The East Is Red (1993 film)

(Redirected from The East is Red (1993 film))

1993 Hong Kong film

The East Is Red

Theatrical poster

Traditional Chinese

東方不敗 - 風雲再起

Simplified Chinese

东方不败 - 风云再起

Literal meaning

East the Invincible - The Storm is Rising Again

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Dōngfāng Bùbài - Fēngyún Zàiqǐ
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	Dung¹ Fong¹ Bat¹ Baai⁶ - Fung¹ Wan⁴ Zoi³ Hei²

Directed by

Screenplay by

Roy Sze-to
Charcoal Tan
Tsui Hark

Produced by

Tsui Hark

Starring

Cinematography

Tom Lau

Edited by

Chun Yu
Keung Chuen-tak

Music by

William Hu

Production
companies

Film Workshop
Long Shong Pictures Ltd
Golden Princess Film Production Ltd

Distributed by

Newport Entertainment Ltd

Release date

21 January 1993 (1993-01-21)

Running time

93 minutes

Country

Hong Kong

Languages

Cantonese
Mandarin

Box office

HK$11,248,503.00

The East Is Red (also known as Swordsman III; released in the Philippines as The Great China Warrior), is a 1993 Hong Kong wuxia film. The main character in the film is loosely based on Dongfang Bubai, a character in Louis Cha's novel The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. The film was produced by Tsui Hark, was co-directed by Ching Siu-tung and Raymond Lee and starred Brigitte Lin, Joey Wong and Yu Rongguang. The film is regarded as a sequel to The Swordsman and Swordsman II.

Plot

Following Dongfang Bubai's apparent death in Swordsman II, the jianghu (martial artists' community) disintegrates into chaos as it lacks a dominant figure to serve as a de facto leader. Several imposters use Dongfang Bubai's name to rally supporters, form their own schools, and fight for power. One of Dongfang Bubai's devoted lovers, Xue Qianxun, rebuilds the Sun Moon Holy Cult by impersonating Dongfang Bubai.

The Ming imperial court sends a naval admiral, Gu Changfeng, to assist the Spanish in searching for the remains of a Dutch warship sunk near Black Woods Cliff, the site of Dongfang Bubai's death in Swordsman II. At Black Woods Cliff, Gu Changfeng discovers that Dongfang Bubai is still alive in disguise as an elderly woman, and manages to convince him to return to the jianghu.

Dongfang Bubai unleashes his fury and starts a bloodbath in eliminating all those who impersonate him. He discovers that Xue Qianxun has been pretending to be him, and seriously injures her in anger. Consumed by his desire for power, Dongfang Bubai decides to continue his ambitious plan to unite the jianghu under his rule and dominate China.

Gu Changfeng realises that Dongfang Bubai has gone out of control so he leads the Ming imperial navy to fight Dongfang and his Spanish and Japanese allies. In the ensuing naval battle, all the warships are destroyed and Dongfang Bubai emerges victorious after defeating and killing Gu Changfeng. However, Xue Qianxun loses her life in the process. Dongfang Bubai realises his mistake and embraces his dead lover as he retires from the jianghu again.

Cast

Brigitte Lin as Dongfang Bubai (Invincible Asia)
Joey Wong as Xue Qianxun (Snow)
Yu Rongguang as Gu Changfeng (Koo)
Lau Shun
Eddy Ko
Jean Wang
Lee Ka-ting
Kingdom Yuen

Release

The East Is Red was released in Hong Kong on January 21, 1993. In the Philippines, the film was released as The Great China Warrior by World Films in April 1995.

Critical response

The film received a positive review from the Los Angeles Times.

References

^ "Movie Review: 'Swordsman 3': Martial Arts and Heart Both Play a Role". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
"'Great China Warrior'". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. 26 April 1995. p. A4. Retrieved 2 June 2021. An imposter (Joey Wang) who claims to be the dreaded Invincible Dawn performs the lethal needle-and-thread fighting technique in this fight sequence from The Great China Warrior, a sequel to Jet Lee's continuing epic adventure, Legendary Fighters of China.

