Tidak semua buku Khu Lung yang difilmkan layak tonton. Tapi buat saya Magic Blade (TianYa MingYue Dao, SB 1976) termasuk film yang wajib tonton seperti juga Killer Clans (LiuXing HuDie Jian, SB 1976). Untuk itu, di bagian bawah tulisan ini saya kutip resensi dari Magicvoice.

Berbeda dengan Killer Clans yang filmnya tidak bertabur bintang ternama, dalam Magic Blade Ti Lung berperan sebagai Pho Ang-soat (Fu Hung Shueh). Di Indonesia, novel Khu Lung ini ditulis dengan judul ”Peritiwa Bulu Merak”.

Di Indozone.net cerita ini diposting oleh Kkabeh-heng pada Januari 2007 hanya Bab I dan tidak ada kelanjutannya. Kemudian, pada Oktober 2008 giliran Rifqi-heng memposting Bab I dan akan dilanjutkan pada Januari 2009.

Buat saya, ini adalah buku Khu Lung yang paling puitis dan filosofis. Saya menikmati kata per kata yang keluar dari pena Khu Lung. Begitu juga filmnya kelam dengan warna hitam yang dominan serta purnama bulat yang cerah. Indah.

Tapi, entah kenapa, dalam postingnya, Rifqi-heng pada bagian katalog menulis:

Judul Barat : The End of the World atau The Bright Moon atau The Sabre.

Seolah buku ini punya tiga judul dalam Inggris sehingga menyesatkan bagi orang yang tidak tahu. Seharusnya, kalau mau, bukan "atau" tapi "koma": the End of the World, the Bright Moon, (and) the Sabre

Ini lebih mendekati terjemahan TianYa MingYue Dao, seperti juga LiuXing HuDie Jian bukan diterjemahkan menjadi Meteor atau Butterfly atau Sword.

Namun demikian, masih ada persoalan, "TianYa" seharusnya diterjemahkan "Horizon" bukan "the end of the world" yang bisa berkonotasi "doomsday", kiamat.

Horizon adalah kata Inggris. Dalam bahasa Indonesia mungkin lebih tepat disebut "kaki langit" (bukan "ujung langit" sebagaimana ditulis Gan KH di Bab 1 buku ini).

Penggunaan kata "Horizon" (daripada end of the world) pada judul akan lebih pas sebagaimana bisa terlihat pada bagian Prolog buku ini.

Selain itu Rifqi-heng memposting Bab pembuka dengan cara kutipan. Ini sebetulnya tidak cocok, seolah orang berdialog. Lebih tepat disajikan dalam tata letak puisi yang membandingkan ketiga hal tadi. Sementara posting dari Kkabeh-Heng menghilangkan bagian Prolog ini.

Bagian Prolog itu jika ditulis dalam versi terjemahan Inggris, akan jadi begini

Prologue

Is the horizon far away?
Not at all!
Man is at the horizon, how can the horizon be far away?

What colour is the bright moon?
It is blue; and like the ocean, blue, deep and sorrowful.

Where is the bright moon?
It is in his heart; his heart is the bright moon.

What about his sabre?
His sabre is in his hand!
What kind of blade is that?
His sabre is as broad and as lonely as the horizon, as pure and sorrowful as the bright moon; even with a flash of steel, some times it is as if it is empty.

Empty?
Empty and illusional, as if it never exists, yet present everywhere.
But the speed of his sabre does not appear to be very swift.
How can a sabre that is not swift be invincible under the heavens?
This is because his sabre has gone beyond the limits of speed!

Where is he?
He has not returned, but his heart is already broken.
Where is the path of his return?
The path is right in front of him.
Cannot he see the path?
He is not looking for it.
So he cannot find the path?
Perhaps not now, but he will find it sooner or later.
Willl he find it for sure?
Definitely!

***

The Magic Blade (Shaw Brothers, 1976)

Director: Chor Yuen

Action: Tong Gaai Cast: Ti Lung, Lo Lieh, Tim Lei, Cheng Lee, Ha Ping, Guk Fung The

Skinny: Wuxia tale starring Ti Lung, who must find a powerful weapon called the peacock dart before an evil swordsman can use it to rule the underworld. Great sets, costumes and fight scenes make this a must see for any fan of the Shaw Bros. classics.

Review by Magicvoice: Fu Hung Hsueh (Ti Lung) is a stoic and extremely skilled wandering swordsman in Chor Yuen's The Magic Blade. Based on a novel by Gu Long, the film opens with Fu engaged in a showdown with Yen Nan-Fei (Lo Lieh) over a previously unresolved duel. Soon, their rivalry is put aside as the warriors of an unseen evil sorcerer named Yu attack Yen. Fu saves Yen's life and the two join forces against Master Yu in a race to find the ultimate weapon: the exploding "peacock dart!"

After fighting more killers, Fu and Yen procure the peacock dart from its keeper. The two men set off to find the elusive Yu along with the beautiful, pure-hearted Chiu Yu-Cheng (Cheng Lee). Eventually, Yen is separated from his companions, leaving Fu to carry the rest of the film on his broad shoulders. Fu and Chiu also fall in love, and meet many people along the way who also want the dart. Their journey is filled with as many plot twists as wire-flips, and Fu has to use his wits as much as his skills as a swordsman to complete his quest.

Compared to other Shaw Bros. classics, The Magic Blade contains more splatter and nudity. The film is overall very enjoyable and entertaining, and director Chor Yuen very wisely made sure to include something for everyone. There's even a quick lesbian scene at Yu's mansion! The end battle with the as yet unseen Yu in Tien Wai mansion is also real showstopper. Star Ti Lung proves once and for all that he doesn't need David Chiang as a co-lead. His physicality and acting are in top form here.

The production isn't as grand as some of the older Shaw Bros. pictures, but The Magic Blade does appear to have had a significant budget with the sets, costumes, choreography and supporting actors all being top notch. The music contains cues from the original Planet of the Apes, but they're edited well with The Magic Blade's original soundtrack. The weapons are some of the most creative in the genre, with the best being Ti Lung's sword: a combination of a nightstick and spinning machete. In this hero's hands, it is definitely "The Magic Blade." (Magicvoice 2003)

Availability:
DVD (Hong Kong)
Region 3 NTSC
Intercontinental Video Ltd. (IVL)
16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Mandarin Language Track
Removable English, Chinese, Thai subtitles
Audio Commentary, Interviews