Swordswoman of Huangjiang (Huangjiang Nuxia)

China, 1932, silent, 74 minutes

Directed by Chen Kengran, Zheng Yisheng,
Shang Guanwu

Cast:  Xu Qinfang, He Zhigang

Saturday, June 7th, 2003
Seattle International Film Festival
Egyptian Theater
801 E.  Pine Street

Uproar At The Baolin Temple is the first and only surviving episode of the period adventure series Swordswoman Of Huangjiang, which introduces two-fisted swordswoman Fang Yuquin who, with her "martial brother" Yue Jianqui, roams the countryside offering aid and protection to those in need.  The film's blend of drama and comedy, along with an ebullient use of special effects and now-familiar martial arts motifs of "weightless" vaulting, sword duels to prove superior technique, and a nighttime skirmish at a temple, make it a silent forerunner to the sword-and-sorcery films that would drive the Hong Kong film industry to new heights some thirty years later.  Footage from Swordswoman was prominently featured in the documentary The Art of Action, hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, that explicitly showed the connection between this early film and the Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, while citing Swordswoman actress Xu Qinfang as the leading female martial arts star of the period.

AJE welcomed guest artists Patrick Shaw and Gary Tsujimoto for this endeavor.  The score featured classical Chinese songs and old-time American folk music.