The Tea House
Boss Cheng (Chen Kuan-tai) is a middle-aged refugee in Hong Kong. He is frank and honest. After a year of hard work, he and his friends have managed to open a teahouse, called the Cheng Chi Teahouse. Business is brisk, and all employees in the teahouse are his relatives and fellow-refugees.One day, Hsien Kang kills two thugs to avenge his murdered sister, Hsien Chu (Liu Wu-chi) who was employed at the teahouse. Boss Cheng helps to get Hsien’s sentence reduced.The thugs led by Hsiung (Fan Mei-sheng) are impressed by the tact and bravery of Boss Cheng when he and several of his friends venture into their hideout to rescue some teahouse workers. Then boss Cheng helps the police to smash a drug smuggling gang. He also squeezes $300,000 from the gangsters, and donates the amount to charity before informing the cops.Mrs. Wang (Karen Yeh Ling-chi), a poor widow, is touched by Boss Cheng’s kindness and she decides to marry him. Two different gangs attempt to murder him during the wedding. But the timely arrival of the cops saves him.Next day, the thugs led by Sheng Fan-ming, again attack the teahouse. Yet once more the cops arrive in the nick of time to arrest the ringleader. However, the police are under the impression that one way or another Boss Cheng is connected with the gangsters. Therefore, the police pressure him into revealing the names of the underworld.Cheng is finally forced to leave home with his wife and children, forsaking his teahouse, relatives, and friends.
Lifeline
It is human instinct to elbow a way off the scene in an accident. For dutiful firemen, they must brave danger and hardships to save lives and properties of citizens and it is such bravery that arouses them to action.Bravery- fearing not and in high spirits, but firemen are human and tend to meet with difficulties in life. Although being brave in duty, they find it difficult to solve their personal problems.Wan (Lau Ching-wan), an experienced fire brigade officer, deems that application and theory are two different things and that we are often hindered by such restrictions. To save people as his duty, he would not mind treading on those rigid regulations, thus time and again subjecting himself to disciplinary caution from his superior, Captain Shun (Alex Fong), a perfectionist.Carman (Carman Lee), a young female doctor full of aspirations in her career, having been sent to give first aid to the wounded at a fire scene, meets Wan and is deeply touched by his unselfish bravery. They fall in love with each other. Before long, Carmen finds that they hold different views on the outlook on life. As to Wan, he just takes things easy.During a big fire, in defiance of his superior’s warning, Wan leads a team to break into the fire scene, causing heavy casualties from the explosion of gas cylinders in the premises, Wan narrowly escapes with his life but has to face disciplinary charges as a result. His career is at risk and his heart sinks with contrition. At that very moment Carman deserts him, adding insult to injury.At a factory, an explosion caused by toxic and inflammable gas discharged into a sewer caused great confusion and heavy casualties. Firemen turn out in droves and discover gas still hidden in the sewer threatening to explode again. Shun gets stranded there while leading a team to clear up the mess. Wan is ordered to rescue Shun, but it is left to be seen whether or not diffident Wan succeeds in the mission.Seeing Wan fighting the fire on TV, Carman emotionally rushes to the scene for him. Wan manages to bring a number of victims back to safety at the expense of his own life.A loser is he ere he wins the heart of his lover and undying glory for the firemen.
Women
After several years’ happy married life, Liang Pao-erh (Cora Miao) discovers her husband Sun Tzu-wei (Chow Yun-fat) to be keeping a secret mistress Ollie (Cherie Chung Cho-hung). She decides to divorce him, and the couple become estranged, with their only son Dong Dong (Liang Hai-liang) under the custody of Pao-erh.Since the estrangement, Tzu-wei co-habits with his lover, while Pao-erh joins a Single Girls’ Club comprising members frustrated in love, divorcees and widows. The members lead a carefree life, but cannot hide their deep frustrations and inner emotions.Tzu-wei is still profoundly attached to Dong Dong and often comes to Pao-erh’s home to see him. In fact, his relationship with Ollie is more carnal than true love, and her highly possessive personality becomes too much for him. On the day when he signs the divorce paper with Pao-erh. Ollie lands them in a tight spot. Tzu-wei subsequently dates his ex-wife and apologize to her over the unpleasant incident. Tzu-wei offers to reconcile with Pao-erh and she weeps in deep emotion in public. This causes the misunderstanding other co-member Li Chang-ngo (Li Mu) who creates a scene to the embarrassment of all.Tzu-wei’s meeting with his ex-wife angers Ollie, who begins to rampage. Tzu-wei slaps her and Ollie leaves him in anger.Tzu-wei eventually comes back to Pao-erh, and despite a subsequent misunderstanding at a party, the two finally reconcile the sake of the happiness of their only son.
