This is the oldest Shaw Brothers Production I have seen. I have been viewing ones from the mid 70's to mid 80's an stumbled across this one. When I saw Lieh Lo and Ku Feng in the list of actors, I had to watch. I was actually impressed with how the female characters are handled in this film. I have become accustomed to seeing hide in the corner while the men duke it out types in Wushu. Here, even Xiaoling (Bobo Fung), a tween, gets in on the action.
Jin Lian Zhu (Chin Ping) and Kuei Wu (Jimmy Wang Yu) are transporting the Peacock Lute back to the Gan family to have it destroyed. It can only be destroyed by a curved sword in their possession. A sword being wielded by little Xiaoling of the Gan Clan. The lute is stolen by the Flying Tiger Clan, after Kuei uses it on some of their member during a fight. Mayhem ensues as Kuei and Jin Lian struggle to get the Lute back from the Flying Tigers.
Chief Wei Fei-Hu (Cheng Miu) son has been wounded by the flute. They have 7 days in which to cure him, or he will die from the poison the needles from the flute have injected into his body. There is a stone that can save him. It's location is guarded by the Shen family. Torturing Shen Shu-Wen (Yueh Hua) gets the Flying Tigers no where, so, after using the Peacock Lute on him, they let him "escape" to follow him to the stone's location.
The beaten Shu-Wen is discovered by his niece Xiaoling and her servant Ta Hsing (Pang Pang), who bring him with them on their travels to the Ching-Yu manor. Along the way, they buy a horse "on credit" from thief Tu Ying (Lieh Lo), who has eyes on Xiaoling's sword. Tu Ying helps thwart the Flying Tigers attempts to steal the sword.
Scarlet Maid (Ivy Ping Po) arrives at Ching manor in time to save Shu-Wen with the stone. She tries not to be distracted by the fight that breaks out once the Flying Tigers arrive. Xiaoling and Ta Hsing help hold back the Flying Tigers, killing a few in the chaos. Wei Mei-Er (Lily Ho Li-Li) and Master Wen (Lee Wan-Chung) are they only surviving tigers. They flee back to their lair to regroup.
Jin Lian and Kuei confess to Scarlet Maid how the Flying Tigers got the Peacock Lute and request traveling to the Flying Tiger Clan lair to retrieve it. She refuses and instead sends Xiaoling, Ta Hsing, Shu-Wen to retrieve it. How bad have you messed up that your elder would trust a 12yo to do a better job than you? Jin Lian and Kuei are directed to remain at the manor, in case the Tigers return.
Tu Ying, who's been trying to plan how to get the sword from Xiaoling, follows the trio to the Flying Tigers Clan lair. He manages to get the sword away from Xiaoling and heads to the Clan lair. Xiaoling follows him. She demands the return of the sword. Tu Ying says he will, once he's finished with it. The duo overhear members of other clans discussing a meeting with the Flying Tigers. Tu Ying overhears one admit they killed Tu Ying's brother. Something Tu Ying thought was done by someone else.
The final fight occurs at the banquet arranged by the Flying Tigers, following Chief Wei Fei-Hu (Cheng Miu) using the Peacock Lute to kill Chief Li Guang Yuan (Hao Li-Jen) who has refused to accept Fei-Hu's demands. Wei Mei-Er finally meets her end. I had been waiting the whole movie for her to be eliminated. I was hoping Xiaoling would do it.
Scarlet Maid arrives in time to save all the heroes from being killed by the Peacock Lute. it was a deus ex machina moment for me. It was obvious things where not going the heroes way, and she steps in to change the course of the fight. The same thing occurs in The Emperor and His Brother, when the heroes are trapped in a dynamite filled tower.
Scarlet Maid prevents the heroes from killing the underlings as well as the main baddies. She tells the heroes Overkill is unnecessary and to remember there are always innocents who can be harmed when seeking revenge. These are morals that seem to go against every Wushu movie I have seen. Revenge and Collateral Damage are usually synonyms.
Jin Lian Zhu (Chin Ping) and Kuei Wu (Jimmy Wang Yu) are transporting the Peacock Lute back to the Gan family to have it destroyed. It can only be destroyed by a curved sword in their possession. A sword being wielded by little Xiaoling of the Gan Clan. The lute is stolen by the Flying Tiger Clan, after Kuei uses it on some of their member during a fight. Mayhem ensues as Kuei and Jin Lian struggle to get the Lute back from the Flying Tigers.
Chief Wei Fei-Hu (Cheng Miu) son has been wounded by the flute. They have 7 days in which to cure him, or he will die from the poison the needles from the flute have injected into his body. There is a stone that can save him. It's location is guarded by the Shen family. Torturing Shen Shu-Wen (Yueh Hua) gets the Flying Tigers no where, so, after using the Peacock Lute on him, they let him "escape" to follow him to the stone's location.
The beaten Shu-Wen is discovered by his niece Xiaoling and her servant Ta Hsing (Pang Pang), who bring him with them on their travels to the Ching-Yu manor. Along the way, they buy a horse "on credit" from thief Tu Ying (Lieh Lo), who has eyes on Xiaoling's sword. Tu Ying helps thwart the Flying Tigers attempts to steal the sword.
Scarlet Maid (Ivy Ping Po) arrives at Ching manor in time to save Shu-Wen with the stone. She tries not to be distracted by the fight that breaks out once the Flying Tigers arrive. Xiaoling and Ta Hsing help hold back the Flying Tigers, killing a few in the chaos. Wei Mei-Er (Lily Ho Li-Li) and Master Wen (Lee Wan-Chung) are they only surviving tigers. They flee back to their lair to regroup.
Jin Lian and Kuei confess to Scarlet Maid how the Flying Tigers got the Peacock Lute and request traveling to the Flying Tiger Clan lair to retrieve it. She refuses and instead sends Xiaoling, Ta Hsing, Shu-Wen to retrieve it. How bad have you messed up that your elder would trust a 12yo to do a better job than you? Jin Lian and Kuei are directed to remain at the manor, in case the Tigers return.
Tu Ying, who's been trying to plan how to get the sword from Xiaoling, follows the trio to the Flying Tigers Clan lair. He manages to get the sword away from Xiaoling and heads to the Clan lair. Xiaoling follows him. She demands the return of the sword. Tu Ying says he will, once he's finished with it. The duo overhear members of other clans discussing a meeting with the Flying Tigers. Tu Ying overhears one admit they killed Tu Ying's brother. Something Tu Ying thought was done by someone else.
The final fight occurs at the banquet arranged by the Flying Tigers, following Chief Wei Fei-Hu (Cheng Miu) using the Peacock Lute to kill Chief Li Guang Yuan (Hao Li-Jen) who has refused to accept Fei-Hu's demands. Wei Mei-Er finally meets her end. I had been waiting the whole movie for her to be eliminated. I was hoping Xiaoling would do it.
Scarlet Maid arrives in time to save all the heroes from being killed by the Peacock Lute. it was a deus ex machina moment for me. It was obvious things where not going the heroes way, and she steps in to change the course of the fight. The same thing occurs in The Emperor and His Brother, when the heroes are trapped in a dynamite filled tower.
Scarlet Maid prevents the heroes from killing the underlings as well as the main baddies. She tells the heroes Overkill is unnecessary and to remember there are always innocents who can be harmed when seeking revenge. These are morals that seem to go against every Wushu movie I have seen. Revenge and Collateral Damage are usually synonyms.