Dancing Swords: The Fate of Lee Khan (2K Restoration)

Dir. King Hu
1973, Hong Kong, Taiwan, 106 min
Mandarin with English subtitles

In his follow-up to the critically-acclaimed A Touch of Zen, trailblazing Chinese filmmaker King Hu brings together an all-star female cast, including Hong Kong cinema stalwart Li Li-hua and Angela “Lady Whirlwind” Mao, in this lively martial arts adventure. When Lee Khan, an official working for Mongolian Emperor Yuan of the Yuan Dynasty procures the battle map of the Chinese rebel army, Chinese resistance fighters, aided by an undercover girl-gang within Khan’s ranks, strive to corner him in an inn. Featuring stunning action sequences choreographed by Jackie Chan’s “kung fu elder brother” Sammo Hung and a generous mix of intrigue and humor – The Fate of Lee Khan is a legendary wuxia masterpiece.

For Asian Heritage Month, the Dave Barber Cinematheque presents Dancing Swords: The Wuxia films of King Hu – showcasing five of King Hu’s exhilarating wuxia epics –  Dragon Inn (1967), A Touch of Zen (1971), The Fate of Lee Khan (1973), Legend of the Mountain (1979), and Raining in the Mountain (1979). Known for his genre-defining swordplay films that encapsulated breathtaking cinematography, graceful action choreography, enigmatic warrior heroines, densely structured mise-en-scenes, and existential transcendence, we celebrate Hu’s visionary artistry and formal innovations that raised the bar for the wuxia film and influenced the work of contemporary Hong Kong and Taiwanese directors such as Ang Lee, Wong Kar-wai, and Tsai Ming-liang – whose film Goodbye, Dragon Inn (2003) will screen adjacent to Hu’s five film retrospective.

 Generously sponsored by IATSE 856 Manitoba.

The Fate of Lee Khan is to the Chinese martial arts movie what Once Upon a Time in the West is to the Italian Western: a brilliant anthology of its genre’s theme and styles, yielding an exhilaratingly original vision.

– Time Out

With its bevy of female stars, action choreographed by Sammo Hung, and classic inn setting, this 1973 classic is prime for rediscovery.

– Sean Gilman, MUBI