Connie chan Po-chu: her movies

[jenb]

Hi Everyone,

The swordsplay movies that Chan Bo CHu was involved in were all very complex novel sets so for movie industry to put this into a 2,3,4 part movie is pretty difficult and furthermore since these movies are over 40 years old, there will be chops and cuts when doing the transfer...

Ihave seen Brave Girl Spirit and SnowFlake Sword when I was very young so I write down what I remember. I did buy the vcd boxset even though I know there were cuts and chops because I love Chan Bo Chu.

Here goes:

Brave Girl Spirit - In the beginning, there were 4 guys who are after this one woman for her beauty. Her husband was the top notch martial artist and he battles people to stay champion. He dies early and his wife - well, it does not show but you suspect she got raped by one of them...One of the guys took that woman's son to take care of him. He grows up wanting to find the truth of who he is...He was given 27 words. Chan Bo Chu on the other hand was given the same 27 words to find her father who was one of the 4 guys...They meet up with each other and later fall in love...Eventually they find who they need to find and what the son needed to do, to rid of the martial arts world of evil and revenge for the mother.

Snowflake Sword is about this woman who wants to rule the world and she has evil and great powers to do so. Her disciple Shuet Nei later on helps the good side and took a liking to Cheung Ying Choi - who will eventually be the one who will fight evil and win along with Chan Bo Chu who holds power to help the Shaolin sect. The sword is the ultimate secret and what both sides want to conquer the martial arts world. Let me find the chinese version of this movie and translate and put here at a later point.

Infernal Gate I thought was pretty in tact...I like the ones with Chan and Siao Fong Fong - they make a nice screen couple, good chemistry. My favorite is Banner of the Twin Phoenix. The plot was very interesting and complex also with Siao Fong Fong.

Sue

[dleedlee]

Brave Girl Spirit - In the beginning, there were 4 guys who are after this one woman for her beauty. Her husband was the top notch martial artist and he battles people to stay champion. He dies early and his wife - well, it does not show but you suspect she got raped by one of them...One of the guys took that woman's son to take care of him.

Jeez, don't know if you watched the vcd yet but, it starts with the husband/father getting killed and I don't know that it was clear they one of the four took the son to raise or not.

re: Banner of the Twin Phoenixs, I've heard praise for this film before but don't think I've seen it sold online. Is there a different title or did you see it on TV/VHS?

How are Killing Flag or Half a Sword/Half Sword and a Bell? Have you seen either of them?

I agree that Connie Chan and Josephine Siao make a great pair. And Nancy Sit is always a plus, too.

[jenb]

Yeah, I did watch Brave Girl Spirit - the husband or father is the top martial artist dude and he does get killed. The mother, we don't know what happens to her, only that the 4 guys are going towards her. Next scene is a young man and one of the 4 guys - who is older now...but then he dies and young man goes in search of his identity!

Banner of the Twin Phoenix thus far has not been released and I do not know if the movie got lost, damaged or what. That is so sad!

Ok, what is Killing Flag or Half a Sword/Half Sword and a Bell? Do you know the chinese titles of them? Are they also swordplay?

Nancy Sit and Chan Bo Chu did not have the same chemistry as with Siao. They tried to match them together in that Red Lantern movie. Kinda like Chinese opera, the Yam/Bak combo was really good. When they are match with others, it is good but not great.

I am glad that Chan came out of retirement and did her concert. I bet people who remember her and lived in HK were estatic. But I wonder, what were her real reasons...she said because of her son...

Sue

[dleedlee]

Yes both are swordplay films. Hmm, I guess they are Siao Fong Fong only, no Connie:

Killing Flag
奪魂旗
Tang Pik-Wan,Lam Ka Sing, Siao Fong Fong, et al

Half a Sword/Half Sword and Bell
半劍一鈴 - Ng Kwan Lei, Siao Fong Fong,Sek Kin, Tso Dat Wah

True, Nancy Sit is more a supporting cast member while Chan Bo Chu and Siao Fong Fong are usually equal/rivals/couple.

I like the Yam/Bak duo too but must admit I like them in modern films more, especially Yam Kim Fai. Easier for me to follow. Did you see that there's a new publication from HKFA on Yam Kim Fai? Only Chinese version though. So Yam was Connie's teacher right? Don't know much about her early history.

