During the Ming Dynasty, a Buddhist abbot charged with protecting the sacred scroll of Tripitaka prepares to name his successor. An aristocrat and a general arrive at his secluded mountaintop monastery promising to help in his search, but are in fact scheming to secure the scroll for themselves. As they set about recommending corrupt successors, rival bands of martial artists lie in wait to steal the precious artifact. Soon, the monastery is transformed into an epic battleground for the scroll, with each player caught in a web of intrigue.

Hailed as a “richly detailed and epic drama of corruption and betrayal”, RAINING IN THE MOUNTAIN is “one of the last great films of King Hu’s golden period” (The Hollywood Reporter) that infuses the trailblazing auteur’s transcendent style of martial arts cinema with an insightful meditation on spiritual principles.

DIRECTED BY KING HU
TAIWAN AND HONG KONG | 1979 | MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES