HK Cinema - 1987

Tsui Hark was on a creative binge of unparalleled success. Peking Opera Blues, A Better Tomorrow and then A Chinese Ghost Story. Ghost stories had become a staple in HK, but Hark as producer and Ching Sui-Tung as director interjected this tale with lavish sets, moody atmosphere, a wonderful love story and great special effects. The trio of Leslie Cheung as the naïve tax collector, Wu Ma as the ghost hunter and Joey Wong as the beautiful ghost create a special magic on the screen.
This film was to spawn a great number of imitations and sequels and though many are very good, this is a classic and the best of them. Joey Wong who is cast so perfectly as the luminous sad eyed ghost went on to take many such similar roles in other films.
Interestingly,  the source material - The Magic Sword a 17th century tale - for this film had already been used for two previous films. Love with a Ghost in 1954 and Enchanting Shadows in 1959.