[jenb]

Growing up in the USA and living in NYC...Chinatown was great to go to on Sun to watch Chinese movies. Most of them were cantonese opera which I could not understand or enjoy at the time. So when Chan Bo Chu blasted into the theatres, everyone went to watch her especially in swordplay movies. So some of the movies you mentioned with Siao Fong Fong , it was not available.

In as far as Yam/Bak movies, I only know of the cantonese opera and never seen any of the modern movies she was in. From reading, Yam took a liking to Chan and accepted her as her disciple. Now, what training she did, that was not known and because of her schedule in the movies, Chan did not do too many operas.

I just hope they bring out more of her swordplay movies. She is at her best in those.

Sue

[dleedlee]

Well according to a bio I read, Connie made about 200+ films so there's certainly more to be released. And I did not realize she was only 24 when she retired! Ack, how humbling.

I still can't follow cantonese opera very well but I, too, remember Sunday film screenings in the auditorium/gym at the Chinese community church. All I recall is the drums and gongs as we kids just ran around in the dark playing.

[jenb]

Hi Deedlee,

Which Chinatown are you from? I am from NYC Chinatown, east coast...

From what I read she was in 200 + movies, most of it as supporting roles or small roles when she was younger and before she became known...which was not until 1965 when she did Six Fingers and Snow Sword...I think that was the start...but her best is with Siao Fong Fong in swordsplay movies I think in 1966...but because SIao wants first billing- they stop doing mo hup movies together...this is what I am hearing the talk on the web...

What I want to see is more of their mo hup movies...

Sue

[Bruce]

which was not until 1965 when she did Six Fingers and Snow Sword...I think that was the start...but her best is with Siao Fong Fong in swordsplay movies I think in 1966

I don't know when she began starring, but she certainly was starring with Siao Fong Fong in 1963 in Golden Coat.

http://www.angelfire.com/az/ying/castg/gco.htm

[dleedlee]

Not necessarily definitive nor without bias, from the HKIFF's The Restless Breed: Cantonese Stars of the Sixties interview with Chan Wan:

"Chan Wan had a conscious plan to make Chan Po-Chu a star. On YOU DO ME WRONG [1966], the script was written specifically with Chan Po-Chu in mind, taking into account her talents in singing, dancing, and Cantonese opera training.. 'Chi-Luen was not confident about Chan Po-Chu appearing in a movie with contemporary settings and they wanted Patrick Tse Yin as her co-star as insurance, but I proposed that they use Wu Fung because Tse Yin's start status would have unbalanced the whole picture and taken away from Po-Chu. The audience for the movie would want to see the picture not the star; so I threw the whole picture to Po-Chu.'...Chan claims than Chan Po-Chu and Josephine Siao had never took on lead roles in the many martial arts movies they made together until after they had become popular with the contemporary youth musicals."

RED THREAD STEALS A PRECIOUS BOX also paired Siao Fong Fong and Chan Po-Chu in 1963.

Chinatown: East Coast, too, DC
(I can still remember being traumatized as a child by getting separated from my parents on the NY subway on a trip up for a funeral.)

[jenb]

Hi,

Wow, East Coast Chinatown DC - I think I've been there visitng friend who lived in Rockville Center.

Red Thread Steal Box and The Golden Coat (Yuk Niu Sun Geem) were both done 1963 timeframe. They were not as popular then as a couple until 1965 - now why that time I do not know...I remember watching Six Fingers and said this person is really good and then later she appeared with Siao Fong Fong and I said they are really good together...According to some talk shows , Sio Fong Fong decided to not do any more mo hup movies because she wants her name to stand alone. And because they did not do any more films together, there is no fighting as to why people watched their movies. So that was the start of their demise...Later they went into being the young , innocent girl movies...but by that time...cantonese movies took a nose dive and mandarin speaking movies came about - the shaw bros movies, the taiwan movies which go bok bok, bang bang when people fight.

I am not familiar with the movie you are talking about but then what do i know...

Sue

[dleedlee]

I am not familiar with the movie you are talking about but then what do i know...

I don't recognize the film either. I only cite it for his claim of having made her famous with it. According to the database, it also starred Wu Fung, Nancy Sit and Mak Gei. It's listed as a drama.

