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.