200+ Great Films for Chinese Language Film Lovers with REVIEWS
Title entries in this list with comments that ends with "read more", you can go to my blog http://ramblerwithoutborders.blogspot.com/p/film-review-table-of-contents.html to read the rest of the reviews, which is simply too long to place them here.
The Chinese titles in the comments refer to literal translation from the original Chinese titles if they're different from the English titles.
This list contains my favourite Chinese language films that come from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. It also serve as vehicle to show the development of the Chinese language cinema. To this end, this list consists films that mark the milestones in the development, movies that represent the best in their genres, game changer films or simply great, entertaining films. This should give you a panoramic - in Shawscope and other anamorphic lenses - view of Chinese language film industry.
I will try to include my favourites in all genres from art-house to Western (yes, they make Westerns).
I'm nowhere near completing this list. The way I'm going, it probably takes me another century or 2 to keep it up to date (I hope so. I like to live that long). Yep, this is a work in progress. So I could make some howlers from time to time (I'm only human. Just kidding. I'm actually a clever AI algorithm). It should be minimal, and WILL be corrected in due course. The list should contain over 300+ movies or so when I'm done. But do enjoy what I got so far.
____________________________________________________________
If you want to look at my list as a history of HK film development (my angle for creating this list), then you should sort it according to chronological order by Release Date. If not, just leave the list with default sorting.
In this list, if leave unsorted, the genres are grouped together that are headed by the following movies (and chronological order within each group):
------------------------------------ Page 1 ------------------------------------
Black & White (silent & talkie) starts @ The Sing Song Red Peony (1930).
Musical/Huangmei Opera starts @ Diau Charn (1958).
Martial Arts (wuxia & kungfu) starts @ Come Drink with Me (1966).
Crime (action & drama) starts @ The Story of Woo Viet (1981).
------------------------------------ Page 2 ------------------------------------
Art-house/Social Drama starts @ Yellow Earth (1985).
Horror/Cat III starts @ We are Going to Eat You (1980).
Historical/War/Biopic starts @ The Magnificent Concubine (1962).
Comedy starts @ Crazy Money (1975).
Romance (action & drama) starts @ Hong Kong, Hong Kong(1983).
Family/Relationship Drama starts @ The Song of the Exile (1990).
LGBT Drama starts @ Peking Opera Blues (1986).
------------------------------------ Page 3 ------------------------------------
WKW Films starts As Tears Go By (1988).
Other starts @ The Monkey King (1962).
________________________________________
The following link contains terms that are useful when discussing Chinese martial arts flicks. At least, it makes you sounds like an expert, especially if you don't look Chinese.
http://ramblerwithoutborders.blogspot.com/2007/01/glossary-for-chinese-language-film.html
The Chinese titles in the comments refer to literal translation from the original Chinese titles if they're different from the English titles.
This list contains my favourite Chinese language films that come from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. It also serve as vehicle to show the development of the Chinese language cinema. To this end, this list consists films that mark the milestones in the development, movies that represent the best in their genres, game changer films or simply great, entertaining films. This should give you a panoramic - in Shawscope and other anamorphic lenses - view of Chinese language film industry.
I will try to include my favourites in all genres from art-house to Western (yes, they make Westerns).
I'm nowhere near completing this list. The way I'm going, it probably takes me another century or 2 to keep it up to date (I hope so. I like to live that long). Yep, this is a work in progress. So I could make some howlers from time to time (I'm only human. Just kidding. I'm actually a clever AI algorithm). It should be minimal, and WILL be corrected in due course. The list should contain over 300+ movies or so when I'm done. But do enjoy what I got so far.
____________________________________________________________
If you want to look at my list as a history of HK film development (my angle for creating this list), then you should sort it according to chronological order by Release Date. If not, just leave the list with default sorting.
In this list, if leave unsorted, the genres are grouped together that are headed by the following movies (and chronological order within each group):
------------------------------------ Page 1 ------------------------------------
Black & White (silent & talkie) starts @ The Sing Song Red Peony (1930).
Musical/Huangmei Opera starts @ Diau Charn (1958).
