A Chinese Ghost Story

Saturday, August 15 at 1:30 PM
Michigan

Film | Fantasy/Action | NR | 1h 35m | 1987
Part of Martial Arts Matinees

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 (Tsu-hsien Wang), 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.

Programmer's Note:

Based loosely on a short story from the 1700s, A Chinese Ghost Story is a landmark film of the Xianxia genre. Translated as "Immortal Heroes", it's the more fantasy-oriented counterpart to Wuxia(Martial Heroes) film, most famously exemplified by Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. In this film though, you'll find more similarities to Evil Dead 2 than Gladiator, if we're comparing it to American Films. Every frame of this film is filled with impressive wirework stunts, hammy jokes from otherwise tender Wong Kar-Wai collaborator Leslie Cheung, and colors that ooze like the zombies they plow down. If you're including the excellent rap number in the middle of it's runtime, A Chinese Ghost Story is easily one of the best ways to spend an afternoon.

~ Jonney, Cinema Programming Assistant