Fong Sai Yuk
Review by YTSL
Some generally splendid movies have one incredibly
creative fight scene that will firmly lodge itself in the memory of those
who view them. With "Wing Chun", it's that which has Michelle Yeoh
defending a tray of tofu against a male chauvinist pig of an opponent and
sending it where no tray of tofu has ever gone before or since. With
"Dragon Inn", it's the duel that starts off with Maggie Cheung interrupting
Brigitte Lin's bathing and involves Ms. Lin stripping pieces of clothing
off the Magster and dressing herself with her increasingly naked opponent's
garments. And with this 1993 Corey Yuen Kwai directed martial artistic
action feast for the eyes, it's got to be the "touch the ground and you
lose" contest that has two opponents resorting to sparring while doing
such as balancing themselves on the heads and upper bodies of supporters
and previously uninvolved onlookers.
While that which is FONG SAI YUK's piece de resistance
occurs fairly early in this 100 minute length film, it doesn't mean at
all that ShowTime's effectively over after it. Instead, it might
be argued that it's really only then that the fun truly begins, with the
triggering of: One subplot which has the titular legendary Cantonese
youth (who is played with utmost charm by the boyish Jet Li) getting betrothed
to the daughter of a rich and brash Manchu newcomer to the province named
Tiger Lu (who gets comically portrayed by Chen Sung Yung) and his martial
arts expert woman, Madam Lee Siu Wan (Sibelle Hu actually holds her own
against the rest of this movie's able cast); and another which has Madam
Lee falling for someone she thinks is the elder brother of Fong Sai Yuk
but actually is the skilled fighter's kungfu mama (The legendary Josephine
Siao Fong Fong threatens to steal the show as the sometimes cross-dressing
-- as Fong Tai Yuk! -- and at all times wonderfully eccentric Madam Miu
Tsui Fa)!
A third subplot, which this eventful as well as
enjoyable offering first concentrates on, involves the Red Flower (secret
Triad) Society's resistance against the rule of the Qing Emperor, Chien
Lung. Apart from giving the makers of FONG SAI YUK a reason to throw
in an innovative nightmare sequence which had a bunch of attackers surfing
towards a boat and bring into the picture a formidable character named
Governor Oryeetor (who is portrayed here by a cinematic debut making --
and unusually stern looking -- Chiu Man Cheuk), it also provides some depth
and seriousness to an effort that often plays like a light-hearted comedy
but turns out to be one of those multi-genre Hong Kong movies that also
possess some pretty emotionally powerful segments. Lest the reader
wonder how this portion of the film connects to the others, here's pointing
out that initially unbeknownst to even his combative family, staid-looking
Papa/Master Fong (who is essayed by Paul Chu Kong) -- along with the likes
Master Chan (Adam Cheng in a cameo appearance) -- turns out to be a key
member of the Red Flower Society who Emperor Chien Lung has specifically
asked Governor Oryeetor to hunt down so that the imperial personage can
finally have some nightmare-less sleep.
Another prelude to the spectacularly entertaining
showcase challenges that had first FONG SAI YUK, then "Fong Tai Yuk" (yes,
really -- It is not for nothing that Corey Yuen Kwai also was the director
of such battling femme fest as "Yes Madam!", "Righting Wrongs" and "She
Shoots Straight"!), up against Madam Lee in their home locale's equivalent
of a town square has this Jet Li produced film's generally cheerful folk
hero -- along with his two buddies, Bo and Sing -- meeting a soft and sweet
beauty, who Sai Yuk promptly gets enamored with, named Ting Ting (To my
eyes, Michelle Reis has never looked lovelier than in this movie).
Seemingly invariably, Ting Ting attracts the attention of other not so
nice youths. The result is a couple of brawls but also participation
in some Western-style athletic events, at all of which Sai Yuk excels,
to the obvious admiration of Ting Ting (And this even without taking into
account the lad's turning out to be the kind of exemplary individual who
refuses to step on and kill a slow moving ant!).
However, before formal introductions and arrangements
for a first date can be made between the cute pair, FONG SAI YUK gets carted
off by the local constabulary, along with all the young men who fought
at the event organized by Tiger Lu in one of his many bids to appease those
residents annoyed at the foreign upstart's coming in and buying up one
third of the town in three months. Will their romance ever be allowed
to bloom? What do you think, given that this highly popular movie
is one whose makers seem to be trying their utmost to please every one
of its viewers and is full of women who swoon when the following lines
of poetry are recited to them: "The Beauty pulls the curtain up.
She sits with furrowed brows. One sees the stains of tears.
Who is she crying for?"!
My rating for this film: 9.5
DVD Information:
Distributed by Universe
The transfer is fine - nothing to rave about
- a bit of speckling but certainly very watchable.
Letterboxed
Cantonese and Mandarin language tracks
There is no menu - and zero in the way of extras
The subtitles are burnt on Chinese and English.
