This classic 1987 Hong Kong release was the first time i saw a movie of it's type, a action, horror, romantic comedy, and boy was it a work of cinematic greatness. It starts of as a funny script with lots of humour and then incorporates the martial arts sword fighting action shortly after, followed by the horror and romantic elements, with all that mixed together you get the enjoyable visual cocktail that is, A Chinese Ghost Story. This movie was so popular, it won a few awards, was followed by two sequels, an animated film, a television series, a 2011 remake and also sparked the trend of folklore ghost films in the Hong Kong film industry. A Chinese Ghost Story had some very impressive horror elements, especially one in particular, in the form of a giant tongue belonging to the 1000-year old tree demon, which is so grotesque and horrid it will make you shiver, also the spirit of the sexy suductress that lead unsuspecting men to their doom is also a nice touch, plus other spooky stuff. The fight scenes were very well choreographed, from the jumping sword fights to the use of supernatural powers, the giant tongue i mentioned earliar also as a few fight scenes. The romantic sequences work well in this movie with its comedic antics and cute aww moments between the enchanting spirit, played by Joey Wong, and the lead role, played by Hong Kong superstar Leslie Cheung. Years later, Cheung unfortunately committed suicide due to depression on 1 April 2003 by jumping off the 24th floor of a Hong Kong hotel, Cheung left behind some memorable moments as a musician and actor, including this masterpiece, A Chinese Ghost Story.
Synopsis and trailer
In this martial arts film, Ning Choi-san (Leslie Cheung), a traveling tax collector, takes shelter for the night in an abandoned temple. When he meets the lovely maiden Nip Siu-sin (Joey Wong), Ning immediately falls for her. Unfortunately, Ning later discovers that she is a ghost who is forced to serve a cruel demon, and he resolves to save her from the evil spirit. Enlisting the aid of Taoist warrior Yin Chik-hsia (Ma Wu), Ning ventures into a supernatural realm to save Nip's soul.
Directed by: Ching Siu-tung
Produced by: Tsui Hark
Screenplay by: Yun Kai-chi
Story by: Pu Songling
Starring: Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong, Wu Ma
Music by: Romeo Diaz, James Wong, David Wu
Cinematography: Poon Hang-sang, Tom Lau, Sander Lee, Horace Wong
Edited by: Cinema City Production Co. Ltd. Editing Unit
Production company: Film Workshop, Cinema City
Distributed by: Media Asia (previous) Fortune Star (current), Hong Kong Legends (UK), Metropolitan Films (FR)
Release dates: 18 July 1987
Running time: 1hr 38mins
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