signature fondness for bright colors...and fog machines.
I loved Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in this.
The Wuxia tone is great. Its also neat to see the mystical side of kung fu exlpored in a movie. all the stuff about transferring vital force and flying. Not so much seen in more "modern" kung fu that tries to be more historical looking.
I loved this movie so much. The only other Hark film that surpasses it for me is "the Blade".(really awesome!!!)
All my friends would go rent it and come back saying it was the worst movie ever!
Then I found out we were talking about 2 different movies!
The one with the modern scenes added just blows the whole movie for me. It makes the crudeness of the special effects stick out more in a way. The editing done to shorten it was likely done with a meat cleaver and butcher block, in the dark, by a colorblind man with parkinsons.