The Touch
Traditional Chinese天脈傳奇
Simplified Chinese天脉传奇
Literal meaningThe Legend of the Heavenly Pulse
Hanyu PinyinTiān Mài Chuánqí
Jyutpingtin1 mak6 cyun4 kei4
Directed byPeter Pau
Written byJulien Carbon
Laurent Courtiaud
Produced byThomas Chung
Michelle Yeoh
StarringMichelle Yeoh
Ben Chaplin
Richard Roxburgh
CinematographyPeter Pau
Music byBasil Poledouris
Distributed byGala Film Distribution
Release date
  • 1 August 2002 (2002-08-01)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryChina
LanguagesEnglish
Mandarin
Budget$18.6–20 million[1][2][3]
Box office$2.262.168[4] (International)

The Touch (Chinese: 天脈傳奇) is a 2002[5] Hong Kong action/adventure martial arts film directed by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon cinematographer Peter Pau and starring Michelle Yeoh, Ben Chaplin and Richard Roxburgh. It was produced by China Film Co-production Corporation, Han Entertainment, Mythical Films, Aruze, Pandasia Entertainment and Tianjan Studios.[6][2]

Apart from special effects sequences shot in sound stages, the film was shot on-location in Tibet, Nepal and China.[7][8][9] Some of the mountain ranges in which the film was shot were not open to filmmakers earlier.

More than two years before its release, it was reported that Lee Chi-Ngai had been chosen to direct the film, starring Michelle Yeoh and produced by Media Asia Group managing director Thomas Chung.[10][11] Miramax also bought the rights to the film in 2001,[12] removing 20 minutes of footage for a 83-minute version for 2003 and 2004 US theatrical releases, and completed the special effects CGI scenes.

The film's producers and distribution company M6 in France encountered conflicts over casting and the cost of the rights.[13][14][15] It had been passed uncut by the China's national censor,[6] and had a 2005 theatrical release in Japan by Nikkatsu.[16][17] Beside, it released from 2003 to 2005 in various European countries, including Spain and Greece.[18] In 2023, The Touch is available for streaming in the United States on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV app.[19]

The film was chosen as the Hong Kong entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 75th Academy Awards but was disqualified for being ineligible, due to the film's language being mainly in English.[20][21]

Plot

The Touch tells the story of a Chinese family of martial artists and acrobats who have been performing for many generations. The family are, in secret, guardians of a holy treasure accessible only by a spectacular jump which, to everyone else, is impossible to perform.

One of the family members (the main character's brother) and his girlfriend are kidnapped by a ruthless treasure hunter (Roxburgh) to procure the priceless relic for him. Yeoh's character Pak Yin, with the help of Eric (Chaplin), her master thief ex-boyfriend, pursues them into an ancient desert where legends say the treasure is buried in order to uncover and protect the treasure that her ancestors had sworn to keep safe.[22] The action culminates in a climactic sequence set in the booby trapped subterranean Buddhist temple.

Cast

Reception

The film was generally panned by critics for its clichéd storyline, overuse of English than Chinese and the sub-par visual effects in the original theatrical release. Andrew Saroch of Far East Film Festival gave the film 2.5/5 stars and wrote: "The fact that ‘Magnificent Warriors’ – Yeoh’s much more successful action-adventure outing – was made for a fraction of ‘The Touch’s budget says everything about Pau’s finished article."[24] In his review for Screen International, Paul Fonoroff described the film as "an Indiana Jones with Chinese characteristics, The Touch is a sumptuous adventure whose hi-tech visuals are undercut by that most low-tech aspect of filmmaking: the script".[25] EastKicks.com founder Andrew Heskins while praising Michelle Yeoh's performance, he said that the film "could be marketed in the west. It’s fun, beautifully photographed and unashamedly undemanding, it still has something to offer against the competition. Just don’t expect Crouching Tiger…"[26]

Accolades

Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards 2003 Best Foreign Language Film Peter Pau Disqualified [1][21]
CineAsia Awards 2002 Producer of the Year Thomas Chung & Michelle Yeoh Won [27]
Hong Kong Film Awards 2003 Best Cinematography Peter Pau Nominated [28]
Best Action Choreography Philip Kwok Nominated
Huabiao Awards 2002 Outstanding Co-Production Film Thomas Chung & Michelle Yeoh Won [29]

References

  1. 1 2 Staff Reporters (31 October 2002). "Hong Kong submits English-language film for best foreign-language Oscar". Screen International. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 Elley, Derek (11 October 2002). "The Touch". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  3. ↑ Yu Sen-lun (16 August 2002). "Michelle Yeoh shows true colors". Taipei Times. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
    四川新闻网-成都日报 (12 May 2002). "《天脉传奇》欲内地香港同步公映". Sina Corporation (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "The Touch (2002)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "The Touch (2002)". Moviefone. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 Frater, Patrick (25 July 2002). "Michelle Yeoh's Touch passed untouched". Screen International. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Hansen, Jeremy (27 August 2001). "Yeoh gets in 'Touch' with next pic in Tibet". Variety. Archived from the original on 7 November 2023. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  8. ↑ 北京晚报 (2 August 2002). "关注《天脉传奇》：比天气还热的热片". Sina Corporation (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "The Touch". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  10. ↑ Hopewell, John (18 May 2000). "'Touch' taps Lee to helm". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  11. ↑ Chau, Sherman (22 August 2001). "Chung reassigned at Media Asia Group". Screen International. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  12. ↑ Frater, Patrick (4 December 2001). "Chung, Yeoh launch multimedia Han dynasty". Screen International. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  13. ↑ Frater, Patrick (22 September 2001). "M6 grabs CJ's Musa, holds onto Yeoh's The Touch". Screen International. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  14. ↑ Frater, Patrick (26 April 2002). "Fortissimo to handle remaining sales on Pau's The Touch". Screen International. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  15. ↑ Frater, Patrick (28 May 2002). "Yeoh to get tough with French distributor M6". Screen International. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "レジェンド 三蔵法師の秘宝". Eiga.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "レジェンド／三蔵法師の秘宝". Natalie (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
    "レジェンド　三蔵法師の秘宝". Nikkatsu (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "The Touch (2002)". Blu-ray.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  19. ↑ "The Touch". Reelgood. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  20. ↑ Staff Reporters (1 November 2002). "Tongue-twisting challenge faces Oscar foreign language selectors". Screen International. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  21. 1 2 Koehler, Robert (9 December 2002). "Tongues wag over foreign picks". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "The Touch". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  23. ↑ "The Touch - Official Site". Miramax. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  24. ↑ Saroch, Andrew (15 June 2015). "The Touch (2002) - Review". Far East Film Festival. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  25. ↑ Fonoroff, Paul (17 December 2002). "The Touch (Tian Mai Chuanqi)". Screen International. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  26. ↑ Heskins, Andrew (1 December 2004). "The Touch". EastKicks.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  27. ↑ "CineAsia Award Winners". Film Expo Group. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
    "The 2016 United Nations Day Humanitarian Awards Gala Dinner". United Nations Association of New York (UNA-NYC). 26 October 2016. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  28. ↑ "第22屆得獎名單". Hong Kong Film Awards (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  29. ↑ Information Times (3 September 2002). ""天脉"喜获华表奖 钟再思买断"花木兰"片名(图)". Sina Corporation (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
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