Wow, East Coast Chinatown DC - I think I've been there visitng friend who lived in Rockville Center.

I grew up in Rockville! We moved there when I was in junior high after leaving the city. My parents are still living there.

Bruce, re: Six-Fingered Lord, #12 is Yuen Lap Cheung (posting photo shortly) and I still think #16 looks like Chan Lap Baan.

Yuen Lap Cheung:
http://www.hkmdb.com/db/people/images.m ... ay_set=eng
Chan Lap Baan:
http://www.hkmdb.com/db/people/images.m ... ay_set=eng
(apologies for the quality)

[jenb]

Where is this website? I want to take a try to see who I know and post to the forum...It seems all the posting for Chan BO CHu got cleaned up and out...

[dleedlee]

Where is this website? I want to take a try to see who I know and post to the forum...It seems all the posting for Chan BO CHu got cleaned up and out...

I think this is the link you're looking for:
http://www.angelfire.com/az3/kitty/all.htm

Don't understand what you're saying about the Connie posts, though.

[Bruce]

Don't understand what you're saying about the Connie posts, though.

I think the author had noticed that there used to be around 5 pages of posts on this message thread, and now there is just 1 page; the early messages seem to have vanished.

[bkasten]

Don't understand what you're saying about the Connie posts, though.

I think the author had noticed that there used to be around 5 pages of posts on this message thread, and now there is just 1 page; the early messages seem to have vanished.

OK, now I am confused too. We are not talking about this forum, right? I certainly haven't deleted anything in this topic, although I did change the number messages in a thread displayed (i.e., this thread is now one page). In general messages will never be just deleted, nor topics pruned, unless they are deemed totally inappropriate or offensive.

[dleedlee]

Can't say for sure but I think feekeewee's post on this thread was the original. As you've both already noted, only the layout changed and instead of spanning 5 or 6 pages, they're now all on one page. That didn't register mentally until it was pointed out. I _think_ that's the only difference.

[jenb]

Hi,

I just remembered at one time this was like 5-6 pages and lot more info on it and now it is down to one page. And also not everything is there.

Anyways, I took a dare and got this Chan Bo Chu movies from Yesasia since that is the only place I can buy online CHinese movies that I know of. It is like 1963 make and it is a cantonese opera one. I read the summary and there was not mention of her name or her role. I got it anyways, and I was surprised...she got a lot of screen time and watching her do her cantonese opera fighting is really amazing. There are 2 types of cantonese opera:one is the singing kind where it is drama and the other kind is where people get up in these fighting clothing with flags behind them. I like those because there is not much you need to understand and the acrobratic ability is quite amazing...

Now, there was another one I got only for the reason it was to dedicate Chan's teacher Yum Kim Fai - boy what a rip off, i do not see Chan at all or even clips of Yum singing or even any performance of Chan...

Sue

[dleedlee]

Hi,

I just remembered at one time this was like 5-6 pages and lot more info on it and now it is down to one page. And also not everything is there.

Sue

Perhaps you were thinking of this thread?
http://hkmdb.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t= ... =subtitles

Anyways, I took a dare and got this Chan Bo Chu movies from Yesasia since that is the only place I can buy online CHinese movies that I know of. It is like 1963 make and it is a cantonese opera one. I read the summary and there was not mention of her name or her role. I got it anyways, and I was surprised...she got a lot of screen time and watching her do her cantonese opera fighting is really amazing.

Now, there was another one I got only for the reason it was to dedicate Chan's teacher Yum Kim Fai - boy what a rip off, i do not see Chan at all or even clips of Yum singing or even any performance of Chan...

Well, moving forward. So, which films are you talking about? Titles? If you found a worthy film please share! Likewise, any stinker.