Martial Arts (wuxia & kungfu) starts @ Come Drink with Me (1966).
Crime (action & drama) starts @ The Story of Woo Viet (1981).
------------------------------------ Page 2 ------------------------------------
Art-house/Social Drama starts @ Yellow Earth (1985).
Horror/Cat III starts @ We are Going to Eat You (1980).
Historical/War/Biopic starts @ The Magnificent Concubine (1962).
Comedy starts @ Crazy Money (1975).
Romance (action & drama) starts @ Hong Kong, Hong Kong(1983).
Family/Relationship Drama starts @ The Song of the Exile (1990).
LGBT Drama starts @ Peking Opera Blues (1986).
------------------------------------ Page 3 ------------------------------------
WKW Films starts As Tears Go By (1988).
Other starts @ The Monkey King (1962).
________________________________________
The following link contains terms that are useful when discussing Chinese martial arts flicks. At least, it makes you sounds like an expert, especially if you don't look Chinese.
http://ramblerwithoutborders.blogspot.com/2007/01/glossary-for-chinese-language-film.html
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- DirectorAntony SzetoStarsSammo Kam-Bo HungFengchao LiuWenjie WangTen years ago, five students joined a martial arts school and learned the disciplines of Wushu and the bonds of friendship. Today, both will be put to the test after they and a former student stumble into a child kidnapping ring.
- DirectorShichuan ZhangStarsButterfly WuXianzhai WangXia PiezhenThe first Chinese sound film. It tells the story of Hong Pion (Red Peony), a singer-songwriter who, after her marriage to the depraved Faxiang Chen, not only tormented and suffered, but also endured the decline of her artistic career.Alternative title: Songstress Red Peony.
The 1st Chinese sound movie. Made in Shanghai China.
I don't believe the film is available today. - DirectorWancang BuStarsLingyu RuanYan JinLili ZhouThe daughter of a peasant family that works on a landowner's property is in love with the owner's son but the parents force them to separate.She lands up having a child out of wedlock.Chinese title: Peach Blossom Weeps Tears of Blood (桃花泣血記).
English title: The Peach Girl.
For English speakers, 1 of the great thing about watching this Chinese silent film is that you don't need to worry about English subtitle. Not that they don't have dialogues because they're silent. They do have dialogues. It's ...read more - DirectorYu SunStarsLingyu RuanCongmei YuanLi-li LiSister Ye is the master craftswoman in a village of toymakers that is subject to outside attacks. A series of personal tragedies reduces her to a shell of herself, until she breaks and rallies the townsfolk to fight their oppressors.
- DirectorYonggang WuStarsLingyu RuanTian JianZhizhi ZhangStreet walker by night, devoted mother by day, a woman fights to get her young son an education amid criminal and social injustice in China.There's also New Women (1934), which IMDB doesn't have a entry in their database.
- DirectorYu SunStarsYan JinYanyan ChenLi-li LiSix young men from the city take jobs on a road crew, building a highway of strategic importance to the Chinese Army. The story relates the men's interactions with each other, the local community, and two friendly and flirtatious young local girls who become part of their circle. Meanwhile, their hard work is countered by a traitorous foreman bribed by Japanese agents to sabotage the road.
- DirectorHan Hsiang LiStarsDai LinLei ZhaoPei ChiBased on Romance of the Three Kingdoms, movie is a retelling of a familiar tale with iconic actress Linda Lin Dai (Lam Doi) in the titular role of Diau Charn, one of the four storied beauties of ancient China.Many of the early SB's historical costume dramas are done in Huangmei Opera format (also called Huangmeixi) from a period of 1950s up until the mid 1960s.
Huangmei Opera isn't hard to appreciate by newbies who want to ...read more - DirectorHan Hsiang LiStarsDai LinLei ZhaoKing HuA bored Ming Dynasty Emperor decides to take a vacation from his regal duties to a village that boast to have beautiful women. He then happens on a local beauty Li-feng, an innocent waitress who works in a local wine shop.Although Diau Charn (1958) is the 1st Huangmei Diao ever made, it was this 2nd Huangmei Opera feature that gave the genre a real boost, and gave this art form a good run for almost a decade.
