The New One-Armed Swordsman Explained

The New One-Armed Swordsman
Native Name:
Child:yes
T:新獨臂刀
S:新独臂刀
P:Xīn Dú Bì Dāo
Director:Chang Cheh
Producer:Run Run Shaw
Starring:
Music:Chen Yung-huang
Cinematography:Kung Mu-to
Editing:Guo Tinghong
Studio:Shaw Brothers Studio
Runtime:102 minutes
Country:Hong Kong
Gross:1.6 million
564,061 tickets

The New One-Armed Swordsman is a 1971 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Chang Cheh and produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio, starring David Chiang. Chiang replaced Jimmy Wang, the star of the two preceding films in the series, The One-Armed Swordsman and Return of the One-Armed Swordsman.

Cast

Release

The New One-Armed Swordsman was distributed in Hong Kong on February 7, 1971.[1]

Guo Tinghong won the award for Best Editing at the 9th 1971 Taiwan Golden Horse Awards.

Reception

Box office

It grossed a total of 1,596,530 domestically. Overseas in France, the film sold 564,061 tickets upon release in 1973,[2] making it the year's 64th highest-grossing film in France.[3]

Critical response

From contemporary reviews, Tony Rayns of the Monthly Film Bulletin reviewed an 86-minute version of the film.[4] Rayns noted the introductory scene involving a severed limb decaying in a tree set "an uncharacteristically Gothic tone for this Shaw production; and the tone is maintained by the sombre production design, the under-lit interiors and the setting of several key scenes at night." Rayns found that "despite these distinctive inflections The New One-Armed Swordsman is rather poorly directed and photographed (with a Michael Winner-like reliance on 'dramatic' zooms), but the genre is strong enough to withstand the handicap and heroic fantasy wins out."

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hong Kong Film Archive [Search for "新獨臂刀"]]. February 13, 2020. Hong Kong Film Archive.
  2. Web site: San duk bei do (1973) . JP's Box-Office . fr . 5 July 2020.
  3. Web site: Charts - Les Entrees En France . Charts - Entries In France . JP's Box-Office . 1973 . fr . 5 July 2020.
  4. Monthly Film Bulletin. New One-Armed Swordsman, The. 173. Rayns. Tony. 40. 475. August 1973. British Film Institute.