[jenb]

Hi,

I recently purchased 2 movies from YesAsia:

Long Hu Feng Yun Wan Li Hong 龍虎風雲萬里紅 - I looked it up and it is a 1963 film and usually Chan has a very small role and limited screen presence. She is usually someone's kid where the parent gets into trouble or gets killed and she grows up to take revenge,etc...But in this movie, she is there at the beginning of the movie and in many of the fight scenes of this movie. It is Cantonese opera so she is doing northern opera fighting, quite impressive. The movie is about 2 brothers, 1 of them is adopted and is in love with the sister...played by Mak Bing Wing, So Siu Tong, and Tam Seen Hung respectively...Mak is one that does not like war but his whole family's existence is to go fight in the war and bring honor to family and protect the king. Chan plays Mak's son. Without giving away the story...Mak gets killed accidentally by So and the sister and Chan wants to find out who did it and meanwhile fighting the Yuans - You see a lot of fantastic opera fighting here...

The other one:

Da Lao Guan Yue Yun Jing Hua Za Zhi Hao Wai Pian

大老倌粵韻精華雜誌號外篇 - 任白慈善基金紀念任劍輝女士十五周年

Supposedly a tribute to the great Yum Kim Fai. So I was thinking they would show clips of her old movies and her singing. And also they would show the appearances and singing by Mui Shuet See, Lung Gim San , Chan Bo Chu since they were her disciples...nada...just shows a bunch of people mumbling, and looking a pics...

I just put in an order for Golden Hairpin...it is a 4parter with Cheugn ying Choi, Shuet Nei, Yu So Chow and Chan ...but Chan does not appear in until part 2 - so one online store,broked it up ...part 2 under Chan's name only...and if you look under shuet nei, it is all parts... I will let you know when i watch it and what I think

Sue

[dleedlee]

Hi,

I recently purchased 2 movies from YesAsia:

Long Hu Feng Yun Wan Li Hong 龍虎風雲萬里紅 - I looked it up and it is a 1963 film and usually Chan has a very small role and limited screen presence. She is usually someone's kid where the parent gets into trouble or gets killed and she grows up to take revenge,etc...But in this movie, she is there at the beginning of the movie and in many of the fight scenes of this movie. It is Cantonese opera so she is doing northern opera fighting, quite impressive. The movie is about 2 brothers, 1 of them is adopted and is in love with the sister...played by Mak Bing Wing, So Siu Tong, and Tam Seen Hung respectively...Mak is one that does not like war but his whole family's existence is to go fight in the war and bring honor to family and protect the king. Chan plays Mak's son. Without giving away the story...Mak gets killed accidentally by So and the sister and Chan wants to find out who did it and meanwhile fighting the Yuans - You see a lot of fantastic opera fighting here...

The other one:

Da Lao Guan Yue Yun Jing Hua Za Zhi Hao Wai Pian

大老倌粵韻精華雜誌號外篇 - 任白慈善基金紀念任劍輝女士十五周年

Supposedly a tribute to the great Yum Kim Fai. So I was thinking they would show clips of her old movies and her singing. And also they would show the appearances and singing by Mui Shuet See, Lung Gim San , Chan Bo Chu since they were her disciples...nada...just shows a bunch of people mumbling, and looking a pics...

I just put in an order for Golden Hairpin...it is a 4parter with Cheugn ying Choi, Shuet Nei, Yu So Chow and Chan ...but Chan does not appear in until part 2 - so one online store,broked it up ...part 2 under Chan's name only...and if you look under shuet nei, it is all parts... I will let you know when i watch it and what I think

Sue

Thanks, Sue.

The first film (for anyone else that might interested) is listed in the database as THE HEROIC BATTLE.

And Part 4 of Golden Hairpin is not even listed in the database! I will have to search a little more and see if it is listed under a different name. The cast looks pretty impressive. I'll look forward to your review of it. Tien Seng doesn't make the best vcds but they are not the worst either.

I'm surprised yesasia allowed the negative reviews on that Yam Kim Fai tribute. Lately, when I post negative remarks, they never get approved.

It looks like you really keep on top of the newest releases.


Switching subjects:
By any chance, have you seen 金殿福星 / Lucky Star of the Royal Palace / Heaven Brought Us Together ? I have the Universe DVD that runs 77 minutes and I recently noticed on Winson's site that they have an upcoming release listed at 120 minutes! That's almost 50 minutes difference. I rewatched it this week and it doesn't seem possible, unless a whole lot of songs got cut out, though there is no lack of them in the version I have. It's a quite entertaining Sting-type film starring Law Kim Long and Fong Yim Fen with To Sam Gu as the Sting-ee.

