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Cast:
David
Chiang
Ti
Lung
Chen
Kuan Tai
Cheng
Lee
Action:
Liu
Chia Liang
Tong
Gaai
Producer:
Run
Run Shaw
Director:
Chang
Cheh
Score:
 
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THE
BLOOD BROTHERS
AKA:
Dynasty Of Vengeance ||
Chinese Vengeance
Year:
1973 Reviewer:
Kenneth Brorsson
You're
reading a review of Chang Cheh's 'The Blood Brothers', written
by someone who, to date, has only seen 5 Shaw Brother's
productions from the 60s/70s. Since my introduction to Hong
Kong cinema 7 years ago, I've been more than tempted to
explore this genre and era of filmmaking. Seeing the beautiful
widescreen trailers on several of the UK video label Made In
Hong Kong's releases didn't do much to lessen my temptation.
In particular, it was the trailer for 'The Blood Brothers'
that struck a chord with me, mainly because I recognized Ti
Lung as one of the lead actors. He was very much part of my
introduction to Hong Kong cinema and his terrific performance
in 'A
Better Tomorrow' will always be special to me (although I
think 'People's
Hero' is Ti Lung's finest acting hour post Shaw's). Back
then I did say to myself that if I ever sit down and watch a
Shaw Brother's movie, it should be in widescreen, original
language (in this case Mandarin) and subtitles, even if it
means waiting years. Finally, at the end of 2002, IVL/Celestial
released the first batch of their restored Shaw Brother's
movies on DVD.
Looking
back at it, I think it was a good choice to instead choose 'The
Heroic Ones' as my first movie directed by Chang Cheh. I
was actually mighty impressed by everything from the scope of
the production to the action choreography (the aforementioned
Ti Lung has a terrific long battle in this). When talking to
fans and reading reviews, everyone agreed that this was only
Chang Cheh in early stages of development. Over the years he
would fine tune aspects such as character portrayal,
camerawork and action. I also began hearing people drawing
parallels or comparing 'The Blood Brothers' to John Woo's
masterpiece 'Bullet In The Head'. What similarities existed I
didn't want to find out by watching this movie dubbed into
English but that there were similarities didn't seem at all
impossible since John worked as an assistant director on this
and other Chang Cheh films.
Based
on events that took place towards the end of the Ching Dynasty
where General Ma Hsin I (Ti Lung) was assassinated by Chang
Wen Hsiang (David Chiang), one of his closest men. In the
movie we see Chang being captured and before the court he
begins telling the story of what tore three blood brothers
apart...
What
matters most? Loyalty towards sworn brothers or would you
favour the opportunity to gain great success and fame when
fighting for your country? Certainly a theme close to the
mentioned 'Bullet In The Head' and it's very true for 'The
Blood Brothers' as well. Not simply copying by Woo
though because he made his own tragic, powerful tale
influenced by working under the late director. Chang Cheh's
movie didn't blow me away but it would perhaps if it had been
an early Hong Kong movie experience. He takes on the challenge
of keeping the audiences attention despite them knowing the
outcome of main events from the very first frames.
Looking
at this 30 year old movie, it's no wonder you do recognize
story structure and other familiar elements. No matter how old
a film is, one thing that can separate it from similar ones is
the execution of familiar elements. The right execution can
even bring more greatness than originality. Very true for
Chang Cheh's film and he brings us a superbly paced martial
arts drama with great attention to storytelling. Off the bat
he makes sure we can expect the frame to be filled with Shaw
Brothers trademarks such as huge battle scenes and extravagant
sets. At the same time, Chang does not forget that it's a
smaller story of four people at it's core. Each with different
characteristics and each given good development by veteran
Shaw Brothers screenwriter I Kuang and Chang Cheh himself. As
the tension grows between characters, the action is executed
with that set darker mood. That way, in my view, the not truly
memorable action choreography (by Lau Kar Leung and Tong Gaai)
becomes a very strong storytelling aspect as well. I've taken
into account the films production year (1973), in other words
I expect the martial arts to be less fast and furious. Still
from the top, the feeling I got from the fights were that of
being slightly stagy and stiff. However several longer parts
of the choreography take place in one shot and the camera even
switches position to another part of the set piece during it,
something I'm always impressed by. The small weapons fight
between Ti Lung and Chen Kuan Tai ranks as a highlight plus a
later fight with Chen becomes very hard hitting because of
what it has to do with a crucial event in the plot.
Occasionally
Chang brings us back to the courtroom scene for short segments
in between each layer of Chang's story. These gives the
audience a moment to absorb the very easy to follow plot but I
thought these scenes worked tremendously well when looking at
David Chiang's character. His face, at times, becomes filled
with hate when looking back at the pain he's had to endure and
there's a sense of dread slowly creeping into the tale as each
of these segments roll by.
Two
flaws in the framework can be found but I would have to say
they are common for more than just this Shaw Brother's movie.
As good as the set design is, the village sets do not look
like very convincing outdoor locations. Clearly filmed
indoors. Second, the different quick zooms (a favourite of
Chang Cheh's) can be jarring, especially in the beginning
stages of the film and the different dolly in on actors aren't
always smoothly performed. I don't believe dolly tracks were
extensively used back then, if ever, and you didn't have video
playback either or the time to go back and rectify a mistake
like that.
Each
actor, when appearing on screen, makes an immediate lasting
impression of their respective performances. We first see
David Chiang, very determined and confident looking. That
applies both to the character and David's acting. He's a
character that goes from having humble goals to having to step
up as a man and think through where his loyalty lies, the
thinking character if you will. Chen Kuan Tai is seen
from the beginning as the rougher beast of the three. Ignorant
even and someone that easily lets go of responsibilities in
favour of women. Both men's performances very suiting for the
story and that's a great, big compliment to give. Leading lady
Cheng Lee, playing Chen Kuan Tai's characters wife, gradually
becomes very much an integral part of the character drama. She
is a woman left in the background storywise but certainly not
as an actress. Ti Lung showcases early skilful character
acting which earned him the Taiwan Golden Horse Award for
Outstanding Performance. Never is there any doubt in the
viewers mind of Ma's determination. A determination that
becomes less about loyalty and more about winning the battles
for your people. Those two can't exist side by side at this
time in Chinese history or in Ma's mind.
'The
Blood Brothers' was not a disappointment in any way and this
classic Chang Cheh tale of loyalty, love and revenge is an
consistently engaging martial arts drama. Shaw Brother's
productions rarely fails to impress and this is a terrific
example of all elements blended together into great Hong Kong
cinema.
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