What is the name of this film ?

[comicshorse]

I saw this when I was pretty young (so at least 35 years ago) on TV and it stuck with me, probably because foreign films were pretty rare at the time.
I'm pretty sure its Chinese. The plot is basically the 'Seven Samurai'. Village is threatened by bandits, small band of heroes turn up to defend it. Only difference is I'm pretty sure here the heroes are actually sent by the authorities to defend the village.
I only remember two scenes. One at the end is the (sole ?) survivor of the heroes seeing to the burial of his comrades. The other is a banquet between the heroes and the bandits where the two sides show off their martial prowess. One of the heroes is a monk and takes off the string of prayer beads (Mala) he's wearing, hurls it through the air and then at lightning speed plants a bunch of arrows in the wall while the Mala is in flight. Grouping them together so accurately that the mala lands on them and hangs there, like a hat on a hatstand
Any ideas ?

[Seppl]

Can you remember what era and region the film is set in? Your description sounds like pre- or early-industrial East Asia, but I want to be sure.

[comicshorse]

Not sure of the era. Gunpowder bombs are used as a surprise weapon by the heroes at one point with the indication they are pretty rare but I don't remember any firearms at all just swords and bows

[Brother Oni]

If it helps, a Chinese film ~35 years ago in the UK would have been highly likely to be a HK martial arts movie.

Looking at remakes of The Seven Samurai around that time frame, I see: Seven Warriors 1989, however this is set in Warlord era China and from looking at the trailer, there's far too many guns (link).

Do you remember anything else about the movie? Do you remember if the monk was bald (ie a Shaolin monk)?

[comicshorse]

If it helps, a Chinese film ~35 years ago in the UK would have been highly likely to be a HK martial arts movie.

Looking at remakes of The Seven Samurai around that time frame, I see: Seven Warriors 1989, however this is set in Warlord era China and from looking at the trailer, there's far too many guns (link).

Do you remember anything else about the movie? Do you remember if the monk was bald (ie a Shaolin monk)?

Yeah not 'Seven Warriors' . That's much later historically than the one I'm thinking of.

I'm pretty sure the monk was bald and dressed in black robes.

[No brains]

Wildly inaccurate guess, but could it be 'Suikoden' or 'Marsh River Bandits'? You synopsis brought that title to mind. There's also a series of JRPGs based off the same story.

[comicshorse]

Could you provide a link to a description of the movie, please ? I'm just getting video games

[No brains]

Could you provide a link to a description of the movie, please ? I'm just getting video games

Honestly part of what makes my guess wildly inaccurate is that a movie of that story might not exist... I didn't check to see if there was a movie, I just swung in the dark.

[Brother Oni]

Could you provide a link to a description of the movie, please ? I'm just getting video games

I doubted it could be The Water Margin as there's typically 108 heroes, which is substantially more than 7.

There are a couple of The Water Margin adaptations, usually under one of its other titles like 'All Men Are Brothers'.

All Men Are Brothers 1972 trailer, wikipedia synopsis.

There's also a 1975 sequel under one of the novel's alternate titles: wikipedia link.

One of the actors got a 'spin off' movie with his The Water Margin character, (Tiger Killer 1983), but looking at the trailer (link) doesn't match your description. Incidentally the whole film is also on youtube, but I can't link that here.


I'm still looking into the 'monk with black robes' angle as that's unusual in my experience.

Hang on, you're not confusing the 'bald monk' with the Qing Dynasty hair queue style?

Spoiler: Qing Dynasty hair styles

Show

[comicshorse]

I doubted it could be The Water Margin as there's typically 108 heroes, which is substantially more than 7.

There are a couple of The Water Margin adaptations, usually under one of its other titles like 'All Men Are Brothers'.

All Men Are Brothers 1972 trailer, wikipedia synopsis.

There's also a 1975 sequel under one of the novel's alternate titles: wikipedia link.

One of the actors got a 'spin off' movie with his The Water Margin character, (Tiger Killer 1983), but looking at the trailer (link) doesn't match your description. Incidentally the whole film is also on youtube, but I can't link that here.


I'm still looking into the 'monk with black robes' angle as that's unusual in my experience.

Hang on, you're not confusing the 'bald monk' with the Qing Dynasty hair queue style?

Spoiler: Qing Dynasty hair styles

Show

No its not 'All Men Are Brothers'

And as far as I remember the guy was just completely bald but ( and I know this is super unhelpful) it was a long time ago

[Dwayneterry]

have you found that movie?, please tell me which movie it is, thank you

[comicshorse]

It's still a mystery I'm afraid