[duriandave]

Hi Dennis! Part 4 of The Golden Hairpin is listed as "Final Episode". BTW, have you seen the new interface for the online catalog at the HKFA website. It's quite an improvement over the old one!

Just got Golden Hairpin in the mail today. Can't wait to watch it!

I also saw that Green-Eyed Demoness is out! It's listed at Layoyo but not at YesAsia. I'm so excited that I'll finally be able to see this one.

[dleedlee]

Hi David,

I did see Green Eyed Demon listed and yesasia has it now too.

I added Golden Hairpin, Part 4 to the database these weekend (is it listed as something else?). I'm looking forward to it, but what's with Tien Seng charging more than China Art or Winson for their vcds! I won't get around to seeing it for awhile anyway. I'm awaiting one order and already have a cart full ready, both titles included.

BTW, have you seen JADE IN THE RED DUST? Is the double DVD the full 3 parter or is it cut? Winson says it's 251 some minutes so it could be relatively complete. I know that won't fit on the 3 vcd set but I'm wondering if the vcd and DVD are different lengths. The review (by sue/jenb?) of the vcd at yesasia confirms that it's cut, but is the DVD possibly complete?

Winson listing:
http://www.hkwinson.com/newweb/dvddetai ... ilm_id=455

Oh, I haven't seen the new HKFA interface yet. And I've been checking lately to see if the new publications are released yet. I will check it out....Ooh I see Vol.5 - Chinese edition is out, come on English version! It doesn't look like one can actually order online via the lcsd.gov.hk site though. Is that the one you mean?

[duriandave]

Glad to see Green Eyed Demon at YesAsia. Looks like I'll have to place another order! But comparing prices with Layoyo, I'm seriously considering trying them out instead ($3.50 as opposed to $7.99!).

Golden Hairpin, Part 4 is listed in the HKFA database as Golden Hairpin, Final Episode and as Golden Hairpin, Conclusion (if I remember correctly) in the Restless Breed: Cantonese Stars of the Sixties book.

The online catalog at HKFA I was referring to is their public access catalog (http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/). It's a really great resource.

I did see the listing for Volume 5 of the Filmography and was excited to read that there are 24 color pages. Hopefully, the English edition will be out soon.

As for Jade in the Red Dust, I haven't picked it up yet, but it's on my never-finished want list.

[dleedlee]

The online catalog at HKFA I was referring to is their public access catalog (http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/). It's a really great resource

Whoa-ho. First WebPac, now IPac! I had not seen the new version. Very cool, and from first look, quite an upgrade. Thanks for pointing it out.
...And some entries in English, too.

Now that's government at work!

[jenb]

Hi,

Jade In the Red Dust is very good storyline. I got the 3 vcd set and the 2nd vcd had the cuts - I could not figure out what Josephine Siao Fong Fong did for the teacher to get so angry at her to kick her out of the school. Then after that, she and Cheung Ying Choi turned evil under the influence. Chan Bo Chu plays the girl who is engaged to Cheung Ying Choi and also learn awesome martial arts to rid the martial arts world of evil...I checked the Yesasia website and both dvd/vcd set is 251 mins ; 2 dvds and 3 vcds set...So I am not sure if the DVD is more complete or not.

I do not want to say one company is better than the other. I have purchased from both Layoyo and Yesasia. Layoyo, yes, it is much cheaper but since you are buying from Hong Kong, you will pay a lot more for shipping and handling and plus the only way that is cheap to contact them is by email. I have not returned anything but if I did, I do not know the process and how long it will take.

With yesasia, I would either email them or call - they are in San Francisco and I live in USA. They send an envelope and you mail it back - they would check the merchandise and make a determination to send you replacement and if not available, they will refund. I am not saying Layoyo will not do the same but I have not that experience.

If you buy from Layoyo, best to buy more than just that 1 movie...I seem to remember if it is 1 movie or 5, it is same shipping...

What is Green Eyed Demon about?

Sue

[duriandave]

Hi Sue! I'm not sure what Green-Eyed Demon is about, but it's supposedly one of Suet Nei's best films. And I'm a big fan of hers, so I've been wanting to see this for a long time now. If I have time tonight, I'll post something about the film that appeared in the Restless Breed book.

