100 Years of Chinese Cinema

The Arts House has brought together a festival of old Chinese films to celebrate 100 years of chinese cinema. The films in this series ranges from fantasy (Na Cha The Great, 1974) to the erotic (Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan, 1972) and even horror (Human Lanterns, 1982). Drawn from the Shaw Studio library, the festival offers an interesting glimpse into the diversity of chinese filmic products for the past century.

I caught Journey to the West: The Cave of Silken Web, which contains some unexpected soft core erotica. Imagine the spider-vixens half-naked on a giant spiderweb with Monkey God looking on. And the film was made in 1967. In the theatre were also two middle-aged men talking loudly about their erotic VCD collection.

Some highlights include:
The House of 72 Tenants (Chu Yuan, 1972)
One-Armed Swordsman (Chang Cheh, 1967)
The Kingdom and the Beauty (Li Han-hsiang, 1959)
And a talk on "The Erotic in Chinese Films"

PS: Remember to stay clear of the lone middle-aged men

The Arts House