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".
The magnificent trio: (from left) Cheng Lui, Lo Lieh, and Wang Yu
Lest you think I serve only cheesecake here at Soft Film, here is a tasty slice of vintage beefcake: Jimmy Wang Yu, Lo Lieh, and Cheng Lui — the first recruits in director Chang Cheh's yang gang ("macho") army of male stars. Check them out in this article from Southern Screen No. 81 (November, 1964). A scan of the original is available here.
Meet Shaws' New Male Talent
The female of the species continues to dominate Chinese cinema. As proof of this, Shaws recently had to advertise for several husky youths to act in a projected film tentatively entitled "Tiger Boy". The reason? The studio was unable to find any actors on hand able to play the starring roles. After careful screening, the following three were selected from among 1,000 applicants.
They are: Debonair Wang Yu, 20, a six-footer who has won several sprint finals in All-Hongkong swimming contests. After two screen-tests, he won a seven-year contract with Shaws and the lead role in "Tiger Boy".
Lo Lieh: This 24-year-old was given the supporting role in "Fight". A product of the Southern Drama Group, he was also awarded a seven-year contract with Shaws. He appeared in "The Butterfly Chalice" in the minor role of a general's bodyguard.
Cheng Lei: Selected to appear in "Fight" as a brave youth who protects his sister from ruffians.
Two other applicants were picked for possible future roles. They are Li Ying-tsung, a noted gymnast and Kwan Hung, a champion diver.
Tiger Boy (1966) was the first film over which Chang Cheh had total creative control. Although he was only allowed a small budget and had to shoot in black-and-white, the movie was a success and proved to Shaw Brothers that Chang's formula of graphic violence, brotherhood and honor, and muscular male stars was financially viable.
As a result, Chang was given the go ahead to make The Magnificent Trio, which was released later that year. Wang Yu, Lo Lieh, and Cheng Lui again starred together as Chang's new breed of heroes.
I've always been fascinated by the film's innovative title sequence and the way it captures a historic turning point in Hong Kong cinema. The burning flag in the opening shot loudly declares Chang's intention to shake up Shaw's female-dominated star system. Although top billing is still given to Margaret Tu Chuan, Chin Ping, and Fanny Fan, this is boldly contradicted by the image of Wang Yu, Lo Lieh, and Cheng Lui running towards the camera against an abstract blood red sky.
They may be billed as co-stars, but these three hunks are clearly the stars of the film — and indeed, harbingers of a new era in Hong Kong cinema.
Every so often I feel a bit self-conscious for indulging in so much cheesecake on my blog. So in the interest of a more balanced feast for the eyes, here is a nice slice of beefcake: Roy Chiao from the October 1959 issue of The Milky Way Pictorial.
If you're a fan of Hong Kong cinema, then you've undoubtedly seen Roy Chiao in one film or another. The first time that he came to my attention was in Summer Snow (1995), where he played Josephine Siao's Alzheimer's-inflicted father-in-law. Later, I would recognize him in King Hu's Touch of Zen (1971), The Fate of Lee Khan (1973), and The Valiant Ones (1975), as well as Tong Shu-Shuen's The Arch (1970). And although I didn't know it at the time, long before I even started watching HK movies, I'd already seen him in Enter the Dragon (1973) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)!
Several years ago the Cathay Classic Film Library opened its vaults and I suddenly became aware that Roy's acting career stretched back even further, into the 1960s and 50s. Around a third of the thirty-odd movies he made for Cathay's MP&GI studio between 1959 and 1970 are now available on DVD. Some of his memorable roles include the shy campus jock in Spring Song (1959), the "grease monkey" boyfriend in Sister Long Legs (1960), and the archetypal villainous warlord in A Story of Three Loves (1963). Unfortunately, one film that seems tailored especially for him, The Iron Fist (1960), has yet to be released.
Roy Chiao and Julie Yeh Feng in The Iron Fist (1960)
I was surprised to discover recently that my favorite femme fatale and sour beauty Bai Guang was the one who helped launch Roy Chiao's film career (see this article from the October 1956 issue of International Screen). In 1955 she met Roy in Japan and recruited him for her independent production Fresh Peony (1956). She must have taken quite a shine to him, because three years later she cast him as the male lead in her next film Welcome, God of Wealth! (1959). Publicity for the film reveals that Roy had more than one occasion to show off his fine form. It seems that Miss Bai, in what was her second outing as producer-writer-director, had no qualms with indulging her sweet tooth for beefcake.
Bai Guang and Roy Chiao in Welcome, God of Wealth! (1959)
Besides Roy's steady work at MP&GI during the first stretch of his career, he had a few odd acting gigs worth mentioning. In 1959 he had a small role in the British film Ferry to Hong Kong as a Chinese pirate. Although the movie stars Orson Welles and was directed by Lewis Gilbert, who would go on to make Alfie (1966) and You Only Live Twice (1967), TimeOut.com says it's "a moronic male melodrama-cum-adventure movie", which certainly won't deter me from seeking it out. BTW, the picture of Roy Chiao at the top of this post shows him in the "pirate" outfit he wore for the film... hmmm... all the more reason to check it out!
Equally unusual is Roy's presence in a series of Cantonese Bond-style spy films during the mid-sixties: Gold Button (1966), The Golden Gun (1966), The White Swan (1967), and Bomb in Pink (1967). Produced by the Mingxing Film Company, all four films feature newcomer So Ching (about whom I know absolutely nothing), the ubiquitous Bowie Wu Fung, and the voluptuous Fanny Fan Lai (doing pretty much the same thing she was doing at Shaw Brothers at that time). I did see The White Swan during a recent trip to the Hong Kong Film Archive. It was OK. So Ching certainly tried hard, but she didn't have the attitude or the moves of the other "Jane Bonds" (Connie Chan, Josephine Siao, Suet Nei, Lily Ho). Both Roy and Fanny were surprisingly underused... suddenly I'm imagining how great it would be if the two of them had starred together as romantic leads in a series of sexy screwball spy comedies. Oh well... movie history is full of missed opportunities.
Since I'm already starting to ramble, let me continue in this vein and state for the record that I am officially uninterested in John Woo's forthcoming wuxia epic The Battle of the Red Cliff... huh?... but I am very concerned that there is no DVD release of Woo's early slapstick crime caper Follow the Star (1978), which stars Roy Chiao as an alcoholic car mechanic who ends up protecting pop star Rowena Cortes from a group of goofy gangsters. It's a wonderful showcase for Roy's comedic talent.
Rowena Cortes and Roy Chiao in Follow the Star (1978)
The more I find about Roy Chiao and the more of his films that I see, the more I like him. It's true, I was a little down on him for a while after watching him being such an uptight chauvinistic jerk to Grace Chang in Air Hostess (1959). And I despised him as the warlord in A Story of Three Loves (also for the way he treated lovely Grace). But hey... that's a testament to his performance skills. In real life (and this comes through in his more genial roles) he seems like he was a genuine nice guy, a true gentle giant. Paul Fonoroff, who met Roy while working on Jackie Chan's The Protector (1985), says that "Roy's life centered more on his family and faith than the entertainment world". Perhaps that is why Roy Chiao could claim the title of "happiest man in the world" (International Screen No. 27, January 1958).
