This is the oldest Shaw Brothers Production I have seen. I have been viewing ones from the mid 70's to mid 80's an stumbled across this one. When I saw Lieh Lo and Ku Feng in the list of actors, I had to watch. I was actually impressed with how the female characters are handled in this film. I have become accustomed to seeing hide in the corner while the men duke it out types in Wushu. Here, even Xiaoling (Bobo Fung), a tween, gets in on the action.Jin Lian Zhu (Chin Ping) and Kuei Wu (Jimmy Wang Yu) are transporting the Peacock Lute back to the Gan family to have it destroyed. It can only be destroyed by a curved sword in their possession. A sword being wielded by little Xiaoling of the Gan Clan. The lute is stolen by the Flying Tiger Clan, after Kuei uses it on some of their member during a fight. Mayhem ensues as Kuei and Jin Lian struggle to get the Lute back from the Flying Tigers.Chief Wei Fei-Hu (Cheng Miu) son has been wounded by the flute. They have 7 days in which to cure him, or he will die from the poison the needles from the flute have injected into his body. There is a stone that can save him. It's location is guarded by the Shen family. Torturing Shen Shu-Wen (Yueh Hua) gets the Flying Tigers no where, so, after using the Peacock Lute on him, they let him "escape" to follow him to the stone's location.The beaten Shu-Wen is discovered by his niece Xiaoling and her servant Ta Hsing (Pang Pang), who bring him with them on their travels to the Ching-Yu manor. Along the way, they buy a horse "on credit" from thief Tu Ying (Lieh Lo), who has eyes on Xiaoling's sword. Tu Ying helps thwart the Flying Tigers attempts to steal the sword.Scarlet Maid (Ivy Ping Po) arrives at Ching manor in time to save Shu-Wen with the stone. She tries not to be distracted by the fight that breaks out once the Flying Tigers arrive. Xiaoling and Ta Hsing help hold back the Flying Tigers, killing a few in the chaos. Wei Mei-Er (Lily Ho Li-Li) and Master Wen (Lee Wan-Chung) are they only surviving tigers. They flee back to their lair to regroup. Jin Lian and Kuei confess to Scarlet Maid how the Flying Tigers got the Peacock Lute and request traveling to the Flying Tiger Clan lair to retrieve it. She refuses and instead sends Xiaoling, Ta Hsing, Shu-Wen to retrieve it. How bad have you messed up that your elder would trust a 12yo to do a better job than you? Jin Lian and Kuei are directed to remain at the manor, in case the Tigers return.Tu Ying, who's been trying to plan how to get the sword from Xiaoling, follows the trio to the Flying Tigers Clan lair. He manages to get the sword away from Xiaoling and heads to the Clan lair. Xiaoling follows him. She demands the return of the sword. Tu Ying says he will, once he's finished with it. The duo overhear members of other clans discussing a meeting with the Flying Tigers. Tu Ying overhears one admit they killed Tu Ying's brother. Something Tu Ying thought was done by someone else.The final fight occurs at the banquet arranged by the Flying Tigers, following Chief Wei Fei-Hu (Cheng Miu) using the Peacock Lute to kill Chief Li Guang Yuan (Hao Li-Jen) who has refused to accept Fei-Hu's demands. Wei Mei-Er finally meets her end. I had been waiting the whole movie for her to be eliminated. I was hoping Xiaoling would do it. Scarlet Maid arrives in time to save all the heroes from being killed by the Peacock Lute. it was a deus ex machina moment for me. It was obvious things where not going the heroes way, and she steps in to change the course of the fight. The same thing occurs in The Emperor and His Brother, when the heroes are trapped in a dynamite filled tower. Scarlet Maid prevents the heroes from killing the underlings as well as the main baddies. She tells the heroes Overkill is unnecessary and to remember there are always innocents who can be harmed when seeking revenge. These are morals that seem to go against every Wushu movie I have seen. Revenge and Collateral Damage are usually synonyms.

THE SWORD AND THE LUTE is a follow-on from THE TWIN SWORDS and pretty convoluted in terms of plotting and execution. The film has no less than three magical artifacts which rival groups are striving to get their grubby fingers on. The titular lute is stolen by a criminal gang and can be used to inflict the worst injuries on enemies. Meanwhile, a magical sword has fallen into the possession of a mere girl. Finally, some magic healing stones are the only things to cure said injuries from the aforementioned lute. While this is another fine-looking Shaw Brothers movie, the first thing you note is that Jimmy Wang Yu and Chin Ping are supporting players in their own movie; they only really take part in the beginning and ending. Bo-Bo Fung and Lo Lieh share the bulk of the screen time, with the latter on fine form playing a shady swordsman intent on getting his hands on the magical blade. The usual cameos (Wu Ma and Liu Chia-Liang feature heavily) and plentiful action keep this one moving along nicely, although it's not an example of the studio at their very best.

