Archive for May, 2004
Princess Iron Fan
Following in the tradition of its predecessor, The Monkey Goes West, Princess Iron Fan delivers gorgeous colorful fun while stripping away much of the religious allegory that helped make the original Monkey fables so enduring. And, as a perfect example of Shaw’s increasingly salacious style, this family film is even spiced up with a quick bit of female nudity, thanks to the frequently-naked Lily Ho*.
Unlike its predecessor, Princess Iron Fan doesn’t have to expend any energy on backstory or introductions, not that Monkey bothered to explain much. Instead of exposition, the film can focus on two of the stories from the 400-year-old collection of Monkey myth, Journey To The West: the traveler’s outsmarting of the stubborn Princess Iron Fan and their battle against the scheming White Bone Demon.
Combining these stories into one film makes for a minimum of dead time and allows Shaw to pit their all-male pilgrims against a trio of villainesses, embodied by their most beautiful stars, Lily Ho, Cheng Pei Pei and Pat Ting Hung.
Princess Iron Fan interrupts the action once for a much needed bit of back story, explaining Monkey’s early days wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Kingdom. That this scene is filled with dozens of gymnastic children in monkey suits and pajamas only makes it more welcome. Who can hate kids in monkey suits?
Considering that Monkey is one of the most popular literary characters in China, I can’t begrudge Shaw for making these films so monkey-centric. But they do so at the cost of the stories’ religious resonance. Instead of Monkey learning valuable lessons about Buddhism, his fellow travelers learn the same lesson again and again—Always Trust Monkey. When Monk Tang banishes Monkey for breaking the tenets of Buddhism, the remaining travelers are quickly captured and nearly killed. Instead of Monkey learning the errors of his rash ways, his hasty decisions are frequently vindicated.
But that’s a minor quibble with a movie that I found to be far more entertaining than the earlier Monkey film. Allowed to cut to the chase Princess Iron Fan does just that, delivering an enjoyable, if frothy, take on an ancient myth.
Princess Iron Fan
Released: August 9, 1966
Dir: Ho Meng Hua
*I may have this wrong. It could be Pat Ting Hung.