Wuxia Sweethearts

Polly Shang Kuan Ling Feng


Connie Chan Po Chu

Soft Film Valentine: Zhuang Xue Fang

Ever since I first laid eyes on Singapore songstress and Hokkien movie queen Zhuang Xue Fang (aka Chong Sit Fong), I was instantly mesmerized by her pixie charm. My buddy Dev Yang has already written an excellent overview of her career on his much missed blog The Golden Age of Chinese Language Cinema, so let me instead simply offer you a small assortment of treats: a pair of photos that exemplify Miss Zhuang's irresistible allure; a rare clip from one of her films; and a trio of 7-inch EPs. Enjoy!

*  *  *  *  *

The following clip shows Zhuang Xue Fang singing her hit song "Making a Mark" (出人頭地) from the self-produced 1962 film Romance at Lung Shan Temple (龍山寺之戀). The film was shot in Taiwan and co-stars Tang Ching and Ling Yun, both of whom would later leave the Taiwan film industry to work for Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong. "Making a Mark" was adapted from the Indonesian song "Ayo Mama" with the lyrics changed to an inspirational (and typically Chinese) appeal to strive hard for success.


 The film is available on DVD (sans English subtitles) at YesAsia.

*  *  *  *  *

Last but not least, here are three 4-song EPs that Zhuang Xue Fang recorded for Ruby Records in (I believe) 1967. You can download the complete collection here.


sample track:
小小寃家 / "Devil Woman" ((LISTEN))
Original by Marty Robbins (1962)


sample track:
昨夜夢見你 / "Send Someone to Love Me" ((LISTEN))
Original by Steve Lawrence (1962)


sample track:
二十里 / "20 Miles" ((LISTEN))
Original by Chubby Checker (1962)

That's All Folks — Zai Jian!

From the 1968 Cathay film Song of Our Family (extant but not available on DVD)

It's not without teary eyes that I announce the end of this blog. The past two and a half years have been full of discovery and gratification. But it's time for me to move on to other domains.

I'd like to give a big thanks to all of my friends and readers. Your comments and messages definitely kept me going during my moments of fatigue.

I have several unfinished posts that I'm determined to complete before I totally exit the Web, so keep an eye out for them sometime in the coming months of 2011.

Best wishes to all of you for a fruitful new year — whatever that might be!

Now let me bid adieu with a lilting island tune by Chang Loo from the 1956 film Who Isn't Romantic, directed by the late Wong Tin Lam and starring Soft Film favorita Chung Ching and veteran actor Kenneth Tsang in one of his first roles.

"Hu-La-La-Yi" ((LISTEN))

Merry Christmas!

My buddy Oldflames and I would like to send our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones this holiday season. Joy and peace to one and all!

If you're craving some jingle bell rock, then how about a yuletide prance with the enchanting Diana Chang.


from Oldflames

But if the holiday hustle and bustle is causing your tender nerves to fray, why not spend a silent night with gentle Grace Ting.


from Duriandave

Missing Shaw Films Found in Creative's ZiiEagle Movie Box

FOUND: Poison Rose with Julie Yeh Feng

Earlier this year I was bemoaning the fact that there were many titles from Celestial Picture's acquisition of the Shaw Brothers film library that still remained unavailable on DVD. Well, imagine my excitement when I discovered today (via the ever reliable Roast Pork Sliced from a Rusty Cleaver) that all 15 of the missing films I had mentioned — and many more — are now available in HD format, preloaded on a digital player.

Singapore multimedia company Creative has released the ZiiEagle Movie Box (天鹰宝盒), which contains a "complete" (I'll explain the quotation marks later) collection of 668 Shaw Brothers films, among which are a good many that never made it to DVD. I haven't yet done a complete count of the previously unreleased titles (although it's definitely not "around 200" as cited in this article). What I can tell you is that there are a good two dozen that I'd love to see, such as Poison Rose (1966), pictured above. Conspicuously absent from the collection, however, is Operation Lipstick (1967) and The Brain-Stealers (1968), two spy thrillers by Inoue Umetsugu starring, respectively, Cheng Pei-pei and Lily Ho. (Is that because there are plans to release those titles on DVD?)

The ZiiEagle is priced at S$1,070 (US$813) but is currently selling on promotion for S$888 (US$675). I'm not going to lie — that's a lot of dough. But considering how much I've spent on Shaw DVDs over the past eight years, I'd exchange in a flash all of my DVDs for this handsome little box. It's a moot point for me, however, since the ZiiEagle cannot be ordered outside of Singapore. Nonetheless, I'm quite excited about the arrival of this product, because it gives me hope that I may yet see these "no longer missing" (in Singapore, at least) Shaw films.

Of course, there still remain the truly missing titles: Shaw's black-and-white films (melodramas and comedies mostly) from the late 50s and early 60s and the entirety of the studio's Cantonese productions. Speaking of which, next month the Hong Kong Film Archive will be hosting a rare screening of Sweet Girl in Terror (1958), starring the "Jewel of Shaw", Patricia Lam Fung. This seminal movie is just one of the many treasures you won't find in the ZiiEagle Movie Box.

Still, if Santa could smuggle a ZiiEagle out of Singapore for me, it would make this Shaw fan *very* happy.

Ting Hung's Film Crush

 Hollywood star James Shigeta and Hong Kong star Pat Ting Hung

I was happy to find this little surprise in the May 1962 issue of Screenland. A scan of the original article is available here.

Pat Ting Hung Admits Admiration for American-Japanese Star

Pat Ting Hung, who doesn't have an intimate boyfriend yet, declares that she has found her ideal man. "But", she says, "it is a pity that I don't have the chance to meet him. I will try to find the chance."

Who is this man?

If you are a patron of American movies you may have seen "Bridge to the Sun", starring Carol Baker and James Shigeta. And James is the man Pat talks about. And he will appear on the Hollywood screen again in "Flower Drum Song".

Pat has seen "Bridge to the Sun" three times just to see James, and she says that she will do the same with "Flower Drum Song".

She also has learned, from different sources, that James is only twenty-five, unmarried, and doesn't even have an intimate girl friend. She herself is only twenty and doesn't have a boyfriend too.

But, the only thing is, does James know that he has such an admirer in Hong Kong?

To see why Ting Hung took such a fancy to James Shigeta, check out this video tribute which screened at the 2006 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

Connie Chan: Precious Youth

As it was elsewhere in the world, "youth" (青春 / qingchun) was the watchword of the times in 1960s Hong Kong, and during that era nobody epitomized the spirit of youth better than Connie Chan and Josephine Siao. In 1966 they starred together in the teen musical Colourful Youth (彩色青春 / Caise qingchun), which broke box office records and helped set the trend for youth movies in Hong Kong cinema. Later that year, Shaw Brothers also jumped on the bandwagon with The Joy of Spring (歡樂青春 / Huanle qingchun). Throughout the remainder of the decade, the near-magical word qingchun was used frequently in film titles and song lyrics, including Connie's 1967 melodrama Waste Not Our Youth (莫負青春 / Mofu qingchun). Although the film is ultimately a cautionary tale for wayward teens, the irrepressible spirit of youth comes across loud and clear in its songs.

及時行樂 ("Happy Together")
(play song)

年青的一代 ("The Young Generation")
(play song)

莫負青春 ("Precious Youth")
(play song)

月下情歌 ("Duet under the Moon")
(play song)

* Back cover of the EP with Chinese lyrics

Let me end this post by sharing one of my favorite scenes from the movie. Here's the setup. Traumatized by an attempted rape, Connie has lost her marbles. Her parents and childhood boyfriend are trying to coax her back to sanity. See what happens when Connie's attacker comes to visit her at the hospital.

Connie Chan Strikes Again

Time to bust out the turntable again. The following soundtrack EP for Connie Chan's 1967 film Lady Black Cat Strikes Again (黑野貓霸海揚威) is pretty typical of the eclectic world of early Cantopop, in which an American country & western hit could be casually transformed into the rousing theme song for a crimefighting Hong Kong heroine. Even the seemingly straightforward adaptation of a Spanish waltz reveals the gender-bending influence of Cantonese opera by having Connie sing as both señorita and señor.

