Fall Guy (1982)

Fall Guy (1982)

January 29th, 6:30PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)



Director Kinji Fukasaku is best known in the United States for Battle Royale (2000) or his gritty 1970's Gangster films, but his carrier is actually much more diverse. An example of this is 1982's Fall Guy. Its story is a kind of comedy/melodrama centering on the character of a self obsessed star actor and his exploits in and out of the movie studio and ranges from serious to near slapstick.

Japan, Director Kinji Fukasaku, Cast Morio Kazama. Keiko Matsuzaka, Mitsuru Hirata and Chika Takami, 109 minutes, in Japanese with English Subtitles.

The Series Will Soon Return

The Asian Film Series will return shortly with another semester of varied Asian films for indaviduals connected with the university and those in the community. If there is a particular film you would like to see in the coming months please let me know by posting the the comments of this blog entry. I will try my best to include in the series.

Miracles (1989)

Miracles (1989)

December 18th, 6:30PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)

In 1930's Hong Kong, Jackie Chan plays Kuo Cheng-wah a country bumpkin trying his luck in the big city. Soon after arriving he has a series of bad experiences before receiving a rose from an old destitute flower seller (Gua Ah-leh). Instantly his luck seems to change as he becomes involved in a fight between two large triad gangs only to be made into one of the gangs leaders after the triad members misinterpret their dying leaders last words.

Being far from a criminal Kuo attempts to reform the gangs criminal ways by opening a legitimate nightclub. Soon after he encounters a talented singer (Anita Mui) who he employs at his club in order that she can settle a family debt. After a time he starts to fall into his new life only to be faced with a problem involving the rose seller. He has a belief that her roses bring him luck and will not make a decision or take action until he buys his daily rose. It seems her daughter who has been living in boarding school for most of her life believes her mother is a wealthy social light. Now the daughter has informed her that she will soon be arriving with her fiancé who is the son of a wealthy businessman from the mainland. Now Kuo using the power of his gang attempts to help by convincing her daughter’s fiancé and his family that her clams are true.



Miracles is a remake of the 1961 Frank Capra film A Pocket Full of Miracles which was in fact a remake of a 1933 Capra film Lady For a Day. As surprising as some not familiar with Hong Kong film making might find this next statement, this film might be superior to Capra’s. Those that know of his work and creative output should be well aware of Jackie Chan’s great reverence for the Hollywood films of the 1920's and 30's and this can be said to be his ultimate tribute to them not to mention probably his most polished and personal film. This can also be said to be one of the last great epics of the Hong Kong film industry before its partial collapse after 1993.

The cast of the film is extremely impressive. Containing some of Hong Kong’s greatest principal and character actors in major roles and frequent cameos. Some of the best of these secondary performances include Wu Ma who plays the second in command of Chan’s gang and Richard Ng who has the role of a bumbling police detective.




As for the principal actors, actor/singer Anita Mui finds one of her greatest film roles as Chan’s love interest. The two of them show a kind of kinetic on screen chemistry. She also excels in a scene involving a musical montage showing the clubs development over time. Chan too is in top form both as a actor and in the directors chair. In some ways this film for him can be likened to Hart of Dragon (1985) in that they are both meant to put to rest criticism regarding Chan’s supposed lack of range. In Heart of Dragon he plays the sole guardian of his retarded brother who to some degree is forced to give up his own happiness and prospects for the future to care for him. The film had a lot in the way of drama and little in terms of action. In Miracles there is more in the way of action, but not an excess of it, although what there is remains some of the most impressive pieces of his career. Instead the film relies much more on plot and character development. Some people that are only interested in Chan in action roles might find this a bit slow, but for those that appreciate other elements as well might find one of his best.




In terms of the production values I did not use the term epic haphazardly. The film fielded a very impressive budget for a Hong Kong film of the period and it uses it to construct some massive sets and to import the latest technical equipment from the US and Japan and it shows. Chan had progressed substantially as a director by this period and possesses a strong artistic vison for the film. Also present is the expert cinematography of Arthur Wong and the highly enjoyable jazz score of Lei Siu-Tin who also has a cameo in the film.

This is one of the must see films for those who believes that Jackie Chan is a one trick pony. The only problem that some might find with it is if they came into the film expecting nonstop action and instead found equal parts story, style and characterization.

Hong Kong, Director Jackie Chan. Starring Jackie Chan, Anita Mui Yim-Fong, Gloria Yip Wan-Yi, Wu Ma, Richard Ng Yil-Hon, Bill Tung Piu, Ray Lui Leung-Wai. In Cantonese with English subtitles, 127 minutes.

Ring Virus (1999)

Ring VIrus (1999)

December 11th, 6:30PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)

Remakes are no more uncommon among the cinemas of Asia then they are in the United States and Ring Virus is a prime example of this. In Japan adaptations of the Ring novels have included an initial 1995 TV movie, the 1998 feature film that most people are familiar with along with its two sequels and one prequel and a twelve episode TV miniseries. But the first adaptation of the story made outside of Japan is not the US remake and its sequel, but this South Korean film.



Besides going through the basic story of the novel, it does give the tale its own cultural fingerprint. Parts of the US Ring remake also seem to reference this film as opposed to purely drawing from its Japanese counterpart.

The films star, Shin Eun-Kyung, is otherwise known for such roles as the tittle character in My Wife is a Gangster and a suporting role in the Japanese surealistic horror film Uzumaki.