Passing Flickers
Legend of the Snake is all set for shooting. The leading man Liu Yung is late as usual, while another star Chan Shen has vanished altogether. Chan is eventually located making love to an extra inside a sedan, and is teased into hosting a party for everyone.A sizzling scene is completed to the relief of everyone involved. Then the camera was found to contain no film.An accident to the Green Snake lady interrupts filming. For continuity sake, Liu Yung is required to ad-lib as a mad swordsman, but gets coaxed into pulling a crazy stunt on a deserted set. Meanwhile, Green Snake is apparently recovering in a hospital from a miscarriage. A surprising number of anxious “fiances” stream in to visit her.Dr Chao (Ching Miao) is duped by a conman (Feng Ching-wen) to invest into the co-production of Young Huang Fei Hung with Liu Yung in the lead. As the movie nears completion, the producer tries to evade paying Liu, but Liu outsmarts him and further plunges him into worse debt.On another set, a costumed Huang Shih-chieh (Liu Yung) argues with a rival clan boss Lu (Yang Chi-ching) and his grand-daughter over territorial rights. While everyone is bundled up in winter clothing and furs for the snow scene and sweating heavily through the endless retakes, chaos occurs on set due to the sudden intrusion of a totally unrelated group of performers.These are just some of Li Han-hsiang’s amusing film anecdotes which he scripted from some of his own popular newspaper columns.
Women Of Desire
Chin Tsung (Ling Han) is a handsome pop singer from a posh nightclub, and his numerous fans include author Szu Tu-fen (Maggie Li Lin-lin). An affair develops between them but after a while the singer jilts her.Anna (Chen Ping) is usually able to exercise control over her wealthy husband, Lo Chien-hsing (Wang Jung) but she fails to prevent him from doing smuggling business which he does in cahoots with the female singer, Feng Ling-ling (Elaine Chin Yen-ling). Meanwhile, Anna falls in love with the singer Chin Tsung. She commits suicide after being dropped by him.Chen Pi-yun (Tina Chin Fei) is the wife of Wang Wen-wei (Lu Chi), an engineer. They have a son, Wang Chih-chiang. One day, a traffic accident cripples the engineer. His wife goes out to work and she comes across Wu Yao-tsu (Frankie Wei Hung), a stock market broker. When they begin to date each other it arouses her son’s suspicion but her husband is still left in the dark. Finally, Pi-yun and Yao-tsu die during love making due to taking the wrong drug.Socialite Li Lien (Lin Ching) is the wife of Dr. Ou Yang Cheng-kang (Hu Feng). One night, a young woman, Peggy (Wong Ping-ping) pretends to be sick and phones the doctor asking him to come to her home immediately. The wily woman begins to lure the unwary doctor into a trap, which is laid in collaboration with her husband, George Chang. In her bedroom, the doctor is startled by the sudden appearance of George, who accuses him of raping his wife. The matter is settled after he promises to pay George $1/2 million. However, the doctor keeps on seeing Peggy. After repeatedly ignoring her advice to leave Peggy alone, Li Lien leaves her lecherous husband. Once more, George blackmails the doctor demanding $1 million for a peaceful solution to the affair. After paying the money, Peggy leaves the doctor and goes back to George. The doctor is infuriated by her treachery and in a fit of rage confronts George. The two get into a fight and plunge to their deaths when they fall over a cliff.
Challenge Of The Gamesters
Under the guise of a Chinese intelligence agent, Kuo Sheng (Melvin Wong) asks gamester Lo Szu-hai (Patrick Tse Yin) to kill Shanghai tycoon Chang Lieh (Chen Kuan-tai) who is allegedly linked with the recent Japanese killings of Chinese officials, and to acquire a list of Japanese spies in his possession.Lei Li (Wang Yu), a minor gamester, offers to help Lo in his mission. After heavy wins at Chang’s casino, Lo is invited to Chang’s home for a mahjong contest to which Lei also procures an invitation through Chang’s daughter Hsiao Yung. During the contest they manage to locate the safe where the Japanese spy list is kept. Subsequently, after some ingenious deception and the assistance of Chou Ling, a film star that Chang wants for his mistress, Lo traps him into revealing the safe’s combination. After breaking into the safe, Lei is confronted and knocked down by Hsiao Yung, who turns out to be Chang’s No. 1 killer. Lo rescues him in the nick of time.The partners hand over the list to Kuo Sheng, who is by now being hotly pursued by Chang Lieh and his men. Kuo kills Chang as intended, but Lo then exposes Kuo’s true identity as a Japanese secret agent and finally kills him also. Due to robbing the tycoon’s safe, Lei clearly ends up doing well for himself.
