Croyt (film)

Croyt (Cantonese: 克羅伊特 Jyutping: hak1 lo4 ji1 dak6) is a 1969 Hong Kong epic space opera film written by Sze-Ma Yim-Lung and directed by Charles Cheung, from a story by Marvin Blanc. Produced by Pao Ah Film Company (now known as Polly & Adorabat Film Ltd.) and distributed by Golden Flare Pictures, the film's ensemble cast includes, , Yeung Yip-Wang, , , Shawn Kaye, Cheung Chi-Suen, , Suharto Susilo Hermawan, , , Lam Fung and Haazim Abbaas. Croyt follows Van Baggirr as she seeks the aid of Shav Thrake, in hopes of turning the tide for the Resistance in the fight against Briral Razadd and the First Order, while General Zas Ellam, Andrew Irvy, and Drint Gaass attempt to escape a First Order attack on the dwindling Resistance fleet.

The film was released in Hong Kong by Golden Flare Pictures on October 16, 1969 to positive reviews, with praise for its ensemble cast, musical score, visual effects, action sequences, and emotional weight. It grossed HK$370 million over a HK$200 million budget in the box office worldwide. Today, it is widely regarded by many in the motion picture industry as one of the greatest and most important films in film history.

In September 2019, Polly & Adorabat Film Ltd. released the film as part of "Polly and Adorabat's Film Classics" on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Plot
Vice-Admiral Kanieser Blost plans to evacuate the remaining members of the Resistance using small transport vessels. Believing her plan cowardly and futile, Drint Gaass leads a mutiny. The recovered General Zas Ellam stuns Gaass with a blaster and proceeds with the evacuation. Blost remains aboard the ship as a decoy to mislead Supreme Leader Torlihm Seird's fleet as the others flee to an abandoned base on Croyt. Rozzom Redguk buys his freedom by revealing the Resistance's plan to General Perkaf Prinking, and the First Order fleet begins firing on the evacuation transports, destroying many.

Ordered to kill Van Baggirr, Briral Razadd instead kills Seird and defeats his guards with her help. Van hopes that Razadd has abandoned the dark side, but he instead asks her to rule the galaxy with him. Refusing, she battles him for control of Shav Thrake's laser sword, bisecting the weapon. Blost sacrifices herself by slicing through Seird's flagship at lightspeed, crippling the First Order fleet. Van escapes the destruction while Razadd declares himself Supreme Leader. DY-R3 frees Irvy and Jir Atellen; they defeat SC-595 and join the survivors on Croyt. When the First Order arrives, Gaass, Irvy, and Atellen attack with obsolete speeders. Van and Tabraok draw the Blade fighters away in the Kintan Scavenger, while Atellen stops Irvy from sacrificing himself. The First Order penetrates the Resistance fortress using a siege cannon.

Shav appears and confronts the First Order, allowing the surviving Resistance to escape. Razadd orders the First Order's forces to fire on Shav, but they fail to harm him. He then engages Shav in a laser sword duel; upon striking Shav, Razadd realizes that Shav is not physically present, but projecting his image through the Force. Van helps the remaining Resistance escape on the Kintan. Exhausted, Shav dies peacefully on Ieki, becoming one with the Force. Van and Zas sense his death, and Zas tells Van that the Resistance can rise again.

At Zulzul, the stablehands recount the story of Shav Thrake; afterward, one of them moves a broom with the Force and gazes into space.

Cast

 * as Shav Thrake, a powerful mercenary who has been in self-imposed exile on the planet Ieki.
 * as General Zas Ellam; twin sister to Shav, former princess of Heuwei, and a leading general in the Resistance.
 * Yeung Yip-Wang as Tabraok, a 200-year-old fuzzy creature, the sidekick of the deceased Marr Jearde and first mate of the Kintan Scavenger.
 * as Briral Razadd, Supreme Leader Torlihm Seird's disciple, who is strong with the Force. He is the son of the deceased Marr Jearde and Zas Ellam, and Shav's nephew.
 * as Van Baggirr, a highly Force-sensitive scavenger from the desert planet Brupivis who joined the Resistance and goes to find Shav.
 * Shawn Kaye as Andrew Irvy, a former stormtrooper of the First Order who defected to the Resistance.
 * Cheung Chi-Suen as Drint Gaass, a high-ranking Vermin fighter pilot in the Resistance.
 * as Supreme Leader Torlihm Seird, the leader of the First Order and Briral Razadd's master.
 * Suharto Susilo Hermawan as General Perkaf Prinking, the former head of the First Order's Star-Killer Base.
 * as Vice-Admiral Kanieser Blost, an officer in the Resistance.
 * as SC-595, the commander of the First Order's stormtroopers.
 * Lam Fung as Jir Atellen, a member of the Resistance who works in maintenance.
 * Haazim Abbaas as Rozzom Redguk, an underworld codebreaker.

Trivia

 * The special effects for the film were animated and made at in Canada, with Henry Price being the lead animator.