The Fantasy of Deer Warrior

Natural Set, Beast Costume, a Taiwanese-speaking Fairytale

A fantastic and diverse Taiwanese classic with countless possibilities.

Peace in the forest is suddenly disrupted by attacking wolves. Unfortunately, the forest’s hero, Sika Deer, is not around. Uncle Deer comes to the animals’ rescue but sacrifices himself to do so. Meanwhile, Foxy is jealous of the popular Miss Deer, and tricks her into believing that her lover, Sika Deer, is dead. The false news leads to a second wolf attack. Can Sika Deer defeat them and restore peace to the animal kingdom? 

From director CHANG Ying and starring Taiwanese-language film stars LING Yun and PAI Hung, the film incorporates elements from Aesop’s Fables. It was shot in the mountains of Beitou with live action actors wearing animal suits, an unprecedented approach for Taiwanese films. In addition, the bullying of animals had a political undertone since Taiwan was then under totalitarian rule. Actress PAI Hung, after portraying the likeable and naïve Miss Dear, worked with director CHANG again in The Best Secret Agent (1964), transforming into a beautiful and resourceful spy. With her wide-ranging acting skills, PAI became known as a chameleon actress in Taiwanese-language films.

2K Restoration / Narrative Feature / B&W / Taiwanese / Mandarin & English Subtitles / 87 min / 1961

Sept. 12 (Sat) 12:00 AM – Sept. 13 (Sun) 12:00 AM (PDT)