I've used YesAsia for several years now, and they've always provided excellent service. But when I noticed the prices at Layoyo, I was quite surprised at how much cheaper they were. But I think I will stick with YesAsia after all, now that they have Green-Eyed Demon in stock!

[dleedlee]

David, layoyo prices are cheaper but figure about $2/unit for s/h and it's not much difference. I've been using yesasia a lot the last couple years because I've got sucked into all the $4.99 vcds. Also, less worries about shipping and/or customs, though in truth, I never had problems with layoyo either. Only thing was, when Visa started their Verified by Visa program both of my Visa cards issued by two different credit unions stopped working with layoyo and I had to get a commercial MasterCard, which meant I had currency conversion fees associated with the issuer. Oh, and watch their shipping units. Sometimes they make no sense at all, especially for for oddball items or boxsets.

Having said all that, I noticed that yesasia doesn't always carry the DVD version of a Winson release while layoyo will carry both. So, if it's vcd only, I will buy from yesasia. If it's available on DVD, layoyo is the way to go as the price for DVD is almost the same and sometimes even cheaper.

Sue, can you check and tell me how many minutes are on each vcd of Jade in the Red Dust? I thought the max capacity for a vcd was around 72 minutes. So, 3 * 72 = 216 minutes. If, indeed the DVD is 251 minutes, then the DVD is longer than the 3 vcd set. More likely, neither is 251 minutes.

[duriandave]

Well, Dennis and Sue, after all you've said, I think I'll stick with YesAsia. Thanks for the comments!

And just to keep the Connie Chan thread floating at the top...

I just rewatched For Better, For Worse (1959) and was once again impressed by what a great actor Connie was at such a young age. If you haven't picked up this film yet, I highly recommend it. Another excellent film from director Yueh Feng (whose Shaw Bros. film Auntie Lan I just saw recently and also heartily recommend).

While perusing volume 4 of the HKFA filmography, I noticed that Connie also starred in a movie called The Scout Master (1959) as a boy scout! Is this her first male role? Anyway, I'd love to see this. Unfortunately, I don't think this Cathay/MP&GI film is planned for release. But maybe I'll see it sometime before I die

[dleedlee]

Hey, nothing wrong with layoyo, just that with them, it's more economical to buy in bulk. (Like I need the encouragement.) About to place an order myself, just trying to restrain myself a little.

I did watch For Better, For Worse and really enjoyed it, too. My Connie film recommendation of the week would be A Goddess' Sword, starring Yu So-Chau , Walter Tso Tat Wah, a martial arts revenge film. Excellent fight scenes, including one against a giant spider.

re: Scout Master, I've been wishing for that release ever since I saw the photo of Leung Sing Bo in shorts.

[jenb]

I will check on the 3 vcds set at home tonight and see how long it is...When I looked up Yesasia they say both were 251 mins. But you got a good point with your calculation.

For Better For Worse....I did not know Chan Bo Chu was in any mandarin speaking films nor did I know she spoke mandarin. She could have for that role. She did really good in it at such as young age. The kid brother was good too.

There was a talk show where two guys were talking about the Seven Princesses and what value and roles they play on the silver screen. Then they talked about the 2 who were most successful - Siao Fong Fong and Chan Bo Chu - who was better. It seems that the talk show host was a little biased to say Siao Fong Fong was a better actor than Chan - that Siao was an actor and Chan was a star. Perhaps if Chan had done more dramas - she would have reach that status...who knows...

Chan's films with Lu Kei, Tsang Gong, Wu Fen were mostly of the young innocent, naive girl falling in love with guy and some how guy's family don't like...and then they get back together. Some of them were ok like I liked Spoony Girl a lot - that was drama. I liked her modern day action films more but unfortunately I have yet to see Lady Killer series - those were her best they tell me.

Scout Master - i think that is a 1959 movie with Leung Sing Bo's daughter Leung Bo Chu - how about that? I have no clue what is that all about.

Goddess Sword - is that the one where Tao Dat Wah wears one of those Tarzan suit and long hair to save them at the end? If it is, I think I saw this one...Boy, there were a lot of cuts in that movie - it jumped from one scene to another where I do not know how they got there and how everyone met each other... There is a young Siao Fong Fong and Chan Bo Chu in there...