This an absorbing and beautiful wuxia film, and an outstanding film regardless of genre. It's rare to find a true 10/10 film, but it's a score that doesn't do this film justice.The way the plot has been scripted and edited is sublime. The acting and direction is superb. The action choreography is spectacular.If you have a couple of free hours, I could not recommend enough that you spend them watching this film. I hope you finish it feeling the same inordinate amount of joy that I did.

I watched this film at a university club for foreign students in 1970, more-or-less by accident. I was awestruck, and the people who saw it with me discussed it for days after. Decades later, when I joined a group to see the acclaimed new film, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," I confounded my friends by muttering "Seen that," "Old hat," and "I thought this film was supposed to be ground-breaking?" at intervals throughout. I'd kill to have a DVD of the 1966 film. It was a great introduction to Chinese martial arts movies and their conventions (e.g., the traditional inn-wrecking scene). The humor of the scene where all these tough, hard-bitten warriors suddenly hold an impromptu psychoanalytical intervention for their most introverted member still makes me grin. If you get a chance, see it!

This is the original of the 1992 remake of the same title(with a NEW) and 2nd of the "INN" trilogy by King Hu after Come Drink With Me. It was a major hit all over Chinese areas in South East Asia and discovered Shang Kuan Ling Feng(note the mistake by a previous comment)as the 2nd most popular Sword woman(the 1st was Cheng Pei Pei, and later 3rd Hsu Feng(Hsia Nu aka A Touch of Zen). All these 3 females stars are made popular by him and they are also the 3 most popular swords women in Chinese Cinema.If there is any complaint by any viewer, it's the pace that many may find it a bit slow but isn't most highly regarded movies slow ?? The finale scene is the most climatic in a Chinese action that critc compared this film to "Rio Bravo" and "The Wild Bunch".Beware of some mistakes in the original English subtitles mentioned by the director himself.You can watch some scenes of it if you go to the movie Bu San(2003) aka Goodbye, Dragon Inn(here in IMDb and watch the trailer) which paid tribute to this movie.The 90's remake is nothing better except for an additional character well acted by Maggie Cheung.

I saw this film in the 60's, and have yet to find one to beat it. 'Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger' has to come in behind this masterpiece. The use of new actors and actresses, the adoption of well-timed traditional Chinese music, e.g. to usher in the villain, the innovative action sequence in sword fights, all added to the brilliance of this film.Yes, there are shortcomings. Toward the end, and the climax, the anti-gravity leaps to the trees were overdone and unnecessary. Regardless, this film resembles the best of the traditional, addictive Chinese martial art novels that once consumed many hours of the armchair martial art addicts.