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Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan

Original title: Ai nu
  • 1972
  • 1h 26m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972)
ActionDrama

A poor girl sold into prostitution soon becomes the focus of a detective's investigation when a series of murders occur at the brothel where she works.A poor girl sold into prostitution soon becomes the focus of a detective's investigation when a series of murders occur at the brothel where she works.A poor girl sold into prostitution soon becomes the focus of a detective's investigation when a series of murders occur at the brothel where she works.

  • Director
    • Yuen Chor
  • Writer
    • Kang-Chien Chiu
  • Stars
    • Lily Ho
    • Yueh Hua
    • Betty Pei Ti
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Yuen Chor
    • Writer
      • Kang-Chien Chiu
    • Stars
      • Lily Ho
      • Yueh Hua
      • Betty Pei Ti
    • 14User reviews
    • 17Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos16

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    Top cast50

    Edit
    Lily Ho
    Lily Ho
    • Ai Nu
    Yueh Hua
    Yueh Hua
    • Chi Te
    • (as Hua Yueh)
    Betty Pei Ti
    Betty Pei Ti
    • Chun Yi
    Lin Tung
    Lin Tung
    • Pao Hu
    Chung-Shan Wan
    Chung-Shan Wan
    • Yeh Shun-tzu
    Fan Mei-Sheng
    Fan Mei-Sheng
    • Wu Hua-tien
    • (as Mei Sheng Fan)
    Wen-Chung Ku
    Wen-Chung Ku
    • Chao Wen-chien
    Shen Chan
    Shen Chan
    • Li Chang-an
    Mien Fang
    Mien Fang
    • Wei Chien-chung
    Chen Hao
    Chen Hao
    • Liao Kuo-kuang
    • (as Hao Chen)
    Hao Li
    Hao Li
    • Chou Hai
    Ching-Ho Wang
    Ching-Ho Wang
    • Lord Chao's Physican
    Peng Peng
    Peng Peng
    • Constable
    Ling Chiang
    Ling Chiang
    • Courtesan
    Kang Ho
    Kang Ho
    • Wu's crew
    Sze-Ma Wah-Lung
    Sze-Ma Wah-Lung
    • Governor Chou
    • (as Hua-Lung Szema)
    Wei Lu
    • Four Seasons
    Tse Lin Yang
    Tse Lin Yang
    • Constable
    • Director
      • Yuen Chor
    • Writer
      • Kang-Chien Chiu
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews14

    7.11.2K
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    Featured reviews

    6derek-duerden

    Don't be Fooled by the English Title

    Overall, this is a pretty good Wuxia story, with a brothel context and revenge story at its centre. The original Hong Kong title is more honest - if less salacious-sounding - and, apart from some appropriate toplessness towards the beginning and end, there's not much titillation. It is of course wildly patriarchal and sexist but presumably that's supposed to be a historical given?

    Meanwhile, I'm not an expert in the genre but, for me, the action scenes aren't really a patch on fare such as House of Flying Daggers or (my favourite) Hero. This predates both by quite a while, of course.

    Worth a watch if you like this kind of thing, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it.
    9danthsmith

    Brilliant

    Absolutely marvellous Shaw brothers classic. Definitely strong influence on Kill Bill. I watched the dubbed version which seemed OK. Art direction terrific. The ending is an over the top bloodbath









    Fantastic
    6Uriah43

    A Beautiful Woman Plotting Revenge

    This film essentially begins with a young woman by the name of "Ainu" (Lilly Ho) being kidnapped by slave merchants and taken to a brothel owned and operated by a beautiful but extremely evil woman named "Lady Chun" (Betty Pei Ti). Although Ainu tries to escape and does everything in her power to resist she eventually is auctioned off to four men in particular who each take their turn raping her one day after another before returning her back to Lady Chun. However, after these ordeals are finished she not only gains the respect of Lady Chun but subsequently wins her affection as well. Yet in spite of her elevated status, Ainu still nurtures a hatred in her heart for those four men and as a result she patiently waits for the right time to gain her revenge. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that, although I would have preferred a bit more depth and intrigue, this still turned out to be an entertaining martial arts movie for the most part. Likewise, it certainly didn't hurt to have two beautiful actresses like the aforementioned Lilly Ho and Betty Pei Ti. Be that as it may, while I don't consider this to be a great martial arts film by any means, it was certainly good enough for the time spent and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
    10athena-no-sainto

    Awesome!!!

    This film is really hard to classify in one genre,many people would say is an erotic film, some would say is a martial films but this film is unique...Lily Ho is amazing as the deadly Nv, a girl who accept her destiny just for change it but for me the real star of the film, the queen of this magnificent film is Betty Pei Ti as the evil mistress, she is able to give to the character all the evilness that she needs but at the same time she gives her some kind of tenderness that makes impossible to hate her..The end of the movie is amazing,but I will not spoil it here...I'm a big fan of the Shaw brothers films and this is one of my favorites, maybe I'm the biggest fan of this movie in the world..If you really want to have a great time, do not hesitate on watch it
    9Musicianmagic

    Probably the Best Shaw Brothers martial arts/adult film

    A woman named Ainu is kidnapped and sold to a brothel. She tries to resist & escape but fails being caught immediately. Given the choice between dying or accepting her position in the brothel she chooses the latter. Soon after is rented to four wealthy clients and secretly vows revenge. Also becoming the lover of the brothel's lesbian Madame.

    There is several scenes of martial arts action. Something Shaw Brothers were well known for. Included is a little blood, of course a bright red color, another thing the Shaws were known for. But wait, there's more. The storyline is still the main focus. It's an interesting story on its own. Throw in a little minor nudity as well.

    From beginning to end is a strong script. The action for the most part is well choreographed. The acting is good to excellent. This is one of the most well known Hong Kong films of its type. A true classic.

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    Related interests

    Bruce Willis in Die Hard (1988)
    Action
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Connections
      Featured in Cinema Hong Kong: The Beauties of the Shaw Studio (2003)
    • Soundtracks
      Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up
      Written by Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason and David Gilmour

      Performed by Pink Floyd

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    FAQ12

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 9, 1972 (Hong Kong)
    • Country of origin
      • Hong Kong
    • Language
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
      • Aşk Kölesi
    • Production company
      • Shaw Brothers
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 26m(86 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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