If the cool cover art and jaunty songs catch your fancy, then check out my review of the Lady Black Cat movies, both of which are available on DVD.

黑野貓 ("Ghost Riders in the Sky")
(play song)

西班牙舞曲 ("Spanish Dance")
(play song)

真情假意 ("Wine & Tea")
(play song)

銀海風光 ("A Star is Born")
(play song)

* Back cover of the EP with Chinese lyrics

Soft Film Video Jukebox: Billie Tam

Hong Kong singer Billie Tam (蓓蕾) started off singing traditional ditties and standard shi dai qu but eventually found her success with an image and style more in tune with the times. In 1964 she scored a huge hit with "Enjoy Yourself Tonight", which was subsequently featured in The Joy of Spring (1966). It's one of the "Missing Shaw Films" that I've been dying to see — even more so after getting a glimpse of my favorite tomgirl Allyson Chang Yen in the video below.



Next up is a song from the Cathay film Little Matchmaker (1967). The scene shows an annoyed Zhang Yang stuck on the dance floor with an eager Fanny Fan, but the real attraction is the vivacious and foxy Miss Tam, seen here in a rare on-screen appearance.

Angela Yu: Hong Kong Beach Bird

 from Hong Kong Movie News (August 1967)

Soft Film Goes to the Beach

Here's a trio of treasures that I brought back from my recent trip to Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. First up is a rare swimsuit photo of Lucilla Yu Ming — right on the cusp of sweet sixteen — gracing the cover of Screen Voice (August 1952). Lucilla made her debut that year at Shaw and Sons with the film Love in Bloom (玉女懷春).



Now we move from sweet to saucy with the following cover of Spotlight (ca. 1956), featuring baby bombshell Man Lei Hung in a delicious cheesecake pose. She signed up with Shaw's Cantonese division in 1956 but eventually switched to the studio's Mandarin division, where she was reborn as the one and only Fanny Fan.



And last but not least, here's lovely tomboy Allyson Chang Yen on the cover of Companion (September 16, 1964). Like Fanny, she was a product of Shaw's Cantonese unit. When it shut down in 1963, Allyson was kept on by the studio but never quite found a place in the spotlight among the new crop of starlets (Li Ching, Chin Ping, Cheng Pei-pei, et al.).

Connie Chan: The Girl with Long Hair

OK, folks! It's time to bring on Hong Kong's beloved ass-kicking, cross-dressing, opera-singing teen idol of the 1960s: the one and only Connie Chan.

Here's the soundtrack EP for Connie's 1967 film The Girl with Long Hair (長髮姑娘), in which she plays a cop assigned to capture the "Filial Thief", a righteous Robin Hood who steals from the rich who treat their parents poorly. The "Filial Thief" is played by opera star Lam Kar-sing.

You'll notice right away that these songs are more traditional than you might expect from the modish EP cover. Drawing on Cantonese opera and folk music rather than Western pop, they are an example of the grassroots influence in the early development of Cantopop.


Lam Kar-sing and Connie Chan, heroes on opposite sides of the law
* Photo comes from the Yau Leung collection 昨夜星光 (1940s-1960s)

雌雄鬥口曲
(play song)

掃蕩羣魔 ["Root out the Demons"]
(play song)

長髮姑娘賊孝子 ["The Girl with Long Hair and the Filial Thief"]
(play song)

Back cover of the EP with Chinese lyrics, plus another picture of Connie as she appears during the scene featuring the first song presented above:

Back with a Bang, Better than Bond

Howdy, folks! It's good to be back. Here's a little bang bang to get us started again: two clips from Josephine Siao's 1967 action film The Professionals (金鷗).

First up are the opening credits — featuring Josephine dressed à la mode in a pirate's blouse and cravat and psychedelic print pants with white belt — followed by a scene in which she proves that she's way cooler than that British bloke... what was his name...



* Thanks to Todd at 4DK for the loaner! Available on VCD from YesAsia.com

Soft Film Summer Holiday

I just want to let you all know that I'll be taking a break from my blog this month. I'm feeling a little burned out and need some downtime to recharge.

Also, Fanny Fan invited me to cruise the Maldives in her private yacht for the next three weeks. And there's no way I was going to tell her, "Sorry, I'd love to join you, but I'm busy blogging."

