The Blade 4K UHD & Blu-Ray

Among the boldest accomplishments of Hong Kong cinema’s golden age, this uniquely visceral martial-arts movie puts a gritty new spin on the story of the one-armed swordsman, an iconic figure from the moment he was introduced by the Shaw Brothers studio in 1967. Composed in a whirlwind of immersive close-ups and fractured editing, The Blade follows the young sword-maker Ding On (Vincent Zhao), who, after losing an arm in an ambush, transforms himself into a furious avenger. With its intentionally disorienting stylization and starkly brutal tone, The Blade was a rare commercial disappointment for Tsui Hark, but it has since been reclaimed as one of the director’s most radical visions—a tour de force of action expressionism, and a scathing reappraisal of the wuxia genre’s code of masculinity, that achieves a feverish intensity

 

·       Hong Kong

·       1995

·       105 minutes

·       Color

·       1.85:1

·       Cantonese

·       Spine #1305

 

4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

·       New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack

·       One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features

·       New audio commentary featuring Hong Kong cinema expert and producer Frank Djeng

·       Action et vérité (2006), a documentary featuring director Tsui Hark, coscreenwriter Koan Hui, and actor Xiong Xin-xin

·       New video essay by filmmakers Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou (Every Frame a Painting)

·       New York Asian Film Festival Q&A with Tsui from 2011

·       Alternate English-dubbed track

·       International-version opening and end credits

·       Trailer

·       New English subtitle translation

·       PLUS: An essay by author Lisa Morton

·       New cover by Oliver Barrett