【港你知】The 100 Greatest Hong Kong Films【Part 2】

【港你知】公眾平台為你提供最地道的香港資訊

No.90 The Spooky Bunch 撞到正 (1980)

Dir Ann Hui (Josephine Siao, Kenny Bee)

“Is she human or ghost?”

A Cantonese opera troupe encounters the vengeful ghosts of a war-time forged medicine disaster. From phantoms and curses to spells and possessions, this New Wave representative is a furiously paced, Cheung Chau-set horror farce which throws every creepy facet of Chinese superstition at the audience.

No.89 An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty 唐朝豪放女 (1984)

Dir Eddie Fong (Pat Ha, Alex Man, Zhang Guozhu)

“My heartfelt gratitude, great hero. I won’t let your kind go easily satisfied!”

Ha cements her sex symbol status in this landmark period erotica of progressive feminist and existentialist undertones. As a Taoist priestess-cum-literati, and hostess of nightly orgies, her pleasure-seeking heroine refuses to be tied down in matrimony or, indeed, to any one lover – male or female.

No.88 Empress Wu 武則天 (1963)

Dir Li Han-hsiang (Li Lihua, Zhao Lei, Grace Ting Ning)

“People oppose me, hate me, blame me and even want to kill me. But I’m still alive!”

Maybe it’s the distractingly sumptuous visuals, or maybe it’s the battle of wits which characterises its sophisticated dialogue, but this operatic tale about China’s first female ruler was initially panned by the critics – before it came to be seen, belatedly, as a consummate historical costume drama with a female-empowering touch.

No.87 Kung Fu Hustle 功夫 (2004)

Dir Stephen Chow (Stephen Chow, Danny Chan Kwok-kwan, Yuen Qiu)

“No more soccer!”

The underdog hero of Hong Kong cinema went mega-budget for this CGI extravaganza, a martial arts comedy so outrageously cartoonish it put its writer-director-producer-star temporarily on the world map. Film buffs will be in heaven spotting the references, from Bruce Lee lore to The House of 72 Tenants (1973).

No.86 Laugh, Clown, Laugh 笑笑笑 (1960)

Dir Li Pingqian (Bao Fong, Shek Hwei, Kung Chiu-hsia)

“Laugh and you’ll never get old.”

A sadder than sad story about a fun-loving optimist whose interest in comedy performance is despised by both his family and his wealthy future in-laws, Li’s tragic-comedy follows the 50-year-old father (Bao) as he maintains a dignified façade after losing his long-held accounting job in an occupied Tianjin in the 1940s.

No.85 Nomad 烈火青春 (1982)

Dir Patrick Tam (Leslie Cheung, Pat Ha, Kent Tong, Cecilia Yip)

“Let me declare again that I don’t love you.”

Daring in form and casually nihilistic in content, this New Wave classic is a youthful slice-of-death drama which became notorious for its open attitude to sex – there’s lovemaking on a moving tram! There’s also an abruptly violent conclusion, oddly involving the Japanese Red Army.

No.84 Man on the Brink 邊緣人 (1981)

Dir Alex Cheung (Eddie Chan, Kam Hing-yin, Callan Leung)

“I wouldn’t mind dying heroically.”

A fresh-faced policeman (Chan) assigned to infiltrate the triads sinks into a downward spiral of violence in this early New Wave gem. Clearly inspired bySerpico (1973), Cheung’s gritty look at his protagonist’s escalating alienation and disillusionment would later kick-start the sub-genre of undercover cop drama in Hong Kong.

No.83 The Magic Blade 天涯‧明月‧刀 (1976)

Dir Chor Yuen (Ti Lung, Lo Lieh, Ching Li)

“Last year’s duel decided only the winner; today’s decides who will live.”

Ti’s poncho-wearing, solitary swordsman slashes through the vanity of the martial underworld in Chor’s most celebrated adaptation of wuxia novelist Gu Long. If low on realistic characterisation, this swordplay fantasy hypnotises with its brooding ambience and imaginative weaponry.

No.82 Ip Man 葉問 (2008)

Dir Wilson Yip (Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Lynn Hung)

“I want to fight ten!”

After S.P.L. (2005), Dragon Tiger Gate (2006) and Flash Point (2007), the Yip-Yen combo reaches its zenith with this engrossing martial arts biopic on the titular Wing Chun legend. Patriotic fluff it certainly is, but Yen displays enough deadpan cool and dignified invincibility to shine in the role of his life.

* Did you know…
… Donnie Yen was once approached by director Jeff Lau – whose buddy Wong Kar-wai is still filming his own Ip Man movie – to play the master back in 1996? “Actually, I was signed to play Ip Man; I took the deposit too,” clarifies Yen. “And Stephen Chow [was to] play Bruce Lee. But then the company fell apart and the movie never went [into production].”

No.81 Mambo Girl 曼波女郎 (1957)

Dir Yi Wen (Grace Chang, Peter Chen Ho, Kitty Ting Hao)

“I… am not your sister.”

Chang made her star turn in this Mandarin musical about a talented singer-dancer who, while showered with affection by her family and classmates, discovers on her 20th birthday that she’s an adopted orphan. Not even an unsettling search for her birth mother could dampen this truly buoyant song-and-dance showcase.

To be continued.

Source:Time Out,Hong Kong

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