HK
In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.
Jun 1982
In 1966, like in The Love Eterne, Ling Bo took up the male lead in Forever and Ever, despite Shaw Brothers' earlier plan of having her as the female lead. Facing opposition from fans, they finally arranged for her to star as a male student named Xiaowen. Wicked rich man Liu, portrayed by Lo Wei, the director of this film, wants Xiaowen to marry his daughter (Lin Yu) who is suffering from leprosy, thinking that marriage will take away her disease. Although Xiaowen discovers Liu's plan, he is still in love with her and hopes that a miracle will cure her disease...
Jan 1968
A timeless and titillating tale of the immoral private lives of the royal court's high officials. All the bed and body hopping is not exclusive to the family, either. Their maids and servants get involved as well, leading to flesh, fibs, and suicide, among other things. Taken all together, this is an all-time classic of sumptuous sexuality.
Nov 1977
The husband-and-wife team of Ivy Ling Po and Chin Han returned to another Huangmei Opera classic after Lady General Hua Mu-Lan. Helmed by Chow Sze-loke and written by Chang Cheh, the story revolved around two intellectual siblings, Ching Feng-sheng (Chin Feng) and Ching Feng-hsiao (Ivy Ling Po), who were constantly abused by their stepmother Hsia (Kao Pao-shu). Feng-hsiao was engaged to Li Ru-lung (Chin Han) since birth, but the greedy Hsia forced him to forfeit the marriage. When Ru-lung refused, Hsia framed him for thievery and put him behind bars. To rescue her lover, Feng-hsiao dressed as a young man and went to the capital. She then used Ru-lung's name to enter the national exam and was ranked first place. Impressed by Feng-hsiao, the Emperor decided to let her wed the Princess (Fang Ying). On the wedding night, Feng-hsiao revealed the truth to the Princess...
Dec 1964
Three inmates in an asylum tell their stories. Story 1, a husband and wife discover they should be careful what they wish for. Story 2, a naked female ghost gets revenge from her watery grave. Story 3, a dead prostitute returns as a ghost.
Dec 1979
In order to exact revenge upon him, a young woman (Lin Dai) marries the Emperor Chou (Shin Young-kyun), who killed her father.
Sep 1964
shaw production
Oct 1975
Set in early 20th century Shanghai, this Hua Shan actioner stars former Golden Harvest regular Nora Miao Ke-hsiu as Bobo, a village girl who has journeyed to the big city in search of her father. Not long after her arrival, Bobo witnesses a gang fight dominated by a man she was friends with as a child. Now known as Jaguar, he works as a bodyguard for mob boss Kam, who is having a row with one of his partners. Jaguar makes trouble at one of the man's casinos as a part of a plan to smooth over the situation. Ace gunman Ko Tang is also in town and the two strike up an alliance to take over Kam's empire. Jaguar's lust for power soon alienates Bobo, who realizes that she was simply a pawn in his plan to gain control of the Shanghai underworld. Held a virtual prisoner, Bobo's one hope for revenge is Luo Lie, another friend from childhood and now her fiancee, currently imprisoned in Germany.
Jul 1977
Return Of The Phoenix is yet another masterpiece from prolific director Li Han-hsiang. An imperial minister Cheng Pu (Ching Miao) is faced with a quandary. He's getting old and his daughters are still not married. Elder daughter Shueh-yeh (Elizabeth Chuang) is so ugly no one wants her. Younger daughter Shueh-wu (Li Hsiang-chun) is beautiful but Mrs Cheng refuses to let her marry before her elder sister. The drama unfolds when Cheng decides to marry Shueh-wu off.
Jul 1963
The lovely Li Hsiang-chun stars as a poor beauty who is drugged, ravished, lied to, locked in a burning store room, left to drown, and chased by sword-wielding ruffians, among other things. Her only hope is her betrayer's new wife, played by the strong and sensual Ivy Ling Po. Dawn may come, but the questions is: will it be too late? Director/writer Kao Li shows both restraint and sadism in this historical melodramatic tearjerker.
Mar 1966
A young Kung Fu student seeks a reclusive teacher so that she may learn to defeat the evil Black Demon. She doesn't realize that the servant woman she befriends is actually the kung fu master she seeks. After Black Demons henchmen attack, the master reveals herself and eventually takes on the student to train her so that they may both defeat the villain. A love triangle complicates things when another student asks for training as well.
Jan 1971
There's nothing like a good, opulent, gaudy musical to lift the spirits, but when it's a 1960's Hong Kong musical orchestrated by a Japanese director and composer, it breaks through the ranks as a classic of campy kitsch. A follow-up to the previous year's megahit Hong Kong Nocturne, with the same Japanese creative team, Hong Kong Rhapsody follows the fortunes of an unemployed magician whose love life is so knotty it would take Houdini to unravel!
In the sixties, love stories portrayed women as sentimentalists or sacrificial lambs. Later on, directors like Chu Yuan replaced these themes of sacrifice with abandonment. The Forbidden Past is a heart tugging, rare Chinese Christmas story about a bar girl (Ching Li) serving drinks to a man that looks like her husband from five years ago. She convinces him to fulfill her son's wishes of having the father he's never seen, show up for Christmas.
Dec 1976
The film is about Fen, who hangs out with four total losers who are in "Macho Man" tank tops and what happens. Ching Li plays Selina, who is a commercial director who hires him.
Feb 1980
A middle-aged couple adopt a young girl.
May 1960
Perhaps the most notorious concubine in Chinese history, Yang Guifei set a pudgy standard of beauty in her days of glory during the Tang dynasty. The Emperor Minghuang was so besotted with the woman that when An Lushan stages his rebellion against the empire, the ruler takes Yang Guifei along with his imperial entourage in an escape to the mountainous area of modern-day Sichuan, and sanctuary of sorts. But the concubine had roused the jealousy of the court and unfortunately for her and to the great sorrow of the king, her brother and others among the king's retainers demanded she be strangled to death while they were still in the mountains. This is the story told in this interesting Taiwanese adaptation by director Li Han-hsiang (Li Hanxiang).
May 1962
Jan 1984
Huangmei Opera movies like The Pearl Phoenix are unique to 1960's Hong Kong culture, a product of the Swinging Sixties but considerably more in touch with their Chinese roots. This one is complete with a gender-bending tale where the male lead is played by female and the female lead poses as a man, plus movie queen Li Ching and the singing voices of Ivy Ling Po and Jing Ting. Sit back and enjoy!
Feb 1967
Accompanied by his old manservant, scholar Sung Li Ho (Hong Hoi) is on his way to the capital for the imperial exam. They spend a night in the house of Mrs. Yuan and Li Ho takes a fancy to her pretty daughter, Pei Fang (Dana). Li Ho is discovered by a maid peeping at Pei Fang as she takes a bath. He slips and falls into the bathtub, creating a most embarrassing situation. His old servant is also implicated and both are beaten up before being thrown out. Continuing their journey in the desolate countryside, they come across woodcutter Hsi Hsueh Kuei who puts them up for the night. Captivated by the beauty of the owner’s two daughters, who are vampires, he spends a night with them and turns into a skeleton. Chased by the vampires, Shun Lai makes a narrow escape.
Sep 1975
Susu (Ching Li) is an emotionally troubled young woman still tortured by the loss of boyfriend in a plane crash. Things change when she meets the dashing Yifei (Yang Fang), a handsome intern who strives to heal Susu of her emotional scars.
Nov 1968