The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (1928)

Original title

火燒紅蓮寺

Directed by

Zhang Shichuan

Genre

drama film, silent film

Country

Republic of China

Runtime

1h 26m

Rating

8.0 of 10 from 1 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This is a lost silent film serial from 1920s China based on a martial arts novel. It follows a swordsman's adventures across many parts, totaling over 27 hours. The series was so popular it sparked a craze and then a government ban.

epicaction-packedold-fashionedmythicfast-pacedkineticcliffhanger-heavynostalgic

What happens

The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple (火燒紅蓮寺) is a lost Chinese silent film serial directed by Zhang Shichuan, widely considered to be the founding father of Chinese cinema. The film is adapted from the novel The Tale of the Extraordinary Swordsman. The Burning of the Red Lotus Temple, in 16 parts, is among the longest films ever produced and the longest major release, running 27 hours in total. The Mingxing Film Company production was released in 19 feature-length parts between 1928 and 1931. No copies have survived. The craze of the film series eventually led the Kuomintang government to ban all wuxia films by the early 1930s because wuxia was thought to be inciting anarchy and rebellion. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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