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Dragon Inn

Dir: King Hu
Cast: Polly Ling-Feng Shang-Kuan, Chun Shih, Ying Bai
111mins   1967   Taiwan | Hong Kong   12A   Mandarin    Subtitled   

Part of our Art of Action Season

Join us for an exclusive live recording of the popular Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast, in which host Ben Johnson will be joined by Life of Action author Mike Fury to share the secrets behind the stunts. We will also be joined by stuntwoman Katrina Durden as a special guest

A defining film in the history of martial arts cinema, Dragon Inn finds bandits, noble fighters and vagabonds gathered together for a beautifully choreographed royal rumble at a sleepy inn. Director King Hu (A Touch of Zen) pares the wuxia (‘martial chivalry’) genre down to its essential elements: balletic fight choreography, superhuman action sequences, and a charismatic roster of characters, including many trailblazing roles for female fighters. Shot in stunning widescreen, it was a major breakthrough in Hu’s career and a massive box office success in Hong Kong.

The Kung Fu Movie Guide Podcast will break down wuxia – China’s swordplay and chivalry genre – and explain how King Hu forged a new path in Chinese action cinema, influencing a generation of filmmakers from Tsui Hark (New Dragon Gate Inn) to Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).

Katrina Durden is an actor and martial artist from London. With a passion and drive for both traditional acting and fight choreography, in the last decade she has enjoyed a varied career, working on many film and television projects, including Marvel’s Doctor Strange, Street Fighter: Resurrection, Strike Back and Shadow and Bone, as well as motion capture for video games including Destiny 2, Gears of War, Battlefield and Diablo. Upcoming projects include Heads of State, starring opposite Idris Elba, John Cena and Priyanka Chopra, and the new adaptation of Red Sonja.

If you would like information about the content of this film, including potentially triggering material, please click here for guidance from the BBFC