『山中傳奇』(Legend of the Mountain)

第18回東京フィルメックス・特別招待作品　フィルメックス・クラシック
TOKYO FILMeX Special Screenings (FILMeX Classic) 2017

『山中傳奇』　Legend of the Mountain / 山中傳奇

台湾 / 1979 / 191分 / 監督：キン・フー(King HU)

死んだ兵士の霊を鎮める儀式に使う経典を清書する命を帯びた若い僧が遭遇する、奇怪な出来事の数々を描いたキン・フーの傑作。シルヴィア・チャンが美しい幽霊の役で出演。2016年のヴェネチア映画祭でワールド・プレミア上映されたデジタル修復版の日本初上映。

Legend of the Mountain

Taiwan / 1979 / 191 min. / Directors: King HU

This supernatural masterpiece, adapted from a Song dynasty novel, details numerous bizarre happenings involving a young monk, who has been ordered to transcribe a Buddhist sutra used in a ritual to pacify the souls of dead soldiers. Shot in South Korea at the same time as “Raining in the Mountain,” it features a cast of director King HU’s regulars, with the addition of Sylvia CHANG as a beautiful apparition. What sets it apart are its abundant depictions of spectacular and vast nature, as well as its unhurried pace. In HU’s own words, “It is the only one of my works that was not made as an action film.” Several versions exist, so many that even HU himself was not aware of them all. This digital restoration was coordinated by the Taiwan Film Institute, and received its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in 2016.