GOOD WITCHES #2: The White Haired Witch Archives

Bingbing Fan, plays the witch, Jade Raksha

Jade’s love interest, Zhuo Yihang (Huang Xiaoming) is the grandson of Governor Zhuo Zhonglian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFnuFKdG1ok

(By clicking on the link above, you can view this film for free with a few breaks)

GOOD WITCHES #2:

The White Haired Witch

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

I was searching for a “good witch” film, but the choices were either too violent, too crude, too sexy, and none of the American witches seemed kind.

Please let me know if I missed one, but just when I was about to settle, a Chinese film pops up with the title, “The White Haired Witch.”

Apparently, in the Chinese culture, witches can protect the vulnerable. They are more like guardian angels.

In “White Haired Witch,” Bingbing Fan, who is the witch, Jade Raksha, is exquisitely beautiful, can play the flute, can handle a sword and is idealistic.

She fights the soldiers, who oppress the people for their own gain.

Jade’s love interest, Zhuo Yihang (Huang Xiaoming), is the grandson of Governor Zhuo Zhonglian, who is murdered by traitorous local government officials.

This story is about loyalty, honor and true love.

And, without giving too much away, her hair turns white at the film’s climax, which dramatizes the seriousness of what occurs.

The women in this film are mature and fair in their assessments of love.

They do not feel that love can be competed for, ordered or forced.

They believe that words and actions have consequences and that truth matters in love.

Actions and sincerity matter in love.

And, they believe that one cannot be faulted for loving.

As a romantic, I was personally moved by parts of this film.

The writer, Yusheng Liang, also a poet, has the spirit of Jade’s mother appear to her for counsel at one point.

The spirit of her mother tells her that if she uses all her powers, she would not need to be rescued.

The relationships of fathers and daughters are also on display in this film.

One father allows himself to become a eunuch for his daughter; another father tells his daughter to light a lantern for him, if he does not return.

When Zhuo Yihang is introduced, he is part of a team being tested on top of a rock that is balanced above the water.

In the test, he allows himself to be sacrificed, so that his team advances.

In the Master’s evaluation, Zhuo is offered the leadership position, because he demonstrated sacrifice for the greater good.

Jade begins to love him, when he demonstrates that he is not heartless.

Zhuo grows into her assessment of him by the film’s end.

Witch, Jade Raksha, plays the flute.

The White Haired Witch:

Theatrical Release Date: China, 2014
Director: Zhang Zhiliang
Writer: Yusheng Liang
Cast: Bingbing Fan, Xiaoming Huang, Li Xinru, Wenzhuo Zhao

BluRay released: March 10th, 2015
Approximate running time: 104 Minutes
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Mandarin, Dolby Digital Stereo Mandarin
Subtitles: English
BluRay Release: Well Go USA
Region Coding: Region A

(White Haired Witch is an adaption of Liang Yusheng’s wuxia novel titled ‘Baifa Monü Zhuan’ and it’s literal English translation of it title is ‘Story of the White Haired Demoness’. Previous film adaptions include Story of the White-haired Demon Girl (1959), White Hair Devil Lady (1980) and The Bride with White Hair and its squeal The Bride with White Hair 2, both were released in 1993.)