THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL
1950, Home Vision Cinema #ELU010, HF, $29.95, 106m 4s, VHS
Michael Powell & Emeric
Eddy Ko Hung tries to save the life of an injured fighter in the nightmarish 21st Century HK of FLASH FUTURE KUNG FU.
additional instruction from “The Crazy Monk,” an alcoholic re­ cluse living in a cave near the temple, who is the region’s most accomplished fighter. When that does not pan out, Chan tries to kill Manchu general Tsao Ming (Tsui Chung-san) on his own and nearly ends up dead as a result. With an attack on the temple now a very real possi­ bility, Wang undergoes a crash training course with The Crazy Monk to become the newest member of Shaolin’s deadly pole fighters. An entertaining combination of elements from Yuen Woo-ping’s DRUNKEN MASTER and Lau Kar-leung’s MASTER KILLER (both 1978), this mid-level production fea­ tures several energetic and brutal martial arts setpieces, complemented by some superb pole work and exciting acrobat­ ics. The story offers no sur­ prises and only about 1/100th of the temple’s supposed 3000 fighters ever make an appear­ ance, but this is the sort of pro­ duction where the familiar can still be quite satisfying, thanks to spirited performers and pro­ ficient staging. Liu Ching-fa,
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Chen Cha-hoi, Chen Kin-cheung, and Chen Kin-wu also star. The 1986 transfer is soft and
murky and the source material looks more worn than usual; the sound is adequate. The title is video generated and not the original export handle. In a prime example of cheapskate dubbing, the voiceover artist doing the narration also dubs Tsao’s voice, which makes for some confusion during the opening scene! —John Charles
Pressburger’s THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL (original CJS title: THE FIGHTING PIMPERNEL) is a costume drama set during the Reign of Terror period of the French Revolution. Sir Percy Blakeney (David Niven), who keeps his identity as The Scar­ let Pimpernel a secret, mas­ querades as an effete English aristocrat. Along with his cou­ rageous band of cohorts, the League of Gentlemen, the Scar­ let Pimpernel (his signature named after the delicate English flower), engages in derring-do, rescuing condemned French aristocrats from the guillotine. The Scarlet Pimpernel is so suc­ cessful at his disguises and vari­ ous ruses that the villain, a curate known as Chauvelin (Cyril Cu­ sack), becomes obsessed with his capture, even stooping to blackmailing Sir Percy’s es­ tranged wife, Lady Blakeney (Margaret Leighton), by holding her brother, Armand St. Just (Edmond Audran), in prison. Sir
Who says drinking is bad for you? Drunken boxing is just one of the weapons on display in WAR OF THE SHAOLIN TEMPLE.
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