Hong Bo

The Goddess (1934) is remade once again. In this version, Zhu Shilin tackles the anxiety concerning the clash of 20th century Chinese traditions and modern Western culture. Despite her father’s strict discipline, Fun still manages to have a boyfriend secretly and give birth to twins. After leaving her son to her father, she takes off with her daughter. Twenty years later, Fun has become a streetwalker. The three generations finally come face-to-face at the police station. Her father laments that his generation should be ousted while Fun’s generation has been sacrificed, leaving the future for the next generation to establish. Zhu carefully depicts the shame of selling one’s body without passing judgment while he finds balance and reflects on the pain in the age of progress. Even though the production was far from lavish, Zhu’s astute handling of the narrative and mise-en-scène makes this a vivid and exciting film to watch.

Four sisters, each with their different characters, embark on their separate roads to romance. Elder sister has vast experience of romance; second sister is predisposed to vampiness and wantonness; third sister is righteous and of noble character; fourth sister is just reaching puberty and experiencing the pangs of first love. Being sentimental, flirtatious and amorous, the four sisters form a backdrop conducive to songs and tripping the light fantastic.

Yiu But-fan marries on the day his father Yan-kit retires as a distinguished swordsman when Yan-kit's nemesis 'Ghostly Mother Blue Flower' Chiu Choi-wan and her foster son Lai Chun-wah gatecrash the party, striking dead the elder and But-fan's wife with the White-bone Soul-thrashing needles. Having pledged his alliance to the anguished son, Taoist Tranquil of Emei vows to eradicate the menace at Mid-Autumn Festival when his junior disciple Kau Suet-mui is challenged to a duel with Chiu. Kau's fellow disciples Hung Tin-bo and Chuk Yuk-heung follow the orders of their master to roam the martial world and tumble into a bandit lair. Extricated from danger by the Taoist, the duo join hands with the passer-by Yiu to thwart Lai's assault on Kau by sorcery, again aided by the Taoist. Yiu, Kau and her peers head back to the Kau Fortress where a martial contest is being held to select a prospective groom for the daughter. Kau overwhelms Lai in the ring but concedes defeat to Chiu.

'Ghostly Mother Blue Flower' Chiu Choi-wan has abducted a group of virgin boys and girls for the nourishment of her mind and soul. Alarmed by the abduction, Yiu But-fan, Kau Suet-mui and Hung Tin-bo make a night raid on the Hanshan Temple to release the children and set a torch to the bandit lair. Fuming over the arson, Chiu casts a spell on Kau, who kills the father of Chuk Yuk-heung in her cross-dressing persona as Yiu. Confronted by the angry Chuk clansmen at the Chuk Fortress, Yiu tries futilely to defend his innocence. Believing that Chiu has masterminded the framed murder, the fugitive infiltrates the White-bone Yinyang Cave where he finds himself attacked by Kau and Chiu. Demon-vanquishing Magic Monk, Chuk and Hung helped Yiu wrestle Chiu, who fled. Kau is nursed back to health by the monk and joins the fellowship in their quest to annihilate the demon. With all her venomous needles forfeited to the monk, Chiu gets her comeuppance, slain by Chuk's flying dagger.