Swords, Sorcery and Shakespeare

Director: Ronnie Yu

Starring: Leslie Cheung, Brigitte Lin

Hong Kong director-turned-expat Ronnie Yu may lack the cinematic luster of Ang Lee, but his 1993 epic, The Bride With White Hair, stands alone as the quintessential mix of traditional Chinese fantasy and contemporary eroticism. It's a combination - swords and sex - that has titillated audiences practically since entertainment's inception; a formula that's apropos since Yu's film is clearly Shakespeare in disguise.

Although set within the somber confines of Fant-Asia's mystical underworld, The Bride With a White Hair, is above all else a love story. Yet, like the Shakespearean tales of old, there's plenty of blood and guts (including some breathtaking wire-fu stunts) to appease the masses.

Cho Yi Hang (Leslie Cheung) is heir apparent (a position he has been groomed for since birth) to the throne of the Wu Tang Clan, a loosely connected association of eight tribes that share power throughout the Chinese underworld. Yet despite his upbringing and exceptional swordsmanship, the whimsical Yi Hang entertains little interest in following in the bloody footsteps of his predecessors. Lien Ni Chang (the incomparable Brigitte Lin) on the other hand, gives little thought to the lives that she takes. Originally raised by wolves(?!), she now serves as lead assassin for the dreaded Chi Wu Shuang Cult, a rival faction hell-bent on destroying the Wu Tang Clan. Nevertheless, from the moment Yi Hang lays eyes on the stoic, white shrouded Ni Chang, he is enamored (a captivation that nearly costs him his life upon their first standoff). Undaunted, Yi Hang later rescues a wounded Ni Chang from the battlefield and nurses her back to health. Naturally, the two fall in love, and promise to turn their back on their former ways of life. Ni Chang, apparently not one for casual courtships, demands Yi Hang pledge his loyalty to her before the Gods, warning that tragedy shall befall him should he ever distrust her. With that, the two lovers depart their hidden alcove, each promising to announce their intent to their respective clans.

As is often the case with best-laid plans, things take an unexpected turn for the worst. Before she can abandon the Chi Wu Shang, Ni Chang is forced to fornicate with the tribe's grotesque half-man/half-woman leader, then endure a brutal beating (a Fant-Asia version of "running the gauntlet") at the hands of cult-members. Meanwhile, Yi Hang returns to Wu Tang Clan only to discover that virtually all the tribe's members have been slaughtered at the hands of an assassin described as identical to his new sweetheart. Predictably, Yi Hang accuses Ni Chang of betrayal, an allegation she only casually denies (yet is later revealed to be false) before returning to her former ways and mercilessly striking down all those who confront her. In the end, only Yi Hang is spared her wrath. Alone and heartbroken, he eventually climbs atop a remote snow-covered mountain. There he sits in solitary, forever regretting that he ever doubted the intentions of his one true love, and awaiting the opportunity to win back her heart.

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