Sons Of Good Earth
When Manchuria, the northeastern part of China, fell into Japanese hands, orphan Lotus escaped into Wen Cheng County, inside the Great Wall with her uncle who, out of greed, sold her to an underworld figure, Chang Pao-lu.One day when house madam Shan Li-hung forced her to answer the call of a customer, Lotus attempted to commit suicide by jumping off a window. Though she was restrained, her struggle was seen by two men in the street below, Yu Jui and Kuan San-shen, who reported the matter to police constable Huk. After Chang Pao-lu disposed of the constable by lying that there was no one attempting suicide on the premises, he locked up Lotus in the brothel.It happened that new police commissioner Tiger Ting took over the duty of the Police Bureau Chief in the District. He launched an anti-vice campaign during which the house madam fled and lost track of Lotus. Luckily Lotus ran into the company of Yu and Kuan. When constable Huk interrogated them, Kuan identified Yu and Lotus as husband and wife thus getting Lotus out of trouble.Through the encouragement of Kuan as their go-between, and the prompting of their good neighbours, Yu and Lotus went before the altar.During the ceremony, Chang Pao-lu and the house madam led a group of mobsters to the wedding to cause trouble. Just as Yu and Kuan were overpowered, Tiger Ting arrived with a squad of policemen, arresting Chang Pao-lu and the house madam. Thus Yu and Lotus were peacefully married.Soon the Sino-Japanese hostilities flared into a full-fledged war and Wen Cheng County fell into Japanese hands. Yu, Kuan, their neighbours Li Shou-chien, the father, and Li Meng-shih, the son, and many others took up arms against the enemy.Released by the Japanese from jail, Chang Pao-lu and the house madam worked their way into the puppet County Council through the help of traitor Old Man Ma. Chang and the house madam arrested Yu and Lotus. Fortunately, their neighbour Lei Hsiao-ku who was working in the Japanese Gendarme Headquarters rescued them.In time a puppet Eastern Hopeh Autonomous Government was set up. Artistes Han Shen-chun and Yu Lan-hsien, a husband-and-wife team were forced to sing at the inaugural ceremony of the Government. Major-General Nishio took a fancy to Yu Lan-Hsien who was forcibly taken to headquarters and raped.At the same time, Japanese espionage agents arrested Li Meng-shih as a hostage to force his father, scholarly Li Shou-chien, to join the puppet Government. When papa Li committed suicide, the Japanese agents set the son free.At the re-opened brothel, Chang Pao-lu celebrated Old Man Ma’s promotion. At the banquet, the house madam slandered Yu Jui and Kuan as being anti-Japanese elements. The two were subsequently, arrested by the puppet government spies. To save Yu Jui, Lotus went to Major-General Nishio’s residence to seek help from Yu Lan-hsien. As Yu Lan-hsien had gone insane, Lotus’s appearance in the general’s home only served to attract the undesirable attention of Nishio.In return for the release of Yu Jui and Kuan San-shen, Nishio asked for Lotus’s favours. At a dinner given by Nishio in honour of Lotus at the brothel, Lotus snatched a gun from Japanese spy Kamekichi Wakashima and shot Chang Pao-lu to death.On the other hand, Yu Jui and Kwan San-shen, though released, were still shadowed by spies. They were luckily saved by Lei Hsiao-ku, an underground liaison working in the Japanese Gendarme Headquarters, who later sent the two men to a guerrilla zone. Nishio, in the meantime, put Lotus in jail as a dangerous element.Yu Jui, Kuan San-shen, Han Shen-chun, Li Meng-shih, and Lei Hsiao-ku joined the guerrilla unit headed by the former Wen Cheng County police commissioner, Tiger Ting.On the Japanese festival, Tenchoo Setsu, which fell on April 29, in honour of the Emperor’s birthday, the guerrillas made their way into the city in disguise. They were to blow up the enemy ammunition depot.The first squad entered disguised as Japanese to cut the enemy’s communications and water supply. The second squad impersonated the puppet County Council pest controllers, entering the city with a batch of rats. The third squad pretended to be a funeral procession with a coffin which actually contained heavy arms.The plan was a complete success when the guerrillas released gasoline-soaked rats which rushed through searing flames into the ammunition depot and blew it up. All prisoners of war were freed.Yu Jui and Lotus lived happily ever after.
