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A
CHINESE GHOST STORY
AKA:
N/A
Year:
1987 Reviewer: Pat
King
Tsui
Hark remembered a film from his childhood that used to scare
him. The name of this film was 'The Enchanting Shadow' made in
1960, which was adapted from a story by Pu Sung Ling (who also
wrote the original story to King Hu's 'A
Touch of Zen'). In 1987 he would film a remake entitled 'A
Chinese Ghost Story' handing the directorial reigns to Ching
Siu Tung who had previously directed the landmark 'Duel to
Death'. It is widely recognised however that as Tsui was
always on set he had in fact directed a number of sequences
himself making this more of a collaboration between the two
maestro's. It has also been speculated that this is the film
where Tsui famously locked his cast and crew in a studio for
three days and three nights until a sequence was finished.
Ling
Choi San (Leslie Cheung) is a tax collector, who when he
reaches an inn to collect he finds than all the ink has run in
his account book due to the rain he has had to travel in. As
he has no legible accounts the inn keeper refuses to pay. As
he has no money he spends the night in the famously haunted
Lan Ro Temple. It is here he first encounters the eccentric
nomadic swordsman Yin Chek Hsia (Wu Ma), who can‘t live in
the world of mortals so he chooses to live in the world of
ghosts. It is here that Ling become inexplicably drawn to the
bewitching singing of Lip Siu Sin (Joey Wong). Ling becomes
enchanted by her oblivious to the reality that she is in fact
a ghost who lures young men so that Old Dame (Lau Siu Ming),
thousand year old tree demon, can suck out their Yang energy,
thus leaving a corpse shrivelled like a sultana. Lip however
becomes equally besotted with Ling and attempts to hide him
from the Old Dame. But Ling and Lip's love for one another is
doomed as Lip is betrothed to the Lord of the Black Mountain,
and following a battle with Old Dame, Swordsman Yin takes pity
on Lip and agrees to help Ling take her ashes back to be
buried in her home village so she can re-incarnate. Despite
their attempts she is sucked into the netherworld and they
must follow to save her.
The
battle in the netherworld (The sequence believed to be the one
where Tsui locked his cast and crew in a studio until it was
finished) wasn't originally in the script but Tsui thought the
film needed a big action finale. However by the time filming
started for this sequence, the budget had already been
exhausted. In order to disguise the lack of funds Tsui filled
a sound stage full of smoke to hide the non-existent sets. The
result was highly effective and illustrates how Hong Kong film
makers can make up for a lack of funds through sheer
imagination. Sadly this now seems to be a dying trait in an
industry that appears to be losing this creativity under the
ever increasing budgets.
'A
Chinese Ghost Story' is a landmark in Hong Kong film history.
It is as much a love story as it is an action/horror film and
would define the visual formula for sequential wuxia films. It
even has a few pauses for a hint of comedy but nothing
intrusive. Fresh and original (despite being a remake), this
film has not dated and still remains just as fresh today.
There are great performances all round and the casting of Wu
Ma as Swordsman Yin is inspired. It also has a suitably
haunting soundtrack.
Any
fan of wuxia films MUST see 'A Chinese Ghost Story'. I can not
give a higher recommendation for this veritable classic. It
deserves every bit of praise it has received over the years.
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