Bian cheng san xia (1966)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Cheh Chang

Writer:

Cheh Chang (writer)

Release Date:

8 November 1966 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Chivalry | Corruption | Male Female Relationship | Torture | Whipping

Cast

Ping Chin	...	Wei Wen-chen
Margaret Tu Chuan	...	Chieh Ying
Yu Wang	...	Fang Lu
Fanny Fan	...	Hsiao Hsiang-gua
Lieh Lo	...	Yen Tzu-ching
Lei Cheng	...	Huang Liang
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pei-Shan Chang	...	Convict
Hsiung Chao
Hung Lieh Chen	...	Shang Chien
Tan Fan
Ngai Fung
Li Jen Ho
Feng Ku	...	Li Chu-jen
Ming Lei	...	Wei Hsiang-yuan
Chia-Liang Liu
Ying Li	...	Minister Yuen
Yunzhong Li	...	Chen Szu-wen (as Yun-Chung Li)
Cliff Lok	...	Kao Chi-hsien (as Chin Tung)
Wai Lo
Yin Tze Pan	...	Kao Chin-yun
Chia Tang
Ti Tang	...	Chin Cho
Feng Tien	...	Kao Pao-hsi
Tsai Pao Tung
Chang-chi Wang	...	Li Ju-shan
Ching-li Wu	...	Ling Lung
Ma Wu	...	Convict
Wen Wu	...	Liang Fu
Shi-Kwan Yen
Cheung-Yan Yuen
Woo-ping Yuen

Also Known As:

The Magnificent Trio (Hong Kong: English title) (original subtitled version)
Three Heroes of Border Town (Hong Kong: Mandarin title) (literal title)

Runtime:

Hong Kong:103 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (2006) | Hong Kong:I

Company:

Shaw Brothers

Another Wang Yu swordfighting classic

THE MAGNIFICENT TRIO (1966) is a colorful Hong Kong swordplay film that stars Jimmy Wang Yu as an ex-soldier who bravely intervenes in a dispute between villagers and a corrupt magistrate. The swordplay is abundant, but staged in the slash-and-swing style, in which the heroes kill their opponents with one slash, while they themselves suffer repeated stabbings and arrow wounds yet keep fighting. It's not terribly realistic, but is exciting and beautifully photographed at the Shaw Bros. studio. The film is often cited as a Hong Kong version of the Japanese film THREE OUTLAWS. It does indeed play like a Samurai film but is laced with the melodramatic flavor common to Hong Kong films of the time.

In the course of the 108-minute film, Wang Yu arrives in town just after the villagers kidnap the magistrate's daughter and prepare a petition for visiting Minister Yuan alleging unjust taxation and exploitation by the magistrate. A deal is made and Wang Yu returns the daughter and offers to accept the punishment that would have been dished out to the three kidnappers. The magistrate breaks his word and the daughter, who has fallen for Wang Yu, has her maid help him escape. Usually cast as a loner, Wang Yu is joined here by two allies to form the trio of the title, first by his army buddy (Cheng Lei) and later by one of the magistrate's men (Lo Lieh), who sees the rightness of the villagers' cause. Eventually the trio takes on all the magistrate's guards in an effort to get the petition to the visiting minister.

In addition to the three main actors, the cast includes familiar Shaw Bros. players such as Wu Ma, Tien Feng and Ku Feng, as well as three excellent actresses in key roles, Margaret Tu Chuan, Chin Ping and Fanny Fan. There is a very nice original music score, although there are no songs. If you're a fan of Wang Yu's other 1960s swordplay films-TWIN SWORDS, THE ASSASSIN, THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN, TRAIL OF THE BROKEN BLADE, and RETURN OF THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN, all made before Wang Yu became Hong Kong's first genuine kung fu star in THE Chinese BOXER-you'll like this one also. The VHS edition available in the U.S. is in Mandarin with English subtitles and cries out for letter-boxing, because the full-frame transfer cuts off the subtitles on the sides, making some dialogue difficult to decipher.

ADDENDUM: In April 2003, Celestial Pictures/IVL released a Region 3 DVD offering a restored, remastered edition of this film as part of its new line of Shaw Bros. releases. It's letter-boxed, in Mandarin, with English subtitles.