The fortunes of Shaw Brothers were not doing great as the ’80s arrived. The major studio that once dominated Hong Kong’s box office was finding itself being edged out by newer studios and films by Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. Even worse was the rise of television and home video. Shaw Brothers needed more to tempt audiences into their theater chain than stay at home and watch TV. With the departure of Chang Cheh (Five Deadly Venoms) who helmed five or more films a year, the studio needed new directors. Eddie Ling-Ching Fong was a screenwriter when Shaw Brothers brought him in to make An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty. Even though the movie is a period piece like so much of the Shaw Brothers work, the film differs from your usual expectations when the logo appears on the screen.
Yu Yuan-Gi (Happy Bigamist‘s Patricia Ha) has stopped being the concubine to a wealthy man. He brings his wife to her to beg her to reconsider since she is unable to have kids and wants her to carry on her husband’s line. Yu Yuan-Gi has other plans for her life. She wants to focus on being a Tao Priestess. Why has she chosen this instead of being a Buddhist monk? Because she doesn’t want to shave her head. She also wants to keep working on her poetry. Her studies in Tao get detoured during a swim in a lake. She encounters a swordsman Tsui Pok-Hau (Hong Kong, Hong Kong‘s Alex Man) who brings her back to her old pleasurable past. The two get wild on his boat and on land. But before thing can get too serious, he must pack up his sword and hit the road for work. Yu Yuan-Gi and her maid head back to the Tao center. Her time of study ends when one night, she comforts the maid by putting on Tsui’s old battle mask and giving her a massage that turns out to be more. What career path will Yu Yuan-Gi take now as she keeps an eye out for the swordsman’s return?
An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty would have been a major hit on Cinemax After Dark if the Shaw Brothers hadn’t shut their vault when they converted to a TV production complex. This has just the right blend of a historical period piece with sensuality. The erotic scenes in the film feel sophisticated and not exploitive. The finale has a major wuxia action scene that you crave from Shaw Brothers films, but with a twist at the end that seems true to the material. Yu Yuan-Gi is in control. The ending (which I won’t disclose) makes this more than just an erotic exploitation film. This would be the only movie Eddie Ling-Ching Fong would make at Shaw Brothers, but An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty is so impactful.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. No Shawscope screen here. The transfer is taken from the original camera negative so you see the details on the screen. Audio is 2.0 Cantonese. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio Commentary by David West, author of Chasing Dragons. The film played did well in its original two weeks release in the summer of 1984. The movie was listed as one of the 100 greatest Hong Kong films ever made. He touches on the historical figures in the movie. We also learn about Shaw Brother also leased out its movie theaters in Hong Kong after they got out of movie production.
Alex Man On An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (21:24) catches the actor at the Far East Festival which as a cool logo involving a Panda on the Empire State Building. He talks about how at one point he was filming four movies at the same time. He gets into how things went on An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty. He talks about the love scene on the boat. Don’t watch this before the movie. This is the second part of his interview with Fred Ambrisine. I believe this was done in 2012.
Trailer (1:13) lets viewers know things are going to get kinky.
Still Gallery (2:59) includes color press photos.
Mini-poster suitable for framing.
88 Films present An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty. Directed by Eddie Ling-Ching Fong. Screenplay by Kang-Chien Chiu, Tin-Nam Chun & Eddie Ling-Ching Fong. Starring Patricia Ha, Alex Man, Kuo-Chu Chang, Monica Lam, Kwan-Min Cheng, Ku Feng, To Gang, Ying-Ying Hui, To Kong, Ting-Sheng Lin, Tom Poon, Gei Shun Wai, Li Yi-shang, Lai Wang, Shu-Tong Wong & Yu-Fen Wu. Running Time: 111 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: March 25, 2025.
