Films like The Delightful Forest.

The Delightful Forest (1972) reads as Sombre, breathless, measured kung-fu / shaw-brothers, grounded in texture. Ambivalent, mid-stakes, measured. Every film below is ranked by distance across the same twelve hand-scored axes — with what it keeps, and where it walks away. Not a genre dump.

The Pirate (1973) poster
1. The Pirate1973

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

The New Shaolin Boxers (1976) poster
2. The New Shaolin Boxers1976

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Men from the Monastery (1974) poster
3. Men from the Monastery1974

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Disciples of Shaolin (1975) poster
4. Disciples of Shaolin1975

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

The Kung Fu Instructor (1979) poster
5. The Kung Fu Instructor1979

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

The Shaolin Plot (1977) poster
6. The Shaolin Plot1977

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

The Association (1975) poster
7. The Association1975

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

The Savage Five (1974) poster
8. The Savage Five1974

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

The Chinese Boxer (1970) poster
9. The Chinese Boxer1970

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Have Sword Will Travel (1969) poster
10. Have Sword Will Travel1969

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die (1972) poster
11. A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die1972

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

Shaolin Martial Arts (1974) poster
12. Shaolin Martial Arts1974

Keeps the cold, bleak undertow and the grounded, familiar shape — one of the nearest reads in the catalogue.

These are The Delightful Forest’s neighbours — where are yours?

Rate five posters and the same twelve axes read you — then tonight’s pick comes from your own centre of taste.

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