Introduction

Raining in the Mountain (Chinese: 空山靈雨) is a 1979 film written and directed by King Hu. The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 52nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Outline

The story of a secluded Ming Dynasty monastery which rests on a mountain. A corrupt general and an ambitious esquire arrive there and quickly employ martial artists to help steal a sacred handwritten scroll of Tripitaka hidden in the monastery’s library. Meanwhile, the abbot of the monastery looks for a successor, and he sets his sight on a man falsely accused by the corrupt general of being a thief and condemned some time ago. The man has just been released from prison and comes to the monastery to seek a peaceful life. The abbot names the former convict as his successor, and this action sets in motion a series of betrayals and murders in the struggle for the invaluable Tripitaka scroll.

Cast

• Hsu Feng as White Fox
• Sun Yueh as Esquire Wen
• Tung Lin as Chiu Ming
• Tien Feng as General Wang
• Wu Chia-Hsiang as Master Wu Wai
• Lu Chan as Monk Hui Wen
• Paul Chun Pui as Monk Hui Ssu
• Chen Hui-Lou as Lieutenant Chang Cheng
• Kim Chang-Gean as The Abbot
• Shih Chun as Monk Hui Tang

Production

The filming of Raining in the Mountain was virtually all carried out in and around the 8th century Bulguksa Buddhist temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site in south-eastern South Korea. This was one of two films made by Hu in Korea in 1979. The other was Legend of the Mountain.

Release

Raining in the Mountain was released in 1979. It was released for the first time in the UK on Blu-ray and DVD in Eureka’s ‘Masters of Cinema range, in February 2020.

Trivia

• In Germany, is sometimes wrongly titled as a sequel to A Touch of Zen (1971).
• Underwent a 2k digital restoration by the Taiwan Film Institute in 2018 from multiple sources, including the original 35mm negative, an interpositive and a release print, with burned-in subtitles removed.
• Was filmed simultaneously with Legend of the Mountain (1979) over the course of two years.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • King Hu
• Producer(s):
  • Ling Chung … producer
  • King Hu … executive producer
  • Shu-Ru Hu … executive producer
  • Kai-Mu Lo … producer
  • Sau-Yee Wu … producer
• Writer(s):
  • King Hu
• Music:
  • Ta Chiang Wu … (as Tai King Ng)
• Cinematography:
  • Henry Chan
• Editor(s):
  • King Hu
• Production:
  • Lo & Hu Company Productions Ltd
• Distributor(s):
  • ARTE Mediathek (Germany, 2023)(VoD, video)
  • ARTE Mediathek (France, 2023)(VoD, video)
  • ARTE (Germany, 2023)(TV)
  • ARTE (France, 2023)(TV)
  • Cargo Records (Germany, 2023)(Blu-ray)
  • Eureka Entertainment (United Kingdom, 2020)(Blu-ray, DVD)
  • Film Movement (United States, 2019)
  • KSM (Germany, 2008)(DVD)
  • Savoy Film (Germany, 2011)(DVD)
  • Spectrum Films (France, 2020)(Blu-ray)
  • Takeshobo (Japan, 2020)(Blu-ray)
  • The Criterion Channel (United States, 2021)(digital, TV)
  • Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF) (West Germany, 1982)(TV)
• Release Date: 11 July 1979.
• Running Time: 120 minutes.
• Rating: 12.
• Country: Hong Kong and Taiwan.
• Language: Mandarin.

Video Link(s)