1965 she began to feel that the Shaw Brothers were losing interest in her professionally.
So she began making films for Shaw's main (though declining) competitor, Cathay. This was her first film for them.
Betty Lo Tih had been a big star with the Shaws
since she had joined with them in 1958, but by
1965 she began to feel that the Shaw Brothers
were losing interest in her professionally.
So she began making films for Shaw's main (though
declining) competitor, Cathay. This was her first film for them.
Kitty Ting Hao is a sad story. She joined up with
Cathay in 1956 at the young age of 17 and became a teenage star in no time
with her exuberance and cute kittykat looks.
By 1963 her relationship with Cathay was over
due to an internal scandal and she began making Cantonese films (she was
born in Macau), got married and had a child.
None of this worked out though and in 1967 she
committed suicide in Los Angeles at 27 years old. This film was one of
her last. Her lack of prominance on the poster speaks volumes.
The legendary Judge Pao who lived from 999-1062
has been characterized in plays, books, television and film. This is one
of his films - in which apparently
he is able to travel to hell to view the "mirror
of revenge" and seek justice.
By 1966 the Cantonese film industry was going
into a decline and was basically kept alive for the next few years
by the immense popularity of Connie Chan and
Josephine Siao. They were both making an
enormous amount of films (sometimes referred
to as "weeklies due to how long they showed in theaters)
and if you could team them up all the better.
The director describes this film as "equal parts
1930's leftist politics, generic horror a la Ma Xua and 1960's Cantonese
melodrama."
Wu Fung who was a supporting actor in loads of
films in the 1980's and 1990's was a leading man in Cantonese cinema in
the 1960's
and in this film he gets to sing a few songs.
Director Li Han-hsiang was behind many of the
Shaw's epic opera films, Diau Charn, The Kingdom and the Beauty
and Love Eterne
but by 1966 he had left Shaw and had set up film
production in Taiwan. He had a number of flops and by the 1970's he was
back with Shaw
directing loads of softcore porn. From Love
Eterne to That's Adultery!
Jade Bow is considered one of the most influential
films in modern wuxia - primarily due to its
pair of action choreographers Lau Kar-leung and
Tong Gai who went on to make many classic action films.
This was their second film and they would both
soon sign up with the Shaws..
This Bond like film was put in the hands of Korean
director Shin Shang-ok and had two female stars as spies.
I love this poster and would love to see the
film even though the calendar blurb knocks it.
But that is what a great poster is suppose to
do. Shin later went on to direct four films for the Shaw Brothers.
I want to see this film too! Kickass early girls
with guns type of stuff. Suet Nei was one of Cantonese film's
leading female action stars performing in a load
of wuxia films. Unfortunately, I have only been able to see one of her
early films, Dragon Fortress and was impressed.
She basically had ended her film career by 1970
after marrying action choreographer Tong Gai, but she is
credited with turns in The Blade (1995) and The
White Dragon (2004).
Kenneth Tsang who is still going strong was a
major leading man in the Cantonese films of the 1960's.
The calendar informs us that the quote on the
poster says this "Overly Exciting Strangely Mysterious Gun Fighting Action
Erotic Epic"!
I want to see this film too!
