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.