When Hong Kong director Tsui Hark adapted "Seven Swords of Mount
Tian (Qi Jian Xia Tian Shan)," one of the most widely read martial
arts novels in China, into a film last year, he complained of not
being able to tell the whole story. The 153-minute movie's original
version actually ran for more than four hours, far exceeding the
time that movie-goers are willing to sit in theatres, and thus had
to be cut short.
He does not have such regrets anymore, with the TV edition of
"Seven Swords" slated to premiere on China Central Television
(CCTV) tomorrow. With 40 episodes, the TV soap opera provides
enough space for the director to freely describe his kung fu
world.
It is the first TV production of the renowned movie director,
who established his fame with martial arts classics such as "New
Dragon Inn" and the "Wong Fei-Hung" series in the early 1990s.
It was shot almost at the same time when the movie was made, but
with another completely different cast and crew.
"Actually we were only planning to make a TV drama at first. But
while preparing for that, the director felt that there was enough
stuff to make a big-screen version. So we just extracted a part of
the screenplay and made a movie," said Ma Zhongjun, producer of
both the movie and TV drama.
"Seven Swords" tells the story of seven Chinese cavaliers with
outstanding kung fu skills in the 17th century China. They united
together to overthrow the ruling Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) to
protect the people from its cruel persecution.
While the movie solely focuses on the early years of the seven
swordsmen, giving full and vivid descriptions on how they save a
certain village, the TV drama follows their adventures within a
time span of nearly two decades.
"Compared with the movie, the TV drama is much more detailed and
emphasizes the storyline much more. Its theme is the good
fellowship of the seven heroes and heroines, so I spent a great
deal of time describing their relationships in daily life," said
Tsui.
One of the stereotypes of most martial arts novels, movies and
TV dramas is the portrayal of kung fu masters who help the needy,
rob the rich and give to the poor.
The director said this time he has some new understanding of the
spirit of Xia, which corresponds to chivalry at large.
In "Seven Swords," he intended to stop the
"either-white-or-black" approach. He wanted to tell a story more
fit for the modern philosophy: No one is completely good, or
completely evil.
To make the story more credible, he arranged some scenes to
explore the inner worlds of the main characters.
"Seven Swords" has a star-studded cast that dwarfs most TV
dramas and mega-budget movies. It includes Taiwan's Zhao Wenzhuo,
one of the best Chinese actors, the mainland's rising star Wang
Xuebing and Hong Kong's dazzling actress Choi Ada.
Another highlight of "Seven Swords" is landscape. It was shot on
location in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region,
which has very different scenery from the other regions in
China.
The TV drama has already been shown in some countries and
regions including South Korea and Taiwan Province, and the
audiences' reaction was very positive. In Taiwan, its viewers
rating ranks first among all the Chinese TV productions that have
been shown this year.
(China Daily March 16, 2006)