Temptress Of A Thousand Faces
The Temptress is a mysterious thief who commits crimes in disguise and is ever elusive. Female detective Chi Ying loves newsman Yu Ta whose colleague Mao Li is his secret admirer. Because Chi has humiliated the Temptress in a television interview, she’s taken to the Temptress’ headquarters and punished before being released.Posing as Chi, the Temptress meets Yu, appears at a fashion show and makes off with a large hual of gems. Police jail Chi for the offence but she’s later acquitted, only to fall into the hands of the Temptress once again.Again disguised as Chi, the Temptress visits Yu at home and they make love. Their loveplay is televised and transmitted to the Temptress’ hideout. This inflames the jealous Chi. She manages to escape from the gang and goes straight to Yu’s home, catching Yu and the Temptress in bed. The two women start to brawl as the hapless Yu watches. The Temptress manages to flee with the chief detective, Chi and Yu in hot pursuit. She manages to turn the tables on them however, and captures Chi.At their stronghold, the gangsters gape at the two women. They’re identical! Chi is then subdued and imprisoned by the Temptress. Using dynamite, the cops blast their way into the gang’s headquarters. The criminals are decimated in the ensuing gunfight. The Temptress is shot dead and later identified as woman reporter Mao Li.
Love Without End (B/W)
Night has fallen on the city of Hong Kong. Her myriads of lights are aglow, giving the city a fairyland look.Wandering into the world of flashing neon-lights where the night-life of Hong Kong is in full swing, is a young girl who, fresh from the countryside, is quite fascinated and dazzled by what she sees.Her name is Li Tsing-tsing. She is looking for her uncle who is a violinist with a night-club band. The gaiety around her seems to accentuate her own loneliness. She steals out into the garden of a night club to have a good cry.Finding her there is a young man Tang Peng-nan, who has returned from studies abroad, and is taking a breather from a heavy-drinking homecoming party given in his honour by his father.He strikes up a conversation with her and learns that she wants to be a singer. A little under the influence of alcohol, he insists on dragging her back into the night-club to sing with the band. The results are quite unexpected. Loud applause greets Li Tsing-tsing’s song.Sobering up the next day, Peng-nan vaguely remembers the little country girl of the night before, and through his friend Lu Jui-seng’s influence, he gets her a job as vocalist with a night-club band.The two sees a lot of each and fall in love.Peng-nan’s father dies after a short illness. He finds out that the family-owned construction company, is heavily in debt and is insolvent.He inherits the responsibility of paying off his father’s debts. He manages to raise half of the amount, but is still short of $300,000.Tsing-tsing, now a popular night-club vocalist, finds out about it from Lu Jui-seng. She agrees to go on a ten-month world tour with a man Wang Tung-hi, whose advances she had previously always repulsed, as his “private secretary” for $300,000. She then asks Lu Jui-seng to lend the money to Peng-nan, without mentioning that it is from her.With his financial problem solved, Peng-nan proposes to Tsing-tsing, who asks him to give her ten months to decide, as she was going on a tour. He misunderstands her and walks off.Peng-nan devotes his time to his business. Under his capable management the construction firm is firmly back on its feet again. When Tsing-tsing returns from her tour she finds that he has not forgiven her yet.Meanwhile Lu Jui-seng is killed on a trip when his plane crashes. In the settlement of his estate, Peng-nan writes out a cheque of $300,000 to repay Jui-seng.After her return Tsing-tsing is in a very weak state of health and she ends up in hospital. Her friend Meng Li knows that she still loves Peng-nan. She informs Peng-nan about her health. Peng-nan is still in love with her too. He visits her in hospital and learns from the doctor that she is suffering from an incurable disease and did not have long to live.He and Meng Li decide to keep the news from Tsing-tsing herself. He wants to make Tsing-tsing happy during her remaining days. One day he proposes to her. This time Tsing-tsing accepts.But while she is preparing for her wedding, she accidentally finds out that she had only a few months more to live.Believing that Peng-nan is only marrying her out of pity and has not yet forgiven her for going off on the tour, she leaves him again.Peng-nan tries to find her, but fails. He redoubles his efforts when he finds out that the $300,000 from Lu Jui-seng had really come from Tsing-tsing and the reason for her tour dawns on her. But his efforts are all in vain.As the days dragged into months, he takes to drinking to deaden the ache in his heart.One stormy night, Meng li arrives at his home with a fisherman. They have news of Tsing-tsing’s whereabouts. They rush to it – a dreary little house on a lonely deserted island. Peng-nan rushes in, but it is too late. Tsing-tsing has died.
