Marital Arts Legend Angela Mao must learn the esoteric style of Shaolin Monks if she’s to bring those who wronged her to justice in The Himalayan. New to Blu-ray from 88 Films.
The Film
You have to hand it to Golden Harvest. They knew how to compete with Shaw Brothers. Raymond Chow and the young HK film studio, beyond their Bruce Lee films, knew that great stars in great films would attract audiences. The Himalayan with Golden Harvest’s star Angela Mao is a prime example of this. Not merely a martial arts film nor a drama, but a clever hybrid of the two, along with elements of crime/noir added in for good measure, makes this a winning combination that’s hard to resist.
A brother (Hsu Ching Kang) is to be married to a rich, affluent Lord’s daughter (Angela Mao). The older brother (Chang Sing) who arranged the marriage schemes to trick everyone and seize both the Lord’s power and money. The older brother, thinking he has rid himself of the daughter, begins his plan in full with the help of his goons. Little does the older brother know that the daughter has survived his plans and has her own thoughts of retribution.
The film and its screenplay by Ni Kaung takes its time to set the table. Once the table is set and pieces begin to move, the film is electric. The way that the film manages to create a credible and viable villain with real heft in Chang Sing is great. Often, HK films’ villains are relegated to mustache-twirling histrionics, but here, Chang’s Kao Chung has real gravitas and moves around with a level of craftiness that is appreciated.
One does love the fact that Ni Kaung does have spikes of action, but really withholds the onslaught until the final act, where director Haung Feng and action choreographer Sammo Hung unleash the fury of flying kicks and fists upon Kao Chung and his gang. This is where The Himalayan soars, earning every impact. The screenplay has done its job in properly setting up the third act. If only other films, not even martial arts ones, could be so elegant.
The Transfers
This is the all-new 2K restoration from the original film elements, is another winner from 88 Films. The Himalayan’s gorgeous shot on location photography in Nepal is flawlessly restored here. There isn’t a scratch or blemish throughout the runtime. The color reproduction and contrast levels are wonderfully rendered here, giving us a pleasing image.
The Extras
They include the following;
- Audio Commentary with Asian Cinema Experts Frank Djeng and Michael Worth
- Tales from the Monastery: An Interview with Dorian Tan
- Reversible sleeve with original Hong Kong poster artwork
- Image Gallery
- Original Trailer
The Audio Commentary with Asian Cinema Experts Frank Djeng and Michael Worth begins with their respective credentials, and the Angela Mao-starring film was filmed on location in Nepal, before diving into the film. Some of the details include the literal translation of the title; the box office results of the film; the cultural and religious relevance of the Esoteric Buddhism style that is discussed but never explained in the film at length; why the film was made and became the first film in Nepal; and the conditions under which they were allowed to make the film; the unique photography of the film shooting in 1.85 instead of the standard for martial arts of the era 2.39; director Corey Yuen making an early appearance as a stunt performer; the long history of imposter stories in Chinese Opera, world cinema, and more; the submission of this film for the Cannes Film Festival; the longer nature of the film and how this was to the work of screenwriter Ni Kuang; the brief appearance of Jackie Chan in the film; a discussion of the interesting personal and professional history of star Angela Mao; a discussion of the career and work of director Haung Feng; a larger discussion of the action choreography by Sammo Hung; a discussion of the studio and locations in Nepal the production used; discussion throughout the commentary track about the various actors and their work here and throughout their career – keep your notes app open, you’ll want to write some of the films down; and much more.
Tales from the Monastery: An Interview with Dorian Tan (9:30) – in this all-new interview with actor Dorian Tan begins with discussing that he only did two films with Golden Harvest, both in South Korea and in The Himalayan’s case Nepal. The actor goes on to discuss how Golden Harvest studio heads were very hands-off, which was refreshing during that era; working with Sammo Hung and Han Ying-Chieh as action directors; working with Angela Mao and the rest of the cast; and much more. In Cantonese with English Subtitles.
Image Gallery (3:10)– the gallery, which consists of stills taken from the film, lobby cards, and poster art, runs automatically while the film’s score plays.
Original Trailer (4:35) – Mandarin with English Subtitles
The Final Thought
Another excellent Blu-ray release from 88 Films. Recommended!!