King Hu

Dragon Inn

Dragon Inn

The art of martial-arts filmmaking took a leap into bold new territory with this action-packed tale of Ming-dynasty intrigue. After having the emperor’s minister of defense executed, a power-grabbing eunuch sends assassins to trail the victim’s children to a remote point on the northern Chinese border. But that bloodthirsty mission is confounded by a mysterious group of fighters who arrive on the scene, intent on delivering justice and defending the innocent. The first film King Hu made after moving to Taiwan from Hong Kong in search of more creative freedom, Dragon Inn (Long men kezhan) combines rhythmic editing, meticulous choreography, and gorgeous widescreen compositions with a refinement that was new to the wuxia genre. Its blockbuster success breathed new life into a classic formula and established Hu as one of Chinese cinema’s most audacious innovators.

Film Info

  • Taiwan
  • 1967
  • 111 minutes
  • Color
  • 2.35:1
  • Mandarin
  • Spine #937

Special Features

  • New 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Hua Hui-ying, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • New interview with actor Shangkuan Ling-fung
  • Interview from 2016 with actor Shih Chun
  • New scene analysis by author and New York Asian Film Festival cofounder Grady Hendrix
  • Newsreel footage of the film’s 1967 premiere in Taipei, Taiwan
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Andrew Chan

New cover by Greg Ruth

Purchase Options

Special Features

  • New 4K digital restoration, supervised by cinematographer Hua Hui-ying, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • New interview with actor Shangkuan Ling-fung
  • Interview from 2016 with actor Shih Chun
  • New scene analysis by author and New York Asian Film Festival cofounder Grady Hendrix
  • Newsreel footage of the film’s 1967 premiere in Taipei, Taiwan
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Andrew Chan

New cover by Greg Ruth

Dragon Inn
Cast
Shih Chun
Xiao Shao-zi
Shangkuan Ling-fung
Miss Zhu
Bai Ying
Cao Shao-qin
Miao Tien
Pi Shao-tang
Han Ying-chieh
Mao Zong-xian
Hsieh Han
Zhu Ji
Tsao Chien
Wu Ning
Gao Ming
Bookkeeper
Wan Chung-shan
Duola
Ko Fei
Gui Yu-zhang
Wen Tian
Yu Qian
Hsu Feng
Yu Qian’s daughter
Credits
Director
King Hu
Written by
King Hu
Executive producer
Sha Yung-fong
Producer
L. S. Chang
Production manager
Yang Shih-ching
Cinematography
Hua Hui-ying
Music
Zhou Lan-ping
Set designer
Chou Chih-liang
Set decorator
Mao Wei
Editor
Chen Hung-min
Costume designer
Li Chia-chih
Martial-arts choreographer
Han Ying-chieh
Lighting
Chi Hsieh-fu
First assistant director
Tu Chung-hsun

Current

Memories of a Martial-Arts Master
Memories of a Martial-Arts Master

In this outtake from an interview with Shangkuan Ling-fung, the Taiwanese wuxia icon gets nostalgic about her encounters with Bruce Lee.

Dragon Inn: Poised for Battle
Dragon Inn: Poised for Battle

The martial-arts film was never the same after King Hu got his hands on it, reinventing the genre with subtle editing and dazzling choreography.

By Andrew Chan

A Close-Up on Greg Ruth’s Genre-Infused Portraiture

Studio Visits

A Close-Up on Greg Ruth’s Genre-Infused Portraiture

The artist behind our covers for Notorious, Dragon Inn, and Moonrise shows us how he achieves the simple but hauntingly beautiful effects in his illustrations.