Law Hing is forced by her stepmother to marry the dumb son of the Tang family. Another girl Au To is forced to marry Ma Siu-fuk, son of the rich Ma family, to pay off her father's debts. On the wedding day, To's lover See Fuk-chau returns from Vietnam. Deeply in love with Fuk-chau, To decides to go to the Ma family to decline the arranged marriage. To avoid the Ma elders and her father from losing face, she begs Siu-fuk to stage a pretended marriage. As the wedding ceremonies proceed, To's bridal sedan collides with Hing's in the street. The carriers lock in a row and a confusion reigns in which the brides take the wrong sedans. To is mistakenly taken to the Tang family, while Hing is sent to the Ma family. Although Siu-fuk is attracted to Hing, he agrees to send her home. The four families attempt to settle the case in court. The judge rules that the previous arrangements are but trades and declares them null and void. Fuk-chau and To can now fulfill their wish.
Dec 1950
Red Heroine was a smash hit on release and a prime example of the martial arts explosion of the late 20s (setting the template for later revivals), but with a crucial twist: in place of the typical, manly hero we have a swashbuckling woman. At first she’s a helpless abductee, then an unstoppable killing machine, fighting to stop a tyrannical warlord ravaging the countryside and enslaving numerous (very) scantily-clad young women.
Jul 1929
