The story was liberally adapted from a short sequence in the popular Chinese folk tale Journey to the West. Princess Iron Fan is a main character. Specifically, the film focused on the duel between the Monkey King and a vengeful princess, whose fan is desperately needed to quench the flames that...
During the Taiping Rebellion of the mid-19th century, anti-Qing (Manchu) Chinese forces led by Taiping commander Li Xiucheng march on Shanghai. Although the Western powers are officially neutral, the British consul in Shanghai sides with the Qing imperial government, and counter to his own...
Xiaoma, a young woman who has recently moved to Beijing, finds an apartment in an old courtyard apartment complex owned by Grandma, an elderly woman. Xiaoma and Grandma’s relationship almost immediately becomes strained. After trying to tidy up the courtyard, Grandma insists that Xiaoma turn over...
Famed director Zhu Shilin tries his hand at a horror film! The beginning of The Living Corpse immediately sets the tone with a folk duet clearly inspired by the popular 1956 musical Songs of the Peach Blossom River. The duet, in addition to Zhu's frequent use of long, empty shots and crisp editing,...
'Golden Eagle' is crowned wrestling champion at the Aobao Meeting, but subsequent conflicts break out between Glden Eagle and the Lord of Ba-yin. Expelled from the tribe, he meets and falls in love with San-Tan. But their affair arouses the jealousy of her suitor Chaganhu.
During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, the famous general Qi Jiguang was slandered by eunuchs, which led him to retreat into the forest. He went to the capital in order to take martial arts exam, but after failing he did not have a plan what to do.
Set during the Orphan Island period of Shanghai, the film follows a group of revolutionary patriots-cum-assassins who finally earn the support of the suffering public. ‘We’re all Chinese,’ so they repeatedly chant.
The Goddess (1934) is remade once again. In this version, Zhu Shilin tackles the anxiety concerning the clash of 20th century Chinese traditions and modern Western culture. Despite her father’s strict discipline, Fun still manages to have a boyfriend secretly and give birth to twins. After...
Nikolai Gogol's The Inspector General is a satire play well-known around the world. In the period between the end of World War II and the 1960s, the play was adapted in Hong Kong cinema a total of six times. Director Huang Yu alone adapted it twice, as a Republic era story and a period comedy,...
Li's first directorial work in Hong Kong is adapted, by himself, from the Hollywood movie The Great Lie (1941) starring Bette Davis. When a husband disappears in an accident, the wife is dismayed by a social butterfly pregnant with her husband's child. To preserve the husband's blood line, the wife...
A wedding musician fails to wed his own love: Little Trumpet is raring to marry his childhood sweetheart, but a series of setbacks has prevented them from getting their way. Criticism against social formalities becomes all the more forceful with the clever use of contrast and irony, not to mention...
A young woman falls in love with her university classmate but her father is against it. She disappears and soon there are rumours that her spirit haunts her family’s villa.
