Search - Laughing in the Wind/Xiao Ao Jiang Hu 2001 on DVD

A few clarifications

Kang-Min Chang | San Francisco, CA USA | 03/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, this is a TV series that was made in mainland China in 2001 (or 2000). It has 40 episodes. Each DVD release here only contains 5 episodes. So, we have a few releases to go to see all 40 of them.

The main spoken language is Mandarine, not Cantonese, since it wasn't made in Hong Kong. When I watched it on the TV channel, it has Chinese subtitles, but this version only contains English. It goes so fast that I don't know how non-Chinese viewers are going to read it.

The movies "Swordsman" and "Swordsman 2" were adapted from the same source material, but strayed from the book plot quite a bit (I guess for movie adaptation purpose). But this TV series follows the book quite closely. At least I am very happy with it.

The plot from the book is extremely convoluted and complex. If Chinese culture is foreign to you, grab a Chinese friend with you while watching this. He/she can help explain things better. The first 10 episodes are laying foundations for the great story to come. So, be patient and you will be greatly rewarded. There are a few good fights coming after episode 10 that are totally jaw-dropping. Hope they will release them soon.

The production value is quite high, with stunning cinematography. Acting is pretty quite good, at least compared to the older versions I have seen. If you have read the book, you will be happy about this adaptation."

Complete confusion on this page....

Andy Klein | Santa Monica, CA USA | 12/17/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"My rating is completely arbitrary and included only so I can post this remark, for reasons explained below: in short, that this page is hopelessly combining two different works.

Okay, there was a 1990 Hong Kong movie with the title "Xiao ao jiang hu"; the English title was Swordsman; it was based on a Louis Cha novel; it spawned two sequels. There appears to have been a 2000 TV series also called "Xiao ao jiang hu," based on the same novel. If the IMDB is to be trusted, the English title (in Singapore, at least) is "The Legendary Swordsman." Okay: Two different adaptations of the same book.

The cover picture, price, and date in the title suggest that this is the TV series; but the list of directors and stars suggests that this is the 1990 film. The various comments and reviews are mostly about the 1990 film. Something has gone terribly wrong here."

Historical soap opera

Balthaasar | New York USA | 11/06/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I found this by accident but decided to watch it because it sounded good and i am always looking for something to watch. it is a great story and has memorable characters. for anyone who is a fan of historical chinese dramas this is a great one. and because it is a series there is more character development than in most other movies. definatly worth checking out"