HURRICANE SWORD (1969)

 

PHENOMENALITY: *uncanny*
MYTHICITY: *fair*
FRYEAN MYTHOS: *adventure*
CAMPBELLIAN FUNCTION: *psychological*

One online review compared this South Korean swordplay flick-- supposedly one of the first of its kind from that nation-- to a Zatoichi imitation called "Crimson Bat," in that the main character is a blind swordswoman. However, I've seen a couple of the "Bat" films, and SWORD is better, at least as good as an average-level ZATOICHI film.

For convenience I'll use the names applied to the characters from the English dub, since I haven't found Korean credits online. Elaine (Sa Mi-Ja) is the young blind heroine whose sword-skills are not very well explained. At some point in her younger years, Elaine's father died somehow, possibly as the result of Elaine's mother running off with another man. Elaine is raised by her Uncle Louie, but when she reaches young womanhood, Louie is slain by gangsters for some past offence.

The backstory is related after a "media res" opening, in which another older man is being chased by sword-wielding thugs. The thugs come across Elaine and give her some lip, so she kills them all. Only afterward does she find that the thugs' quarry was an old fellow she eventually calls Uncle Hong, whom she clearly substitutes for the real relative she lost.

However, Hong has some problems into which Elaine is soon drawn. Twenty years ago Hong, a single father, left his infant daughter Su Ann with another family for raising. Unfortunately, once Su Ann was older-- about the same age as Elaine-- the family sold Su Ann to a brothel run by a madame named (I think) Fa Something. Hong found out and wants to liberate the daughter he's never known.

Elaine tries to help by gathering enough money to buy Su Ann's contract. The blind heroine does so by betting on a cockfight administered by Mistress Fa, and seeing through Fa's fixing the fight. Elaine gets lots of money but her action angers Fa, who sends men (and one woman, armed with a bladed mace) to kill Elaine. Hong tries to free Su Anne on his own but things don't work out well for either of them.

In the grand tradition of Victorian melodrama, it's revealed that Fa is the bad mother who left Elaine behind, but the mistress deeply regrets her deed upon seeing her grown child. This fortunate coincidence works out because Fa's current lover is also the man who both stole Fa from her family and had Uncle Louie killed. Elaine manages to gain vengeance for all of her injuries, though total tragedy is averted. Fa is wounded but not killed, and the film ends with the suggestion that Poor Elaine may still have a chance at some sort of family.

The battles are pure sword-play with no hand-to-hand fighting at all, and I found them adequate if unremarkable, while Sa Mi-Ja did a good job charting her character's emotional tumult. Compared to the many piecemeal chopsockies I've encountered, SWORD is refreshingly linear in its melodramatic basics.