Legend of the Mountain

Legend of the Mountain is a 1979 Taiwanese-Hong Kong film directed by King Hu.

Plot
Ho, a young scholar, is given the task for translating Buddhist sutras which are said to have power over the creatures of the afterlife. He travels to a monastery to find a peaceful place to fulfill the task. However he encounters a bizarre cast of characters: a Buddhist lama, Secretary Tsui and his menacing friend Cheng, the mysterious Melody and her flute, and Ms. Chang, Melody's mother who soon arranges a marriage between Melody and Ho. However, as he works on the sutras, Ho slowly finds himself entangled on a mysterious plot involving witchcraft, demons, and a battle to preserve his own soul from the attacks of the supernatural underworld.

Cast

 * Shih Chun as Ho
 * Hsu Feng as Melody
 * Sylvia Chang as Cloud
 * Tung Lam as Mr. Tsui
 * Tien Feng as Cheng
 * Chen Hui-lou as Reverend
 * Rainbow Hsu as Ms. Chang
 * Wu Jiaxiang as Man carrying wood
 * Ng Ming Tsui as Lama
 * Sun Yueh

Release
Legend of the Mountain was released in 1979. The film was also shown at the 1979 Festival of Festivals in Toronto.

Reception
From contemporary English reviews, Richard Labonte of the Ottawa Citizen described the film as an "intellectual challenge" and as "three hours of film which never drags" and that it was "structured with a rigid formalism which allows for no spontaneity at all and is also a unique treat, for those who can adapt to a slow and mannered Eastern style rather than the fast-paced and action-packed style of most Western films."

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes retrospectively gave the film an approval rating of 100% based on 7 reviews from western critics, and an average rating of 8.3/10.