I really need to read up on my Shaw Brothers films! Having previously watched Twin Swords without realizing that it was a sequel, tonight I found myself watching The Sword and the Lute, without knowing that it was a sequel to Twin Swords! I thought the characters looked familiar and a quick look on IMDb brought me up to speed. Like Twin Swords, this film also jumps right into the action. The plot sees the Gan family mostly now in seclusion after the end of the previous film. The twin swords of the previous film are transporting a deadly Lute when they are set upon by robbers from the Flying Tiger clan. They use the Lute which is a mistake as it reveals it and later they discover that it has been stolen and now this deadly needle-firing weapon is in the hands of the Flying Tigers. The only thing which can cure injuries caused by the Lute is the Seven Stars stone, which the Shen clan know the location of. The robbers set up a trick to reveal the location of the stone to cure their injured but also have the weapon and the cure. Meanwhile a third artifact, the Invincible sword, is the only thing that can destroy the Lute – and it is in the hands of the Gan family's youngest member – Hsiao Ling. All the various groups try to work out how they can control all three artifacts without losing the ones they have.This all sounds very convoluted but in reality it works well, producing a narrative that has lots going on and lots of twists while also being very easy to follow since it is basically very straightforward. Although there are dialogue heavy scenes and some more serious events, mostly it is a series of chases, twists and fight sequences and as such I found it engaging and enjoyable. The production values are high with great shots and well organized scenes. The cast I enjoyed a lot, although I was surprised that the "leads" of Wang and Chin were not in it as much as I expected. The real lead is young Fung and although her physical abilities are not as convincing, I liked her character and her delivery. She works well with her comic assistant as well. Po makes a guest appearance again as the Scarlet Maid – always on hand to sort things out and give good advice. The main villain is Lily Ho, playing the daughter of the chief; her delivery has sass and meanness to it and I liked her character too. Although there are a lot of characters here, everyone does do well – it really is only the lower-level characters (the ones that die quickly in battle sequences) that do the basics.The film ends with a large confrontation which is fitting for a film with so many smaller comings and goings building up to this. You don't really need to have seen the other films to appreciate it, and this film with its nicely fluid plot and enjoyable action scenes is worth a look.

THE SWORD AND THE LUTE (1966) is the third film in the trilogy that began with TEMPLE OF THE RED LOTUS and continued with TWIN SWORDS, both 1965 and both also reviewed on this site. The story, about the adventures of a young married swordfighting couple, Lianzhu and Gui Wu, and the swordfighting members of their different clans, veers off in this entry into a running battle with the Flying Tiger Clan, a band of outlaws who steal the lethal Phoenix Lute from the two leads and who then try to steal the Gan Clan's Invincible Sword from its owner, Xiaoling, an adolescent girl. They also attempt to get hold of the Seven Stars Stone from the Qin Clan, which can heal the wounds caused by the Phoenix Lute's deadly needle missiles. The film basically consists of various parties fending off various attempts to steal one or more of the three objects or trying to get back one or more of the objects after they've been stolen. It all culminates in a big raid at the end on the Flying Tiger Fortress, where the robbers have gathered other martial arts experts to try and form an outlaw federation.This is a beautiful-looking production from Hong Kong's Shaw Bros. studio, filled with great sets, costumes and music and ample location work. The cast is headed by four beautiful Shaw Bros. actresses decked out in a stunning array of attractive and colorful costumes. Chin Ping plays Lianzhu, the young swordfighting bride; Ivy Ling Po is the mysterious red-clad heroine, Scarlet Maid; Lily Ho is the daughter of the Flying Tiger bandit chief; and the adorable child star, Bobo Fung, all of 12 at the time, plays the adolescent Xiaoling or "Little Ling." The male leads are Jimmy Wang Yu, as Gui Wu, a year before his breakout success as THE ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN (1967); Shaw Bros. star Yueh Hua (COME DRINK WITH ME); and Lo Lieh (KING BOXER, aka FIVE FINGERS OF DEATH) as the brother of the character he'd played in the first two films in the trilogy. Comic actor Pang Pang (Pigsy in the Shaw Bros. Monkey King films) plays Xiaoling's fighting servant. In addition, there are the usual Shaw Bros. supporting actors, some of whom (Ku Feng, Wu Ma, Ching Miao, Lee Yun Chung) appeared in the first two films, but in different parts.This one doesn't have the intense drama that TEMPLE and TWIN SWORDS had, i.e. Jimmy doesn't get to cry here. It's mainly a series of chases and fights, chases and fights, with occasional stopovers at various inns. As in the other two films, the Scarlet Maid pops up when she's needed to set things right or turn the tide and, as played by Ivy Ling Po, she's quite an impressive heroine. Interestingly, young Bobo Fung (aka Petrina Fung Bobo) has the biggest part among the leading players. She's in most of the major scenes and participates as fully in the action as anyone else. There are long stretches where the two main characters, played by Jimmy Wang Yu and Chin Ping, disappear. So while it may not be the most intricate Shaw Bros. story we've seen, it's picturesque and moves well and offers a lineup of main characters, played by a veritable all-star mid-1960s Shaw Bros. cast, that are all so endearing and attractive—even villainess Lily Ho--that you can't help but get wrapped up in it.Now all three films in the trilogy are available from Celestial Pictures on Region 3 DVD in restored/remastered editions, so they can finally be seen in their proper order. If I had to single out one as the best, I'd still go with the second, TWIN SWORDS, the one I saw first.