''Raining in the Mountain'' () is a 1979 film written and directed by

King Hu Hu Jinquan (29 April 1932 – 14 January 1997), better known as King Hu, was a Chinese film director and actor based in Hong Kong and Taiwan. He is best known for directing various ''wuxia'' films in the 1960s and 1970s, which brought Hong Kong ...

. The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

52nd Academy Awards The 52nd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1979 and took place on April 14, 1980, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p. ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Synopsis

The story of a secluded

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

monastery which rests on a mountain. A corrupt general and an ambitious esquire arrive there and quickly employ martial artists to help steal a sacred handwritten scroll of Tripitaka hidden in the monastery's library. Meanwhile, the abbot of the monastery looks for a successor, and he sets his sight on a man falsely accused by the corrupt general of being a thief and condemned some time ago. The man has just been released from prison and comes to the monastery to seek a peaceful life. The abbot names the former convict as his successor, and this action sets in motion a series of betrayals and murders in the struggle for the invaluable Tripitaka scroll.

Cast

Cast adapted from the 2020 Masters of Cinema blu-ray.

Location

The filming of ''Raining in the Mountain'' was virtually all carried out in and around the 8th century

Bulguksa Bulguksa is located on the slopes of Mount Toham (Jinheon-dong, Gyeongju city, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea). It is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and encompasses six National treasures of South Korea, including the ...

Buddhist temple, a

UNESCO World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

site in south-eastern South Korea. This was one of two films made by Hu in Korea in 1979. The other was ''

Legend of the Mountain ''Legend of the Mountain'' ( zh, t=山中傳奇, s=山中传奇, first=t, w=Shan-chung ch'uan-ch'i) is a 1979 Taiwanese-Hong Kong film directed by King Hu. Plot Ho, a young scholar, is responsible for translating Buddhist sutras which are said t ...

''.

Release

''Raining in the Mountain'' was released in 1979. It was released for the first time in the UK on Blu-ray and DVD in Eureka's 'Masters of Cinema range, in February 2020.

Reception

Retrospective reception of the film in Hong Kong is positive. At the 24th

Hong Kong Film Awards The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, ac ...

various Asian film critics, film makers and actors voted for the top Chinese films from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. ''Raining in the Mountain'' was listed at 59th place on the list. The New York Times hailed the 2020 restoration of the film "spectacular, exhilarating entertainment." Philip Kemp of ''

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

'' praised the film stating that "much of the film is breathtakingly beautiful, especially the wordless three-minute opening sequence" and that as the films "screenwriter, art director, editor as well as director, ing Huscored an impressive achievement."

Awards and nominations

References

Sources

External links

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''Raining in the Mountain''
at Cinemasie 1979 films 1970s Mandarin-language films Taiwanese action drama films Hong Kong action drama films Films directed by King Hu Films set in monasteries 1970s Hong Kong films {{Taiwan-film-stub