At
a time when Hollywood has contracted “co-production fever” in hopes of
pandering to the Chinese market, it is worth re-visiting the granddaddy of all
co-productions. The fusion of the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers’ kung fu and
mysticism with Hammer’s gothic British horror was a true Reese’s peanut butter
cup of a film. It was also a flop, but it is a highly entertaining flop. As a
revered media titan well into his centenarian years, Sir Run Run Shaw
(1907-2014) was more accustomed to turning out hits. Still, Roy Ward Baker’s The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (co-directed
by the uncredited Chang Cheh) is a distinctive and only slightly eccentric
choice to screen as part of the sidebar tribute to Shaw at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival.
Prof.
Van Helsing is visiting early Nineteenth Century China to research the eastern
variations in vampirism, armed with knowledge of the Ping Kwei legend.
According to the story, the villagers were constantly terrorized by a cult of
seven vampires and their minions, until one peasant finally reaches his
breaking point. Heroically, he kills one of the seven, but at the cost of his life.
Everyone attending Van Helsing’s lecture assumes he is a crank, except Hsi
Ching. He happens to be a descendant of the brave Ping Kwei farmer, who has
come to ask Van Helsing’s help in liberating his village from the remaining
six.
Showing
remarkable cultural sensitivity for a British colonialist in a 1970s film, Van
Helsing stresses his inexperience facing China’s undead and the specific
traditions and morays that make them different from the Euro-vamps. However, he
cannot refuse a plea for help. Indeed, he becomes rather anxious to get out of
town when his twit of a son Leyland shows up the local triad boss when putting
the moves on a Scandinavian heiress. The adventurous Vanessa Buren is also
eager to fund the expedition, so she joins the party over the professor’s
objections.
Of
course, before they can face the undead hordes, they will have to hack their
way through a small army of triads, but that will not be a problem for Hsi, his
six brothers (each with a specialized weapon of choice), and his sister, Mei
Kwei. However, there is another European visitor to Ping Kwei, whom Van Helsing
is well acquainted with—cue ominous thunderclap.
Everyone
seems to love to pick on this film, just because it is admittedly an oddball
concept. Yet, it deserves considerably more love. Action director Lau Kar-leung
stages some very cinematic (and surprisingly bloody) martial arts sequences,
presumably in collaboration with Chang. Perhaps inspired by the Hong Kong
production, Peter Cushing brought his A-game as Van Helsing, as determined and
authoritative as ever, but also protective of the youngsters and smart enough
to know what he doesn’t know. In fact, Cushing looks quite comfortable and
collegial with Shaw Brothers leading man David Chiang, who has all the right
action chops for Hsi Ching and nearly makes his phonetic English dialogue sound
natural.
Shih
Szu (who almost broke out during her time with the Shaws, becoming more of a
cult figure instead) is also impressively steely and sensitive as Mei Kwei.
Former Miss Norway and Penthouse Pet Julie Ege gives Buren a bit of an edge and
a backbone too. Unfortunately, Robin Stewart’s Leyland Van Helsing comes across
like Hugh Grant’s ineffectual forefather. Frankly, it is hard to believe he
could live through the first act.
