Tags
Language
Tags
March 2024
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
25 26 27 28 29 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 1 2 3 4 5 6

An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)

Posted By: Someonelse
SD / DVD IMDb
An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)

An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)
DVD9 | VIDEO_TS | NTSC 16:9 | 01:37:16 | 7,03 Gb
Audio: #1 Mandarin (官话), #2 Cantonese (廣東話) - AC3 5.1 @ 384 Kbps (each)
Subs: English, Chinese (中文)
Genre: Action, Drama

Director: Eddie Ling-Ching Fong
Writers: Kang Chien Chiu, Tin Nam Chun

This landmark Hong Kong erotic movie boldly goes where no Chinese movie went before - into the boudoir and even the monastery of a scholar turned Taoist nun turned literati (played by Patricia Ha in her most acclaimed role). Her pursuits of lust and love show that the Tang Dynasty was light years ahead of the West when it comes to sexual enlightenment. In addition, the sophisticated sets won the Golden Horse Award for Best Art Direction.



An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)

An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty is another in the Shaw Brothers’ studio’s proud tradition of period-setting erotic dramas with dodgy English titles, following on from 1972′s Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan. Like the latter, though, it really is just a bit more complicated than you’d think: this movie has a number of attributes that set it apart from the rest of the pack.

An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)

Now, don’t get me wrong. It is what it says it is on the box: a film filled with rampant nudity, about a scholar-turned-Taoist-priestess who’s famous for her appetites. But quite a lot of effort has gone into it: Patricia Ha delivers a magnetic, focused performance in the lead role (reminding me a little of Meiko Kaji in Lady Snowblood, actually), and some of the art direction in the film is superb. In particular, there’s a peculiarly Japanese aesthetic to the film — Patricia Ha’s hair is done in Japanese style, and the sets and staging are more than a little reminiscent of Japan’s period jidaigeki cinema. I don’t know why this was done, but it does give the film a very different feel from just about anything else I’ve seen from the Shaws.

An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)

The story concerns one Yu Yuan-gi (Patricia Ha), a young lady renowned for her scholarship who has chosen to become a Taoist priestess in order to keep her independence and avoid becoming just another wife or mistress to a minor official. She’s a very strong character as the film begins, aware of what she wants out of life and secure in her position as a famous scholar. Life in a monastic order doesn’t really fit with Yu’s insatiable taste for liasons and the world outside her place in society, however; while she associates with the upper classes in her role of the celebrated poetess, she spends her time in the arms of a rough-hewn wandering swordsman (Alex Man Chi-Leung). She also carries on a relationship with her maid, Lu Chiao (Lin Kai-lin), something that’s seen as even more scandalous by her order and the world at large. As the film progresses, Yu Yuan-gi makes even more amoral decisions, and her world begins to spin out of control.

An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)

Unfortunately, this isn’t all that easy a film to watch. It’s filled with very rapid cuts between scenes, and I found myself backing up once or twice to work out what had happened to a particular character who’d vanished without an explanation. This isn’t helped by the fact that Yuan-gi’s a fairly enigmatic character anyway, with fairly sparse dialogue and not much else to give away her motivations. There’s some suggestion on the ‘net that the original cut of the film ran about an hour longer, which might possibly explain this version’s lack of coherence.

An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)

So, to sum up: though an interesting and rather unique film, An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty isn’t easy going. It’s got some excellent performances and superb art direction (recognised with a Golden Horse Award, actually), but its lack of continuity can be a bit taxing.
An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)

One of the most significant and offbeat HK adult films, AN AMOROUS WOMAN OF TANG DYNASTY is a period softcore drama with a decidedly feminist perspective and sexual encounters that are always relevant to the story. Taoist priestess/poetess Yu Yuan-gi (Pat Ha Man-chik) possesses a yearning to experience aspects of life that go beyond the traditional parameters of her station. While associating with the upper echelon of society, she also carries on a torrid relationship with roving swordsman Tsui Pok-hau (Alex Man Chi-leung). Yuan-gi (a gifted scholar who chose to become a priestess, in order to be independent) and Pok-hau (a man who chose to be an assassin, rather than live a mundane life) are a seemingly ideal match but he eventually leaves her to resume his travels in the martial world. In the meantime, Yuan-gi earns the reputation among the townsfolk of being amoral because of the sexual relationship she carries on with her maid, Lu Chiao. Pok-hau returns but soon abandons her again, prompting Yuan-gi to take up with other men. However, when she discovers that Chiao has been impregnated by a man whose identity she refuses to divulge, Yuan-gi's actions lead to tragic consequences.

An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)

Eddie Fong Ling-ching's directorial debut, AMOROUS WOMAN is filled with beautiful imagery and the regal staging seems inspired more by Japanese cinema than traditional HK fare. In a film well-acted by all, it is Pat Ha (easily the most adventurous HK actress of this period) who gives the standout performance: cold yet passionate, determined yet vulnerable. Her daring work, combined with the intelligent screenplay and meticulous production rank this far above the flood of period sex films that followed the creation of the Category III rating in 1989. Fong's original cut of the film ran over an hour longer but reportedly no longer exists, alas. Raymond Lee King-man’s often spare but consistently striking art direction was honored with a statuette at the 21st Golden Horse Awards. Tom Poon Chun-wai (as a scholar attracted by Yuan-gi’s gifts but repulsed by her decadence), Chang Kuo-chu (as a resolute swordmaker), Lam Hoi-ling, Donald Kong To, and Ku Feng also appear.
Hong Kong Digital
An Amorous Woman of Tang Dynasty (1984)

Special Features:
- Video promo spots
- Bios / Filmographies
- Galleries

All Credits goes to Original uploader.