When cars arrived on the streets, people called it ...read more - DirectorHan Hsiang LiStarsBetty Loh TiIvy Ling PoLi-Chu ChangThe story about the life of the students at a university in Hangchow. Chu Ying-Tai is a female who has to be disguised as a man in order to gain entry into the school.Chinese title: Liang Shanbo & Zhu Yingtai (in Mandarin)
This is another Huangmexi directed by Li Han Hsiang. When people heard this name, they may say ...read more - DirectorKing HuStarsBetty Loh TiLei ZhaoYin FangAs this is the early 1960s, nobody, not even King Hu could escape from making Huangmei Opera for SB. To be fair, this is his 2nd film, and the 1st 4 films he made ....read more
- DirectorKing HuStarsPei-Pei ChengYueh HuaChih-Ching YangBandits kidnap a governor's son and demand their imprisoned leader to be set free in exchange. The governor's daughter, a skilled martial artist, is sent to rescue him, but eventually finds herself overmatched and in need of assistance.Chinese title: The Great Drunken Xia.
Not a bad wuxia movie in itself. But what I find interesting because it marks ...read more - DirectorKing HuStarsPolly Ling-Feng Shang-KuanChun ShihYing BaiWhen the children of an executed General are pursued in 1457 China, some heroic martial arts swordsmen intervene.Chinese title: Dragon Gate Inn.
This is the next King Hu masterpiece that followed on the success of his seminal work, Come Drink with Me that he made in SB the year earlier. This one, however, was made ...more - DirectorCheh ChangStarsJimmy Wang YuChiao ChiaoChung-Hsin HuangA noble swordsman, whose arm had been chopped off, returns to his former teacher to defend him from a villainous gang of rival swordsmen.This movie is the 1st among many that earned Chang Cheh many ...read more
- DirectorCheh ChangStarsPei-Pei ChengJimmy Wang YuLo LiehA master swordsman leaves behind a female colleague's signature, a Golden Swallow, when killing villains, in order to lure her to his side, as he's madly in love with her, but his ego won't allow him to express it properly.English title: Golden Swallow.
I mentioned in Come Drink with Me that it was the 1st wuxia with a nuxia. That's only partly true. Although Cheng Pei-pei was indeed played ...read more - DirectorCheh ChangStarsPei-Pei ChengLo LiehLei ChengAfter killing his evil son, a martial arts clan incurs the wrath of a rival clan's chief, who's determined to exterminate all of them, but a vagabond, who's a knife throwing expert, intervenes.English title: Flying Dagger
The movie started with a rape scene. When I watched this picture the 1st time in the early 1990s, my 1st reaction is that this opening scene ...read more - DirectorMeng-Hua HoStarsPei-Pei ChengYueh HuaChung-Hsin HuangAn orphaned young swordswoman is sent by her master to join a gathering of martial artists leading a resistance against the invading Jin. Unbeknownst to her, the man who killed her family is present at the meeting, and is in fact a spy.By now, Cheng Pei-pei apparently had a loyal following judging from the number of wuxia flicks she appeared since the seminal Come Drink with Me.
Had no fear, fans of nuxia, even with Chang ...read more - DirectorCheh ChangStarsDavid ChiangLung TiChing LeeYing Ke-Feng, head of Peerless Manor, is an expert swordsman whose escort business transports 200,000 taels of silver to the capital each year. This year, however, he is afflicted with an infirmity that renders him unable to use his sword. Rather than give up this important commission and let the martial world know of his precarious health he means to entrust the consignment to two young knights in his manor, Hsiang Ting and Yun Piao-Piao. As it happens, these two are also betrothed; clearly they have their swordsmanship in common. At Peerless Manor, everyone is suspicious of malevolent strangers who may be sniffing around the silver transport. So when Le I appears astride a high-quality charger but otherwise clearly down on his luck, Hsiang Ting thinks Le I may be a spy for the bad guys in the Flying Tiger Manor. It doesn't help that Le I and Yun Piao-Piao hit it off right away. Even or especially when Le I saves Yun Piao-Piao from a Flying Tiger thug, Hsiang is not assuaged. Yun Piao-Piao is torn, though it seems that a certain sisterly compassion finally wins the day when she arranges to reunite Le I with his horse. It's a cute horse, and Le I seems rather attached ... When the silver convoy passes by a pagoda that happens to house the Flying Tiger gang, Chiao Hung, the Flying Tiger chief, tries to steal the shipment. To win the day, Hsiang and Le must fight together, despite their mutual disaffection.Chinese title: Security Guard (保鏢).
