Cinema Of King Hu - 1975 - 1983 - Vol 2 Blu-ray + UHD - Limited Edition Hardbox + Hardcover Bookle 4K UHD + Blu-Ray

Chinese cinema would not be the same without the enormous impact of writer and director King Hu. Hu propelled wuxia films into mainstream consciousness by combining his passion for traditional Peking opera and Japanese samurai cinema, ushering in a new era of action filmmaking throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and revolutionising the landscape of genre film for decades to come.Imprint Asia is thrilled to celebrate the transformative work of King Hu's transformative work with two volumes exploring the legacy and influence of his extensive filmography. In this second volume, go on a rewarding journey of clashing swords and bewitching fantasy with these five juggernauts:? The Valiant Ones (1975) - 4K UHD + Blu-ray? Raining in the Mountain (1979) - Blu-ray? Legend of the Mountain (1979) - 4K UHD + Blu-ray - worldwide first on 4K UHD!? The Wheel of Life (1983) - Blu-ray? All the King's Men (1983) - Blu-rayThis Limited Edition 8-disc release is packed with brand NEW and archival Special Features, including an exclusive Bonus Disc, plus a 100-page Hardcover Booklet featuring essays from Ryan Swen, Peter Rist, Michael Berry, and Sean Gilman, all housed in a Lid Hardbox.Strictly limited to 1500 copies only.The Valiant Ones (1975) - Imprint Asia #66Widely recognised as one of the greatest wuxia films of all time, The Valiant Ones is King Hu's martial arts epic filled with an intricate web of betrayals and plots (film historian Chris Berry), known as the inspiration for Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Set during the Ming Dynasty, China's coastlines are under relentless assault from Japanese pirates. Unable to ignore the crisis any longer, the Emperor dispatches a general to assemble a small band of elite warriors, among them a formidable husband-and-wife sword-fighting duo. But as they close in on their quarry, it becomes clear that the enemy within the court may be as dangerous as any pirate.Starring Roy Chiao Hung, Hsu Feng, and a young Sammo Hung Kam-bo(who also served as fight choreographer), the film's original negatives were once thought lost, but were discovered in a film processing lab and gifted to the Hong Kong Film Archive by King Hu himself - used for this magnificent 4K restoration. Raining in the Mountain (1979) - Imprint Asia #67Shot back-to-back with Legend of the Mountain on location in South Korea, Raining in the Mountain is a visually ravishing Buddhist fable from King Hu that combines heist thrills, martial arts action, and spiritual drama, all with a comedic flair. In a remote Ming Dynasty monastery, an elderly abbot is choosing his successor and invites two powerful outsiders to advise him. Neither has come in good faith, as both plot to steal the monastery's most precious treasure: a handwritten copy of the Mahayana Sutra. As schemes develop and allegiances shift, the labyrinthine monastery corridors become a stage for deception, pursuit, and an increasingly farcical scramble for the sacred scroll.Starring Hsu Feng (A Touch of Zen), Sun Yueh (City on Fire), and Tung Lin (5 Fingers of Death, Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan), the film was selected as Hong Kong's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and named one of the Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures by the Hong Kong Film Awards. Legend of the Mountain (1979) - Imprint Asia #68Worldwide first on 4K UHD!Where Raining in the Mountain is a heist film in Buddhist robes, its companion piece Legend of the Mountain is something altogether stranger and more ethereal - a ghost story of extraordinary beauty, nearly three-and-a-half hours in length.A mild-mannered Buddhist scholar is tasked with travelling to a remote hilltop monastery to translate a powerful sutra said to have power over the souls of the dead. On his journey, he becomes entangled in a mysterious plot involving witchcraft, demons, and a battle to preserve his own soul from the attacks of the supernatural underworld.Starring Hsu Feng (A Touch of Zen), Sylvia Chang Ai