South Korea, Director Kim Dong-bin. Starring Shin Eun-Kyung, Lee Seung-Hyeon, Jeong Jin-Yeong and Bae Du-na. In Korean with English subtitles, 95 minutes.

Citizen Dog (2004)

Citizen Dog (2004)

December 4th, 6:30PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)

In the past decade Thai cinema has experienced an explosion of new creativity and international recognition. Like Last Life in the Universe the previous Thai film shown in this series, Citizen Dog is a product of this change.


One of the most widely viewed Thai films in the United States is a visually stunning Thai version of the American Western called Tears of the Black Tiger, the first Thai film to be an official selection at Cannes. The director for that film and Citizen Dog is Wisit Sasanatieng and he would impart this, his second film with every bit the visual spectacle of Tears while also delivering a engaging story and characters.

The story centers around the character of a young man from the country who comes to the city for work. Later he falls in love and tries to understand what his existence is all about. This light comedy with surrealistic overtones deals with issues of society and life in a relaxed manner typical of Thai cinema.

Thailand, Director Wisit Sasanatieng. Staring Mahasamut Boonyaruk, Saengthong Gate-Uthong, and Sawatwong Palakawong Na Autthaya. In Thai with English subtitles, 104 minutes.

Scandal (1974)

Scandal (1974)


Scandal (1974)

November 20th, 6:30PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)

Set in the early twentieth century during the chaotic age of Warlords and the early Nationalists struggling against them, the film tells the story of two ne’er-do-wells Chen Ming (Michael Hui) and Chia Liang (Wang Sheng) who witness the rampant corruption going on at every level of government. They eventually decide to attempt to liberate some of the county officials ill gotten gains for themselves but in the midst of doing so they fall into the situation of acquiring information that gives them power over those around them. Now suddenly they are in positions of power and influence and even though everything seems to be spiraling out of control business seem to be going on as usual.



Scandal is the fourth and last collaboration between actor Michael Hui and director Li Han-Hsiang made at the Shaw Brothers studio. The other three being 1972's The Warlord, The Happiest Moment (1973) and Sinful Confession (1974). Before making these four films Hui had become famous with his television comedy/variety program The Hui Brothers Show along with his two brothers Sam and Ricky. American viewers can think of the program as a cross between Laugh-In and The Smothers Brothers and soon became incredibly popular. At this point Michael was offered the opportunity to try his hand at film at the then completely dominant Shaw Brothers Studio.

The four films he eventually made there were written and directed by one of the Shaw Brothers greatest in-house directors Li Han-Hsiang who had previously been known for his lavish period films and Huangmei Operas such as Diau Charn (1958) and Beyond the Great Wall (1964) but had later, after leaving the Shaw Studio for a time, branched out into erotic drama and comedy that frequently intermixed social satire and the four Hui collaborations are examples of this at its very best. The first of the four The Warlord cast Hui as a sometimes bumbling but always bombastic warlord who is morally ambagious to say the least. They follow his character through the glory days of the warlords in the 1920's through to the bitter end. Along with The House of 72 Tenants (1973) the film was instrumental in reviving Cantonese dialect cinema that had previously been outmoded by Mandarin beginning more then a decade before.

The next two films were anthologies that feature Hui in three separate roles each. The Happiest Moment being again set in the early part of the century and Sinful Confession which takes place in modern day Hong Kong. Both films take a comedic bent on the issues of greed, corruption and sexuality in society.

The forth film Scandal deals with corruption and government in the vein of the more things change the more they stay the same. In this sense out of the four Scandal is the most accomplished. When the two miscreants start to work their way into county government they soon discover they are probably the least overtly criminal officials around. Annotating this story there is one completely honest official, the county medical inspector who is completely oblivious to all shady goings on despite interacting with those perpetrating these acts on a daily basis.

After Scandal Li Han-Hsiang went on to make many similar films for Shaw Brothers throughout the 1970's. Michael Hui on the other hand ended his collaboration at Shaw’s owing to the limitations of the ridged studio system. He then joined the Golden Harvest studio which was becoming the Shaw Brothers chief rival at the time. There he was given complete creative freedom and control of his work which lead to a string of now legendary films that changed the face of Hong Kong comedy that he wrote, directed and starred in with his brothers such as Games Gamblers Play (1974) and The Private Eyes (1976). Ironically it was these films which significantly helped Golden Harvest win its fight against Shaw Brothers for dominance in the early to mid 1980's so to an extent in this case they played a major role in their own downfall.

Along with the other four Shaw Hui films Scandal is required viewing for those interested in the evolution of Hong Kong comedy and cinema in general and must be viewed to gain a balanced view of the Hui Brothers and their legacy.

Hong Kong, Director Li Han Hsiang. Starring Michael Hui Koon-Man, Tanny Tien Ni, Lily Li, Zhu Mu, Wong Sam, Ku Feng and Cheng Miu. In Mandarin with English subtitles, 94 minutes.

Fire (1996)

Fire (1996)


November 13th, 6:30PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)


Fire (1996)

The first of a trilogy of films by the same director. They are unconnected in story but each exploring a different tone of storytelling marked by the tittles Fire, Earth and Water. The story is a contemporary tale of a young woman who marries into a family only to find neglect and hopelessness.




She befriends another married woman who has similar feelings and they begin to develop a romantic relationship. Billed as the first Indian film dealing with lesbians, it was protested during its initial release and later banned.

India/Canada, Director Deepa Mehta. Starring Nandita Das, Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Alice Poon. In English, 108 minutes.