This is 1 of the earliest film where Chang Cheh teamed up his favourite duo David Chiang and Ti Lung in his wuxia flick. Lee Ching also made her early appearance in this wuxia to ptovide the romantic interest in this unrequited love triangle. - DirectorChang-hwa JeongStarsChiao ChiaoLiang ChenHsieh WangThis tale is about a decapitating swordswoman who will let nothing stand in her way when she falls in love with a bandit's son. Chiao Chiao, made famous in One-Armed Swordsman, is the girl who won't let such trifles as craniums keep her from freeing her man from jail. The one villain who manages to keep his head (in every definition of the phrase) is Fan Mei-sheng.English title: Heads for Sale.
Chinese title: Nuxia Sells Heads.
Another nuxia flick, and its number could only be matched by the inordinate amount of qing-gong (light or leaping) skills and ...read more - DirectorCheh ChangStarsDavid ChiangLung TiPing WangChina 1925, a man returns to track down a kill the men who murdered his brother.English title: Vengeance (報仇).
This is a departure of Chang Cheh's main stable genre of wuxia for his previous 20 years of film making except for only 2 (and none of the 2 are in the same genre as this film).
This is an action flick that's neither classified as a wuxia nor a kungfu flick ...read more - DirectorPao-Shu KaoStarsLily HoSeok-hoon NamHsieh WangA young woman tries to find a group of villains responsible for her eldest sister's death, but is shocked to discover that her fiancé is one of them.English title: Lady with a Sword.
"Feng Fei Fei" is the name of our heroine. This is another nice addition to the SB's nuxia subgenre. This time the baton, or more accurately, the ...read more - DirectorCheh ChangStarsDavid ChiangChing LeeLung TiA devious martial arts master targets young, talented swordsmen, and makes a wager that whoever loses should cut off their arm, then surprises them with a secret technique they cannot counter. One of his previous victims have had enough.Unlike The One-Armed Swordsman, where there's only a singular hero played by Wang Yu, this movie has 2 heroes ...read more
- DirectorKing HuStarsFeng HsuChun ShihYing BaiA lady fugitive on the run from corrupt government officials is joined in her endeavors by an unambitious painter and skilled Buddhist monks.Chinese title: Xia Nu (俠女).
This is arguably the most famous flick of the nuxia subgenre, albeit that Cheng Pei-pei ...read more - DirectorsWei LoChia-Hsiang WuStarsBruce LeeMaria YiJames TienA young Chinese man sworn an oath of non-violence moves to Thailand to work with his cousins in an ice factory, which he discovers to be a front for a sinister heroin-smuggling operation.Alternative English title: The Big Boss.
Chinese title: Big Brother From Tangshan (唐山大兄).
it's easy to understand why they wanted to change the Chinese title ...read more - DirectorsKang ChengShao-Yung TungStarsHua TsungFan Mei-ShengChung-Hsin HuangDuring the Song Dynasty, a large family that has produced generations of military generals sees its last male heir killed in battle by an invading army, leaving a large number of courageous women, who decide to go to battle themselves.Chinese title: 14 Heroines (十四女英豪).
English title: 14 Amazons.
The 2 years period 1971 - 72 saw the greatest change, a turning point in HK martial arts film genre.
In this period, the female embodiment of ...read more - DirectorWei LoStarsBruce LeeNora MiaoJames TienDuring the Japanese occupation of Shanghai, the star pupil of a recently-deceased martial arts teacher battles a Japanese dojo which seeks the demise of his master's fighting school.Alternative English title: The Chinese Connection.
Chinese title: Jing Wu School (精武門).
This movie has made the Chen Zhen character so successful that both Jet Li and Donnie Yen ...read more
