Sex and Zen

1991 "Banned for 400 years! The most notorious of China's three great erotic sagas – revealed on the screen for the first time."
5.5| 1h39m| en
Details

A recently married scholar goes on a quest for knowledge of other people's wives, based on his philosophical differences with the Sack Monk. He encounters the Flying Thief, who agrees to help him find women, but only if he attains a penis as big as a horse's. The scholar has a surgeon attach said unit, and he's off and running on his mission, only to find that there are obstacles to his new lifestyle, such as jealous husbands and treacherous females.

Director

Producted By

Orange Sky Golden Harvest

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime. Watch Now

Trailers & Clips

Reviews

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.
FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.
crossbow0106 This is a Category Three film from Hong Kong, and it is explicit in its nudity, carnal desires and all around perversion. What sets it apart from similar films is the production values. The cinematography is very good, the movie is vividly colorful. The film has a general good rhythm to it. It is unabashedly erotic, both with the male and female characters. At the time, this film had to be a revelation, but it still holds up today as a sexually charged drama/comedy. The rating I gave can be anything, meaning it all depends on what you're looking for in this genre. Suffice to say, everyone looks great (especially the beautiful Amy Yip) and the film was a deserved success when it was released. If you're adventurous, check it out.
Joseph P. Ulibas Sex and Zen (1992) is one of the most popular of the category III genre films. This film has reached a far more mainstream audience world wide. It has appeared in art house theaters and video stores. To give you an idea about this movie I am going to pose a question for you. What does Amy Yip, a man who loves the ladies and a horse have in common. Alone, nothing at all but watch the movie and you'll have a good idea. Bizarre erotic fun from Hong Kong (courtesy of Category III). In Cantonese with English sub-titles.Stars Amy Yip, Lawrence Ng, Carrie Ng and Kent Cheung. A strange period piece that'll have you wanting more. Don't fret, they made a few more sequels that were even more sexually charged than the first film. For shame the Chinese government put an end to this films. They saved the film making industry (for awhile).Highly recommended.
spudgeek I rented this sex comedy a couple of years ago and I was definitely not ready for the fantastic nature of its sex scenes. If you can imagine if the same techniques used for martial arts films applied to an erotic film, you might get a feeling of what this film is like. Sex and Zen is loosely based upon the 400-year old "The Carnal Prayer Mat" and is one of the best known of the Hong Kong Category III erotic films. The plot involves a scholar, played by Lawrence Ng, who believes that enlightenment can be achieved through a hedonistic lifestyle. For some reason, a wealthy man thinks that it is a good idea to arrange a marriage between the scholar and his sheltered, prudish daughter, played by Amy Yip. Yip was famous both for the size of her breasts and her refusal to perform fully nude; a body double is used in particular shots. After the scholar has introduced his new wife to the pleasures of sex, he is soon tempted by other men's wives. Unfortunately, his efforts to woo these women are hampered by both his poor staying power and his undersized genitals. In order to be a more effective seducer, the scholar agrees to undergo a rather extreme surgical procedure to enhance his abilities. Following the operation, the scholar undergoes a sexual odyssey while leaving his wife neglected at home.This is a sex comedy and the humor can best be described as adolescent, although I must admit that I chuckled a few times. However, the film's raison d'etre is its lovemaking scenes. The sexual encounters in this film start out as "merely" vigorous and then escalate to the physically impossible and then to the gleefully excessive. What "The Blues Brothers" did for car crashes, this film does for sex scenes. There are several distinctions between this kind of filmmaking and Western erotic films. First of all, the women in Sex and Zen are stunningly, naturally attractive and don't have any silicone implants to detract from their beauty. Moreover, the film has significant production value. Whereas murky photography is used in sex scenes in most American films, here vivid colors are used in the art direction, costuming, and cinematography. As a result, the film has a surreal, fantastic sort of atmosphere. Sex and Zen also deviates from vanilla sexuality and includes elements of sadomasochism, lesbianism, and bondage, although all of this is carried out in a playful, nonrealistic manner. Also, like most erotic films, this is geared mostly towards heterosexual males but there is a bit of male nudity and simulated male genitalia for any women or gay males who might be interested.Finally, a couple of caveats. An "R" rated version of this film can be found at many Blockbuster stores. Although this was enough to impress me on the first viewing, the editing was clumsy and the unrated film has much juicier comedic and erotic bits (such as misplaced genitals, an unorthodox way for two women to use a flute, an interesting bit of toe-sucking, etc.) The unrated VHS and DVD versions give you the full effect of the film. Also, there is a scene in which a man rapes his wife that is performed in the same surreal erotic manner as the rest of the film. Although this initially seems unenlightened, given the overall comic fantasy tone of the film, it's hard to be too offended. Overall, this is a well made piece of erotica recommended for those looking for something different.
Jenz at Bullets n Babes DVDs Well I don't know if this is supposed to be a sexcomedy but it is. Man can't get gorgeous women due to size problems. Man gets transplant from a horse, this sorts out problem but brings many further bizarre difficulties. This is strange Hong Kong Category III movie making as only they can produce.

Similar Movies to Sex and Zen