How Nazha Rescued His Mother from the Snake Mountain

To take revenge on the young and mischievous Nazha (Yuen Siu-fai) for striking down their treasured Man-headed Bird, the seven Spirits of the Snake Mountain abduct Nazha’s mother (Mui Yee), the wife of Lee Ching the ‘Pagoda-bearing Heavenly King’ (Kwan Tak-hing). Having overcome different obstacles, Nazha arrives at Snake Mountain to rescue his mother, only to find her poisoned by the Spider Spirit. As Lee Ching and his second son Muzha (Lau Kar-leung) arrive, the warrior God Erlang cures Lee’s wife with the antidote. A happy ending ensues as the Lee family is reunited and returns to Chentang Pass.

With an adorable and charming screen presence, Yuen Siu-fai was the undisputed choice for the role of Nazha which he played in multiple ‘Nazha’ films. Yuen is able to convey a wide range of facial expressions, bringing to life the complex personality of Nazha who is free-spirited, boastful and strong-willed. Although Nazha is bold and stubborn, the one person he fears is his mother. Thanks to Yuen’s performance, Nazha evokes sympathy as a scamp who also loves his mother dearly. The film showcases masters from both the southern (Lau Cham) and northern (Simon Yuen Siu-tin) styles of martial arts. Renowned martial arts artists including Kwan Tak-hing and Kwan Ching-leung were also featured in this star-studded production. Having studied northern-style martial arts under Simon Yuen since a young age, Yuen Siu-fai’s nimbleness and agility are on prominent display, especially in the spear-sparring scenes in the forest. The film was also innovative for its special effects to show Nazha disappearing into the bamboo forest. Another highlight of the film is when God Erlang’s Heaven Hound, played by Ku Yee-fung, tries to snatch the pagoda at Lee Ching’s home. Ku performed the highly difficult feat of crash-landing on the table from a jump which is certainly worthy of the audience’s careful attention.

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