Human Lanterns

a.k.a. 'Human Skin Lanterns' (US Title)

The Shaw Brothers have produced - and continue to produce - some of the most recognisable Asian martial arts/genre cinema of the past fifty years. Their remit has always been varied, ranging from romantic comedies to historical drama, and in 1982's Human Lanterns we have an attempt at what looks a lot like 'Chinese Gothic ' - a high-kicking Hammer-styled period piece with a gruesome, if understated central theme.

Set in a small Chinese town at around the turn of the nineteenth century (you'll excuse me if my Chinese history is a little vague) we are introduced to two wealthy gentlemen, Master Lung and Tan Fu, who evidently have a history of rivalry and one-upmanship. It is the approach to Lantern Festival and the two men publicly declare that they can order and produce superior lanterns - although it soon becomes apparent that their competitiveness in this respect is a symptom of a much longer-standing romantic rivalry, including a struggle for the affections of Yen Chu, a beautiful concubine. Determined to upstage his enemy, the impetuous Master Lung visits a renowned lantern-maker named Chun Fang and promises generous payment in return for his handiwork. Chun Fang agrees, on the condition that Lung stays away from him until his work is complete. No sooner is the order placed but a mysterious masked assassin kidnaps Yen-Chu…and a wife and sister soon follow. Blame is shifted from one man to the other as the town tries to find the missing women.

This film really does span a breadth of different genres, from detective story to domestic drama, and from martial arts movie to horror film. There are even some comic foils in the guise of the always-too-late detectives. Although it tries to contain a lot of different elements, it does so with reasonable success thanks to decent direction and staging - and moves along with enough pace to carry the viewer. The horror elements within are very low-key and rely on suggestion rather than gore - though it is interesting to see an early treatment of what seems to be a subgenre within Oriental genre cinema - that of the human body forming the basis of sinister industries, as in Bunman: The Untold Story (1992) and more recently Fruit Chan's excellent Dumplings (2004). Chun Fang, the mysterious lantern maker, does a decent turn as a villain, combining extreme cunning and cruelty with something approaching a fatal flaw - jealousy. Of course, as is standard with cinema of this kind, there is a morality tale embedded within: after the tangled web is dealt with, order can be restored.

Human Lanterns is an interesting foray into the world of Oriental period horror and continues in a similar vein to the Hammer co-production The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974). Although perhaps a little over-ambitious in terms of the volume of elements it includes, this is an enjoyable film nonetheless, never feels too heavy, and it is well worth a watch for fans of Oriental cinema.

The film is presented as the widescreen version (4:3) with Dolby digital mono (Mandarin language) and with a Shaw Brothers trailer reel as the only extra.

Review by Keri O'Shea