Lee Ying
1923 - 2005
Sweet and Wild
Wu Chia-Hsiang
Li Ching, Ling Yun
Young love and its comedy of errors. Hsiao Fang, played by Li Ching, is a spunky young girl not afraid to fight back against hooligans. Unfortunately, she mistakes the handsome Ma Ta-hai, for one such hoodlum. The two are immediately attracted but refuse to admit their true feelings. The real hooligans are from a rich family led by a devious Madam who devise a revenge plot. With plot twists, mistaken identities, along with some terrific musical numbers, romance has never been this much fun.
Sweet and Wild
閻惜姣
Yan Jun
Li Li-Hua, Yan Jun
Based on one particular storyline from The Water Margin, Three Sinners weaves an intriguing story of romance, treachery, and death, all within the context of the traditional Huangmei Opera. Yan Jun casts his real-life wife, the elegant Li Li Hua, star of such Shaw Brothers films as The Goddess of Mercy and Vermillion Door, as one of the title characters, a woman who finds herself in the middle of a stormy love triangle involving her controlling husband (director Yan Jun serving double duty in a starring role) and a passionate lover (Chen Yan Yan).
Three Sinners
The Story of Sue San
King Hu
Betty Loh Ti, Chao Lei
This gripping story centers on the romance between Wang Chin Lung and Sue San. Although they may be perfectly matched when it comes to their love for one other, the two come from remarkably different social ranks. While Chin Lung is the son of a respected government official, Su San is a prostitute, albeit a famous one.
The Story of Sue San
貓頭鷹
David Chiang
David Chiang, Eric Tsang
A masked mastermind named The Owl holds an exclusive auction every year, selling special slaves and rare objects of art. One of the customers requests that he obtain the 36th wife of the emperor, for the next auction. The Owl agrees and arranges for the woman to be kidnapped. The emperor sends a messenge to a trusted royal guard, assigning him the task of rescuing his wife. Unfortunately the guard has died, but his son, David Chiang, takes the assignment. He hunts up two of his father's friends for assistance. They have both retired, but their sons, Barry Chan and Eric Tsang, agree to help out. So David, Barry, and Eric go forward on their quest to rescue the woman and unmask The Owl.
The Legend of the Owl
血濺牡丹紅
Ho Meng-Hua
Julie Yeh Feng, Lan Di
A member of the Red Peony troupe, singer Tang Pei Hua (Yeh Feng) is renowned for her beautiful voice and appearances. Her beauty, however, invites the unwanted attentions of cruel and lecherous warlord Cao Lin (Zeng Mei). In order to escape Cao's grasp, Tang and her lover Lin Ke Qiang (Chin Han) decide to run away to the south where they can live freely. But their plan is uncovered by Cao, and Lin gets captured. In order to save Lin, Tang must sacrifice herself and entertain Japanese guests at a banquet, throwing herself into danger's way.
The Warlord and the Actress
怨女
Fred Tan
Pat Ha, Hsu Ming
In this drama, the harsh treatment of women in Chinese society is examined and subtly commented upon as it tells the tale of an impoverished woman living in Shanghai, circa 1910 who tries to support her brother and sister-in-law. A marriage to a wealthy man is arranged for her, and reluctantly she endures it, even though she does not love the man who is as cruel as he is wealthy. His mother is also brutally unkind to her. She then has a son, but her struggles are not over when her husband dies and only leaves her a modest inheritance. Her wretched life has made her bitter, and so she begins making her son suffer as she die; she also becomes addicted to opium.
Rouge of the North
聾啞劍
Wu Ma
Helen Ma, Tang Ching
Chang Cheh-influenced swordplay film puts a female spin on the genre with its titular heroine. Helen Ma stars as the “can’t hear, can’t talk” swordswoman who makes off with some pearls and bloodily dispatches the many comers who futilely attempt to retrieve them from her. According to Jeff Goodhartz, THE DEAF AND MUTE HEROINE “trumps anything that King Hu or Chang Cheh were unleashing at the time.”
Deaf and Mute Heroine
藍與黑
Doe Ching
Linda Lin Dai, Guan Shan
It's a powerful melodrama about a thwarted romance in 1930s Tientsin, China, during the Japanese occupation, and it stars Linda Lin Dai, one of the era's most popular stars. It was part of Golden Horse's 100 Greatest Chinese-Language Films.
The Blue and the Black
故都春夢
Griffin Yueh Feng, Shih Ling Wen
Li Li-Hua, Ivy Ling Po
Fan Chia-soo is a kind-hearted student whose heart is captured by the sweet song of Shen Feng-hsien. However, he is not the only one who has eyes for Shen. The General's henchmen are also determined to present the songstress to their superior as a gift. Fan received help from an unexpected quarter to save the woman he loves.
Between Tears and Smiles
大俠復仇記
Wu Chia-Hsiang
Angela Yu Chien, Elliot Ngok
Some 40 years ago when warlords rode rough-shod over the Chinese people, circus acrobat Pao Te-cheng took to the hills and began robbing the rich to help the poor. His daring feats earned him the nickname of “The Masked Robber”. Trying to intercept a large sum of money to be turned over to public security chief Cheng Kuan-hsi, he is nearly caught. Partner Hsiao Chung is jubilant over his safe return. But in the government office, chief detective Ma Pu-yun frantically plots his arrest. Ma Chien-li, son of the chief detective, devises a clever trap set for Ma Pu-yun’s birthday party. Among the guests is Huang Tan-ping who is engaged to Doctor David Lee. Ma Chien-li proposes to her without knowing this.
Sweet Is Revenge
太太萬歲
Wong Tin-Lam
Betty Loh Ti, Chang Yang
The misadventures of a beautiful but bored housewife Wang Yui-chuan and her chauvinistic salary-man husband Chang Wei-min reaches madcap proportions upon his denying her the opportunity to work outside the home. With calculating smarts, Wang takes action with the help of her scheming neighbors Lily and her mother Mrs. Hsu to change her identity and land a situation in her husband's firm where she successfully advances within the ranks in direct competition with Chang for promotion. A madcap comedy of errors ensue.
Darling, Stay at Home
楊乃武與小白菜
Ho Meng-Hua, Li Han-Hsiang
Li Li-Hua, Guan Shan
The noted actress Li Li-hua, star of more than sixty films since 1947, beautifully portrays the drugged, then disgraced wife of a peddler in the waning days of the Ching Dynasty. To make matters worse, she’s soon framed for her husband’s murder by her rapist - the son of the local magistrate! And even that isn’t the end of her woes. It’s best to have a box of tissues nearby as two expert directors ratchet up the emotional suspense in this consummate tearjerker.
The Adulteress
