Seven Spirit Pagoda (1976)

Seven Spirit Pagoda (1976)
aka Shaolin Temple
Chinese Title: 七靈寶塔
Translation: Seven Spirits Pagoda

Starring: Hsu Feng, Chia Ling, Lin Kuan-Tseng, Wen Chiang-Long, Tieh Meng-Chiu, Chang Ping-Yu
Director: Tong Sang
Action Director: Lam Man-Cheung[1], Yueh Feng, Tseng Chao

Seven Spirit Pagoda, better known for its appearance in public domain kung fu movie packs as Shaolin Temple, is an interesting creature. It’s not a very good movie, and the credits of director Tong Sang and writer Yin Yi suggest that it was an amateurish effort in both background and execution. The grace and intensity of nominal stars Hsu Feng and Chia Ling save the film from being a total dud, but it’s unlikely to remain in the hearts and memories of anyone who actually watches it.

The movie is set during the Ming Dynasty, in which the Minister of War (Tieh Ming-Chiu of The Saviour Monk) has staged a coup against the emperor. The emperor (Wang Yu, but not Jimmy) is murdered, his wife (Imperial Sword Killing the Devil’s Wang Pin and daughter (Hsiang Chun of The Sword ’71) commit suicide, and only the Prince (Lin Kuan-Tseng, who was in Seven Indignant  and Hong Si Yuan) survives with some faithful guards to watch over him. One of his protectors is a General, played by Wen Chiang-Long (Moonlight Sword and Jade Lion).

During an ambush by the Minister’s soldiers, the General is mortally wounded and the Prince is struck by a poison dart. The General tells his two retainers to find his two daughters (Hsu Feng and Chia Ling) and have them go to the Monastery to find the antidote to the poison. The retainers eventually find the General’s daughters. Chia Ling sticks behind to defend the prince—who is now borderline insane from the effects of the toxin—while Hsu Feng goes to the Monastery (actually a seven-level pagoda) to retrieve the medicine from the monks who guard it.

It takes our heroines almost 40 minutes of running time to actually enter the movie. Up until then, the movie is mainly a melodrama about innocent people getting killed for having any contact with the deposed prince: they’d rather die than reveal his whereabouts to the soldiers looking for him. There are a few crude sword fights here and there, but it’s mainly a series of weepy moments. It doesn’t help that we have to spend a lot of time with the Prince, who’s a bit effete and weak overall—didn’t the Emperor have his captains teach the guy kung fu?

The film picks up once Hsu Feng and Judy Lee show up as kung fu fighting sisters. Chia Ling marks her entrance by slaughtering a contingent of the ministers soldiers, displaying far more energy in her fights than all the previous skirmishes up to that moment. Then, in a weird display of pacing, the vast majority of the second half of the movie is taken up by two extended fights. In one, Chia Ling must fight off another platoon of royal guards, including the Minister’s right-hand man. While that is going on, Hsu Feng fights the Shaolin monks (hence the alternate title for the film) in the titular structure, Game of Death style. She climbs from one floor to another, fighting different monks armed with different weapons (nine-ring broadsword, pole, crane style, etc.).

As it stands, Seven Spirit Pagoda’s weird plot structure will certainly throw less-experienced viewers off. Most people will spent the first half wishing the Prince would just keel over and die. Then the second half is jam-packed with so much action that you can’t help but wonder if there was no actual story left in the script. It comes to a head with a climatic dance sequence featuring the Prince in drag. Considering how effeminate he’s played, that’s certainly a convincing look for him. The final shot reminds me in some ways of the parting shots of A Touch of Zen, but without the actual visual poetry behind it.

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[1] - There is actually no credited action director for this movie in the English language credits or in the Hong Kong Movie Database. I therefore cited the members of the supporting cast who had experience with fight choreography.