AKA: Hu die bei, 蝴蝶盃
Martial arts filmmaker Chang Cheh makes his directing debut alongside seasoned co-director Yuan Chiu-feng in this huang mei diao (Chinese opera film) from Shaw Brothers studio.
Yu-chuan (Chin Feng) accidentally kills the vicious son of Governor-General Lu Lin (Chiao Ming) while dispensing justice for the murder of an elderly fishmonger. The victim’s daughter, Feng-lian (Pat Ting Hung), flees with Yu-chuan and the two become lovers. Lu Lin attempts to apprehend Yu-chuan until confronted with evidence of his deceased son’s crimes. While heading up a raid on bandits, Lu Lin is rescued by Yu-chuan and unwittingly makes the young man his godson in appreciation. This causes a misunderstanding between Yu-chuan and Feng-lian that threatens their relationship.
As primarily a romantic musical drama, there is only about two minutes of fighting about an hour in. The sequence has Lo Lieh, in one of his earliest roles, and star Chin Feng fending off bandits in the woods. It’s a short but bloody skirmish that provides an excellent preview of the type of action Chang Cheh would fill his subsequent martial arts films with. No action directors are credited but Lau Kar-leung appears briefly as an extra suggesting he may have been responsible, possibly along with frequent co-choreographer Tang Chia.
Genre: Huang Mei Diao
Companies: Shaw Brothers
Release Date: March 10, 1965
Producer: Run Run Shaw
Director: Yuan Chiu-feng, Chang Cheh
Action Director:
Cast: Pat Ting Hung, Chin Feng, Chen Yanyan, Kao Pao-shu, Lo Lieh
