New Release: Legend of the Black Scorpion Blu-ray

Vivendi and The Weinstein Company issued the Blu-ray of the 2006 Chinese epic movie Legend of the Black Scorpion on Oct. 26, 2010, for a suggested retail price of $19.97.

International star Ziyi Zhang (Memoirs of a Geisha and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) stars in this historical action film that was directed by Ziaogang Feng and inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It’s set in 10th Century China where the ruling Tang Dynasty is in chaos and a group of royals — the Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Minister and the General — all plot to do away with their enemies at a grand nighttime banquet.

Legend of the Black Scorpion Blu-ray boxLush art and costume designs notwithstanding, the highlight of the movie is the work of renowned action choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping (The Matrix and Kill Bill films), who fills Legend of the Black Scorpion (which is known internationally as The Banquet) with an astonishing array of spectacular action sequences.

Special features on the Blu-ray include the following:

  • audio commentary by Hong Kong cinema expert Bey Logan
  • “Master of Ceremonies” exclusive interview with director Feng Xiaogang
  • “Warrior Prince” exclusive interview with leading man Daniel Wu
  • A Dynasty Uncovered, behind the scenes of Legend of the Black Scorpion
  • trailer gallery

The DVD version of the film was issued in February 2008 and is still available.

 

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About Laurence

Founder and editor Laurence Lerman saw Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest when he was 13 years old and that’s all it took. He has been writing about film and video for more than a quarter of a century for magazines, anthologies, websites and most recently, Video Business magazine, where he served as the Reviews Editor for 15 years.