Shaw Brothers at Walter Reade

Elegance, Passion, and Cold Hard Steel:
A Tribute to Shaw Brothers Studios
Oct 2 - 13, 2004

The legendary Shaw Brothers film studios made Hong Kong cinema an international phenomenon. Best known for extraordinary martial arts films, they created everything from historical epics to contemporary comedies, from adaptations of operas to Hollywood-style musicals. This tribute presents the great films from the 50s to the 70s-just a taste of the extraordinary richness of Hong Kong cinema in its crucial, formative years.

All screenings at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center, NYC. Tickets are $10 general, $7 students, $6 Film Society members, $5 seniors (M-F before 6 pm only).

Complete program information and tickets available online at:
http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff/nyfffilm2004shaw.htm

The Love Eterne / Liang Shanbo Yu Zhu Yingtai
Li Han-hsiang, 1962; 123m Restored print
A headstrong young woman tries to convince her parents to allow her to go to school - a privilege reserved only for men in fourth-century China. "Every time I see this movie, I cry.ä - Ang Lee.
Sat Oct 2: 7:30; Sun Oct 3: 4:30; Mon Oct 4: 4 & 8:40

Vermillion Door / Hong Ling Lei
Lo Chen, 1964; 126m
This classic love triangle takes place during the lawless days of the early Republic. Heartthrob Kwan Shan plays a long-suffering actor who sees his beloved give herself to another man in order to keep him alive.
Sun Oct 3: 12 noon; Tue Oct 5: 4 & 8:30

The Kingdom and the Beauty / Jiangshan Meiren
Li Han-hsiang, 1958: 99m Restored print
The young emperor Cheng-te (Chao Le) travels incognito to southern China, where he falls in love with a young girl. Many of the songs in this exquisitely photographed film are now considered classics.
Sun Oct 3: 2:30; Tue Oct 5: 6:30; Wed Oct 6: 4

The House of 72 Tenants / Qishiâerjia Fangke
Chu Yuan, 1973; 98m
A box-office smash, 72 Tenants triggered a revival of Cantonese films and served as a nostalgic reminder of a Hong Kong that was fast being transformed into a postmodern metropolis.
Sun Oct 3: 7; Wed Oct 6: 6; Thurs Oct 7: 4:15

The Empress Dowager / Qingguo Qingcheng
Li Han-hsiang, 1975; 107m Restored print
Sumptuous sets and costumes, top-flight performances, and a clear, literate screenplay that brilliantly weaves personal stories into well-known historical events. One feels the hand of director Li Han-hsiang in every frame in this powerful portrait of a regime.
Sun Oct 3: 9; Mon Oct 4: 6:30

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan / Ai Nu
Chu Yuan, 1972; 86m Restored print
Lily Ho, an aristocratic maiden abducted and sold to the Four Seasons Brothel, is caught in a web of sex, murder, and intrigue. Intimate Confessions shocked its first audiences and even today exerts a raw power.
Thurs Oct 7: 6:15; Fri Oct 8: 9; Sat Oct 9: 5:30

Hong Kong Nocturne / Xiangjiang Hua Yue Ye
Inoue Umetsugu, 1966; 128m
A musical extravaganza featuring top stars Lily Ho, Chin Ping, and th Cheng Pei-pei- Hong Kong Nocturne presents a backstage view of the lives and loves, dreams and cruel realities of show biz.
Thurs Oct 7: 8:15; Fri Oct 8: 4; Sat Oct 9: 12:45

Love Without End / Bu Liao Qing
Doe Chin, 1961; 117m
A young girl from the country tries to make it as a singer in Hong Kong. Just as she tastes success her boyfriendâs father dies, leaving a mountain of debt.
Fri Oct 8: 6:30; Mon Oct 11: 4:30

Clans of Intrigue a.k.a. Killer Clans / Liuxing Hudie Jian
Chu Yuan, 1976; 91m
In this parable of treachery and betrayal brilliantly, a solitary assassin is sent to murder a famed martial arts patriarch. As he infiltrates his prey âs inner sanctums, he finds himself caught in increasingly complex webs.
Sat Oct 9: 11am; Wed Oct 13: 6:15

Heroes Two / Fang Shiyu Yu Hong Xiguan
Zhang Che, 1973; 93m
The Shao Lin monastery is burned down by Qing government soldiers but disciple Hung manages to escape. After he is caught and imprisoned, a group of underground sympathizers devise a bold plot to free him.
Sat Oct 9: 3:10; Tue Oct 12: 6:30

Blood Brothers / Ci Ma
Zhang Che, Hong Kong, 1973; 118m Restored print
Two bandit brothers taste success in battle after befriending a charismatic mercenary warrior in this widescreen epic of love and betrayal. Tragedy strikes when the warrior falls for one of the banditâs neglected wives.
Tue Oct 12: 4 & 8:45

The Last Tempest / Yingtai Qi Xue
Li Han-hsiang, 1975; 118m
Aided by Western-influenced young ministers, the Emperor tries to rid China of its traditional bureaucracy and feudal structures. But the Empress Dowager, knowing the Emperorâs weakness for his beloved concubine, strikes back.
Wed Oct 13: 4 & 8:10

Complete program information and tickets available online at: http://www.filmlinc.com/nyff/nyfffilm2004shaw.htm

This tribute is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. Additional support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office. Special thanks to Celestial Pictures and W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Ltd. The New York Film Festival is sponsored by Diet Coke, HSBC Bank USA, N.A., and The New York Times.

Author: Black Tauna blktauna @ shawstudios . com
Last Updated: 9-15 2004