Like so many of King Hu’s films, is also set in the time of the Ming dynasty. This film is set in and around a Buddhist monastery where a new abbot is about to be appointed. Having a sacred roll of the Mahayana Sutra could be decisive. Ambitious monks, rich laymen and a general bent on power vie for the roll. One of the laymen even goes so far as to hire a thief (Hsu Feng) who pretends to be his wife. In the end a former crook will shoot from being a beggar monk to be the new abbot. He burns the document, because only its content is important, not its possession. King Hu: ‘What primarily interested me was the question of whether people fight for pure power or are only interested in the range of opportunities offered by being in a position of power This visually virtuoso film was shot on location in Korea because the best-preserved palaces and temples can be found there.
