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1979 Chinese film by King Hu From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[3]
| Raining in the Mountain | |
|---|---|
| |
| Traditional Chinese | 空山靈雨 |
| Simplified Chinese | 空山灵雨 |
| Literal meaning | empty mountain, spirit rain |
| Hanyu Pinyin | kōngshān líng yǔ |
| Directed by | King Hu |
| Written by | King Hu[1] |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Henry Chan[1] |
| Edited by | King Hu[1] |
| Music by | Ng Tai Kong[1] |
Production company | Lo & Hu Company Productions[1] |
Release date |
|
| Countries |
|
| Language | Mandarin[2] |
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 adapted from the 2020 Masters of Cinema blu-ray.[1]
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.
Raining in the Mountain was released in 1979.[4] 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.
Retrospective reception of the film in Hong Kong is positive.[5][6] At the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards various Asian film critics, film makers and actors voted for the top Chinese films from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.[6] Raining in the Mountain was listed at 59th place on the list.[6] The New York Times hailed the 2020 restoration of the film "spectacular, exhilarating entertainment."[7] Philip Kemp of Sight & Sound praised the film stating that "much of the film is breathtakingly beautiful, especially the wordless three-minute opening sequence" and that as the films "screenwriter, art director, editor as well as director, [King Hu] scored an impressive achievement."[8]
| Awards and nominations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremony | Category | Recipient | Outcome | Source |
| 16th Golden Horse Awards | Best Feature Film | Raining in the Mountain | Nominated | [9] |
| Best Director | King Hu | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Shih Chun | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Hsu Feng | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | King Hu | Won | ||
| Best Cinematography | Henry Chan | Won | ||
| Best Editing | King Hu | Nominated | ||
| Best Score | Ng Tai Kong | Won | ||
| Best Sound Recording | Zhou Shaolong | Won | ||
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