Full Moon Scimitar [圓月彎刀] (1979)

Starring Derek Yee, Liza Wang, Wang Yong, Meg Lam Kin-Ming, Yueh Hua, Ku Kuan-Chung, Norman Tsui Siu-Keung, Johnny Wang Lung-Wei, Ching Miao, Teresa Ha Ping, Chui Gai-Heung, Helen Poon Bing-Seung, Yang Chi-Ching, Chan Shen, Wong Ching-Ho, Shum Lo, Wang Han-Chen, Kong Chuen

Directed by Chor Yuen

Expectations: Looking forward to seeing what the Third Master has been up to since Death Duel.

Before watching Full Moon Scimitar I looked up the novel it adapts: 圓月彎刀 [1976–1978] (the same Chinese title as the movie). The Chinese Wikipedia entry stated it was a sequel to Death Duel (and ghostwritten by Sima Ziyan after Chapter 11), leading me to re-watch Death Duel in preparation. This enhanced my experience with Full Moon Scimitar immeasurably! I checked reviews online to see if anyone mentioned the connection between the two films, but I didn’t see anything (which is a shame as the films compliment each other very well). Full Moon Scimitar isn’t a true sequel since there’s not really a continued storyline, but the Third Master returns (played by Yueh Hua) and both films focus on themes of attempting to leave the martial world behind.

Full Moon Scimitar opens with our lead, Ding Peng (Derek Yee), fighting exhibition battles while the opening credits play. I say exhibition because civilian spectators surround the fighters, and each fight ends amiably. Is this not the dangerous martial world? Since when did swordsmen vying for their place atop the martial world just prove their superiority and let their opponent walk away? The film doesn’t explain this oddity, but I attributed it to the changing times. In the world of Full Moon Scimitar, Death Duel occurred 20 years prior. In those years, with the Third Master rejecting his sword and achieving a zen-like state, I surmised that the lower-level swordsmen followed suit and became less bloodthirsty.

After the credits, we learn that Ding Peng’s next opponent will be Liu Ruo Song (Wang Yong). Liu is fearful of the duel’s outcome, so he decides to take a different approach. He sends his wife into the woods where Ding is camping, with the intention of seducing him and creating an advantage for Liu. It’s a clever plot, and since all is fair in love and wuxia, the plan ends with Ding Peng publicly humiliated and searching for solace at his father’s grave. There he finds an unlikely ally in Qing Qing (Liza Wang*), who leads him to an invincible weapon called the Full Moon Scimitar.

An interesting contrast between Full Moon Scimitar and Death Duel is how the main characters choose to interact with the martial world. The lead characters are both played by Derek Yee, adding a layer of “what might have been.” In Death Duel, Third Master rejects his status and attempts to hide among civilians as a low-level brothel attendant. He ultimately learns that no matter what he does, he cannot sever his ties to the martial world. Ding Peng of Full Moon Scimitar is earlier in his ascension up the martial ladder, while the lust for prominence is still fresh and intoxicating. After meeting Qing Qing, though, he is given an opportunity to leave the day-to-day struggle of the martial world. He lets bliss slip through his fingers, instead choosing to prove his greatness and redeem his family name with the power of his newfound weapon. I wished for him to find peace, but the greed and hubris exhibited by Ding Peng twisted that wish into one of wanting to see him humbled.

As is usual for Chor Yuen, the action is secondary, but Full Moon Scimitar still contains some beautiful choreography from the duo of Tang Chia & Huang Pei-Chih. There were so many bodies spinning to and fro, it looked like a proto-Ching Siu-Tung film without the wires! This one definitely won’t satisfy action fiends, but the fights fit the film’s tone well. They amplified the emotions of the story, further pulling me into the film. In this way, it was some of the most effective action I’ve seen from a Chor Yuen film. I was truly swept away in the melodrama of it all, making Full Moon Scimitar one of my favorite Chor Yuen films. I look forward to revisiting it!

Of note to fellow fans of Lunar New Year films: Full Moon Scimitar released on January 25, 1979, three days before New Year’s Day, and the film’s re-match between Ding Peng and Liu Ruo Song occurs on New Year’s Day. The film was a big hit, running through the New Year period and landing at #13 at the local HK box office for 1979. Only two other Shaw films (The Proud Twins & The Deadly Breaking Sword) made more that year!

* I loved Liza Wang as Qing Qing, and I’m sad this was her only Shaw film! She has had a lengthy, award-winning career working on TVB productions, in addition to a singing career that includes this film’s theme song!

Next up in this chronological journey through the Shaw Brothers Martial Arts catalog is the first of Lau Kar-Leung’s three 1979 films, The Spiritual Boxer Part II! I suppose I should re-watch the first one so I’m ready to go. See ya then (hopefully soon)!