The Butterfly Murders
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European premiereTheatrical Screenings
Kinoteka 4
Kinoteka 4
Online Availability
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Film description
A scholar investigates a series of mysterious deaths among martial arts experts, apparently killed by swarms of deadly butterflies. Accompanied by two martial artists, he is summoned to the ominous Shen family castle to unravel the mystery, a quest that soon puts all three in mortal danger. Who is behind the murders, and how are they able to control the butterflies?
One of the landmark works of the Hong Kong New Wave, Tsui Hark’s feature debut is a remarkable achievement. With its wealth of inventive ideas, it sees the young director boldly challenging the conventions of martial arts cinema. The result is an atmospheric, eclectic film that draws on both Asian and Western traditions, blending wuxia with fantasy, horror and detective fiction, while paying clear homage to Alfred Hitchcock. Its infectious passion for cinema has lost none of its appeal over the decades. The Butterfly Murders remains a singular work, unlike anything else in film history. This screening of a digitally restored print offers a rare chance to revisit the early work of a filmmaker who, just a few years later, would help shape the future of Hong Kong cinema.
text:
Marcin Krasnowolski
Tsui Hark
A Hong Kong filmmaker of Vietnamese descent, he was born in 1950 and is widely regarded as one of the most versatile and influential figures in the history of popular world cinema. His first three films, considered landmark works of the Hong Kong New Wave, were not box-office hits, but they continue to astonish with their inventiveness and wealth of influences. It was only when Hark turned to commercial filmmaking that he truly demonstrated the full extent of his abilities, quickly establishing himself as a leading figure in mainstream cinema. From 1984 onwards, he also shaped the careers of key directors and actors, and above all actresses, as a producer. Many of them have since gone on to achieve international success. Thanks to his boundless energy and constant drive to explore new forms of cinematic expression, Hong Kong cinema developed a distinctive identity that helped turn it into a compelling export. Tsui Hark now works primarily in the Chinese film industry, making big-budget blockbusters.
1979 Zabójcze motyle / Dié Biàn / The Butterfly Murders
1980 Niebezpieczne spotkania pierwszego stopnia / Di yi lei xing wei xian / Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind
1984 Shànghǎi zhī yè / Shanghai Blues
1986 Kaczka po pekińsku / Dāo Mǎ Dàn / Peking Opera Blues
1989 Mistrz / Huang Fei Hong jiu er zhi long xing tian xia / The Master
1991 Dawno temu w Chinach / Wong Fei Hung / Once Upon a Time in China
1991 Bankiet / Hao men ye yan / The Banquet
1995 Ostrze / Dao / The Blade
1995 Chińska uczta / Gam yuk moon tong / The Chinese Feast
2005 Siedem mieczy / Qī Jiàn / Seven Swords
2011 Latąjace miecze ze Smoczej Bramy / Lóng Mén Fēi Jiǎ / Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
2021 Chángjīn hú / The Battle at Lake Changjin
2022 Chángjīn Hú zhī Shuǐmén Qiáo / The Battle at Lake Changjin II