Have a great June!

* Photo courtesy of the always dependable Oldflames

eBay Find of the Week: Li Ching at Seventeen

Li Ching fans will be tempted by this photo currently up for auction on eBay. It was probably taken in 1965, when the seventeen-year-old newcomer was awarded Best Actress at the 12th Asian Film Festival for her role in The Mermaid and subsequently dubbed the "Baby Queen" of Shaw Brothers.

Hong Kong Fashionista: Patricia Lam Fung

After dressing up Maggie Cheung, I feel inspired to post a few more fashion-related items. Here are three photos of the always stylish Patricia Lam Fung. I believe they originally appeared as glossy cardstock inserts in local newspapers. The cards could be cut out, and of course collected. They're not as fabulous as her color "Teen Fashion" cards but still quite nice.

Josephine Siao: Deadlier Than a Man

Here's one final Fong Fong EP for you. This one's from her 1967 film Blood Stains the Iron Fist / 血染鐵魔掌 (aka Deadlier Than a Man). Just click on the link and the song should play automatically in your browser.

Coming up next time: Connie Chan!

沉醉春宵 ("Tonight is a Wonderful Night") (play song)

等待 ("Waiting") (play song)

* Here's the back cover of the EP with Chinese lyrics.

Lo Lieh: The Black Whirlwind

Every once in a while I feel the need to inject a little testosterone into this blog before it becomes too soft. Hence, this fabulous pinup of Lo Lieh, my favorite of Shaw's mid-60s crop of young male stars.

I was first introduced to Lo in more recent fare such as Jackie Chan's Mr. Canton and Lady Rose (1989) and Glass Tears (2001), which I believe was his final film. He had the effortlessly commanding look of a veteran actor, and indeed he was: Lo starred in more than 70 films during his twenty-plus years at Shaw Brothers and was fairly active onscreen for the following 15 years, until his death in 2002.

Don't throw eggs at me if I confess that I've not yet seen some of his most signature films, like King Boxer (1972), Kidnap (1973), and Human Lanterns (1982). But I've always enjoyed him in the countless — and addictively watchable — wuxia films he made for Shaws.

Here's a piece about Lo from Southern Screen no. 131 (January 1969). You can view the original article here. The pinup comes from the same issue.

"Black Whirlwind" Lo Lieh

Perhaps the best Shaw actor around these days is Lo Lieh. Among his recent and current films are "Twelve Deadly Coins", "Dragon Swamp", "Swordswomen Three", and "The Singing Thief".

Not the debonair type, he nevertheless exudes masculinity with his rugged good looks and fine physique. Equally adept as hero or villain, he has established a strong screen image. Lo is nicknamed "The Black Whirlwind", a sobriquet as much due to his black costume and dark complexion as to his fiery temperament.

An Indonesian Chinese, Lo came to Hong Kong six years ago and joined the Southern Drama Group on completion of his studies. On graduation, he was signed up by Shaws. His debut took place in "The Butterfly Chalice", followed by "Tiger Boy". Since then he's made some 15 films, among them "Temple of the Red Lotus", "The Sword and the Lute", "The Golden Swallow" and "Trapeze Girl".

Josephine Siao: The Golden Cat

Here's the soundtrack EP for Josephine Siao's 1967 film The Golden Cat (飛賊金絲貓), another one of her sadly unavailable "Jane Bond" movies. The embedded mp3 players I was using before suddenly stopped working, so just click on the link and the song should play automatically in your browser.

Enjoy!

花嬌不似玉人媚 ("Love Potion No. 9") (play song)

結伴遊春 ("Summer Holiday") (play song)

狂歡舞曲 ("La La La Song") (play song)

* Here's the back cover of the EP with Chinese lyrics

Scooter Girls: Essie Lin Chia and Shu Pei-Pei

December calendar girls Essie Lin Chia (at the handlebars) and Shu Pei-Pei from Southern Screen's 1967 annual special, the extra thick issue that Shaw Brothers published every January to promote its talent and the year's coming attractions. These two bright young actresses would star together in Spring Blossoms (1968) and A Taste of Cold Steel (1970).