Hong Kong TV series (emphasis on TVB) - the wuxia series
- This comment was first posted on Mobius Home Video Forum - Asian Cinema. Probably in 2001.
- The message has not been changed.
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TVB, which IMO makes most of the best tv series, has been very slow about releasing vcds of their tv series when compared to the Taiwanese dramas & Japanese dramas & even non-TVB series.
However, after they realised that there is a market for these vcds they have started to release several classics.
I know that the titles released in HK are more than those released for the overseas market. For example, I know that THe Threshold of an Era (non-wuxia) is available on vcd in HK but not available in any market outside of HK yet. The Condor Heroes starring Felix Wong & Barbarra Yung was also available in HK first before the overseas market.
I live outside of HK so I don't know if the vcds manufactured in HK are different for those released in the overseas market. But in general, HK series have Chinese subtitles and have Cantonese on one channel and the Mandarin dub on the other channel. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to watch any series, wuxia ones included, without an understanding of Chinese. That is because unlike HK films, there is a fair amount of story as well because many wuxia novels and the "secrets & revenge" genre have dense plots.
A good wuxia series is better in many ways to the films because much of the story is retained. So instead of getting a bewildering number of characters in 2 hours, you get to know the same bewildering number of characters over 20-40 episodes. Also, wuxia novels often include mysteries to be solved, complex power struggles, court intrigue, important backstories etc which would be hard to put across in a logical fashion on film.
Also, because a tv series has the luxury of time, you tend to get to know the characters better. So you understand their motivations, their weaknesses, their background, their personalities etc much better, the characters are also allowed time to develope, grow and mature.
Aside from the advantages of having more time with the plot in a series, the other big advantage is that it's shot in sync sound of
course.
The level of wire-fu in a good wuxia series can be quite good and quite exciting. They tend not to be as violent (as Jason said) because it's made for tv. However, because it's made for tv, it has a distinct made for tv look. TV usually has a smaller budget than film, so you'll find that lighting is usually flat, mostly shot on soundstages, sets can be very bare (eg. a few rocks & a plastic looking tunnel thing = cave,) the acting of the extras in the background can be very bad etc. Also, as most, if not all, of TV in HK is shot on beta sp, there is a very clear video look to the whole series. There is less color depth, less grain, less detail in dark areas etc... usually less beautiful looking than wuxia films.
Another disadvantage of having lesser money is that they can't hire the best choreographers. So while the level of wire-work may be good, sometimes the choreography leaves much to be desired. Also, these series are shot incredibly quickly, so sometimes your actors look noticeably exhausted. And because they are shot so quickly, they don't often have time for complex fight scenes.
Most adaptations of martial arts novels revolve around the same few titles. They are usually the most famous/popular ones. There have been several TVB, ATV, TCS, Taiwanese etc versions of The Condor Heroes series. Other popular ones are The Duke and the Cauldron, Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain, Heaven Sword & Dragon Sable, Flying Fox of the Snowy Mountain etc. However, not all wuxia films are adaptations, sometimes the studios will write one of their own. In general, I find the adaptations better.
Right now there are a lot of titles in the market. Most of them aren't made by TVB. I'm heavily prejudiced against most of the non-TVB titles so I can't recommend any of them but the following websites will provide you with TVB and non-TVB information. Also, I second Jason's recommendation of...
"Legend of the Condor Heroes" [1982] with Felix Wong and Barbara Yeung
"Return of the Condor Heroes" [1983] with Andy Lau and Idy Chan
which are available on vcd. One word of warning regarding "Legend of the Condor Heroes," the vcd is an edited down version of the original series. Apparently, TVB thought that this would make it more assesable to the younger generation.
Also, there are many sites with reviews of tv series. A huge word of warning is that they often contain spoiler information. So if you don't want to know what happens it might not be a good idea to read these reviews which often double up as episode guides.
The link Jason provided is a link to a pretty good site. Other good sites are...
http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/polanski/795/
which often includes a rating of the series so you don't have to read the episode guide. Also, sometimes there is commentary at the very beginning or the very end of the series. Mostly more recent series though.
also, check out http://www.spcnet.tv/
again mostly more recent series.
Also, if you wish you can post a question at this forum and someone will usually tell u if a series is worth your while.
http://www.awitpinoy.com/hkpop/forums/newtvb/
These vcds are usually available at most online retailers that deal with Chinese entertainment or at you local Chinatown. Big warning... they DO NOT come cheap. One piece of good news is that I hear that TVB is beginning to subtitle their series in English in some of their rental markets. I haven't seen any yet but I'm beginning to see subtitled previews. So far all the subtitled video I've seen is on vhs though.
enjoy