External links

v t e Films directed by Ching Siu-tung
Duel to the Death (1983) Witch from Nepal (1986) A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) A Terra-Cotta Warrior (1990) The Swordsman (1990) A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990) A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991) The Raid (1991) Swordsman II (1992) The East Is Red (1993) Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" (1996) Conman in Tokyo (2000) Naked Weapon (2002) Belly of the Beast (2003) An Empress and the Warriors (2008) The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011) Jade Dynasty (2019)

Films directed by Ching Siu-tung

Duel to the Death (1983)
Witch from Nepal (1986)
A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
A Terra-Cotta Warrior (1990)
The Swordsman (1990)
A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990)
A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991)
The Raid (1991)
Swordsman II (1992)
The East Is Red (1993)
Dr. Wai in "The Scripture with No Words" (1996)
Conman in Tokyo (2000)
Naked Weapon (2002)
Belly of the Beast (2003)
An Empress and the Warriors (2008)
The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011)
Jade Dynasty (2019)

v t e Films by Tsui Hark
Films directed	The Butterfly Murders (1979) We're Going to Eat You (1980, also writer) Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind (1980, also writer) All the Wrong Clues for the Right Solution (1981) Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983) Shanghai Blues (1984, also produced) Aces Go Places 3 (1984) Working Class (1985, also produced) Peking Opera Blues (1986, also produced) A Better Tomorrow III: Love & Death in Saigon (1989, also produced) Once Upon a Time in China (1991, also writer and produced) King of Chess (1991, uncredited, also produced) Once Upon a Time in China II (1992, also writer and produced) The Master (1992, also produced) Green Snake (1993, also writer and produced) Once Upon a Time in China III (1993, also writer and produced) The Lovers (1994, also writer and produced) Once Upon a Time in China V (1994, also writer and produced) The Blade (1995, also writer and produced) The Chinese Feast (1995, also writer and produced) Love in the Time of Twilight (1995, also writer and produced) Tristar (1996, also writer and produced) Double Team (1997) Knock Off (1998) Time and Tide (2000, also writer and produced) The Legend of Zu (2001, also writer and produced) Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002, also produced) Seven Swords (2005, also writer and produced) Missing (2008, also writer and produced) All About Women (2008, also writer and produced) Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010, also produced) Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (2011, also writer and produced) Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (2013, also writer and produced) The Taking of Tiger Mountain (2014, also writer) Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back (2017, also writer and produced) Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings (2018, also produced)
Films written	A Better Tomorrow II (1987; also produced) A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991, also produced) Swordsman II (1992, also produced) New Dragon Gate Inn (1992, also produced) The Wicked City (1992; also produced) The East Is Red (1993; also produced) Once Upon a Time in China IV (1993; also produced) The Magic Crane (1993, also produced) Iron Monkey (1993; also produced) Black Mask (1996; also produced) The Era of Vampires (2002, also produced) Sword Master (2016; also produced) The Thousand Faces of Dunjia (2017)
Films produced only	A Better Tomorrow (1986) A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) The Big Heat (1988) I Love Maria (1988) The Killer (1989) A Terra-Cotta Warrior (1990) The Swordsman (1990) A Chinese Ghost Story II (1990) Shanghai Grand (1996) Once Upon a Time in China and America (1997) The Climbers (2019)
Collaborating director	The Banquet (1991) Twin Dragons (1992) Triangle (2007) Septet: The Story of Hong Kong (2020) The Battle at Lake Changjin (2021) The Battle at Lake Changjin II (2022)

v t e The Smiling, Proud Wanderer by Jin Yong
Characters	List of characters Dongfang Bubai Dugu Qiubai
Schools and organisations	Mount Hua School Five Mountain Sword Schools Alliance Shaolin School Wudang School Others
Film adaptations	The Proud Youth (1978) The Swordsman (1990) Swordsman II (1992) The East Is Red (1993)
Television adaptations	The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (1984) State of Divinity (1996) State of Divinity (2000) The Legendary Swordsman (2000) Laughing in the Wind (2001) Swordsman (2013) New Smiling, Proud Wanderer (2018)
Related items	Street Fighter Online: Mouse Generation

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