Shanghai Blues
(Tsui Hark, 1984, Hong Kong, 103 minutes)
New 4K restoration!
In 1937, after The Second Sino-Japanese War breaks out, soldier Tung (Cantopop legend Kenny Bee, last on our screen in My Heart is That Eternal Rose) and young woman Shu (Sylvia Chang, Long Day’s Journey into Night) have an awkward meet cute in darkness under a bridge as they seek refuge during a bomb raid. Although they can’t see each other’s faces they promise to meet again after the dust settles. Ten years later the soldier, now a burgeoning songwriter and tuba-player in a marching band, is back in town desperately searching for his would-be soulmate. As fate would have it, they end up living in the same building unbeknownst to each other. Through a series of mishaps he mistakes her new ingénue roommate Stool (Sally Yeh, The Killer) for his love interest and wacky love triangle hijinks ensue. Webster Film Series favorite Tsui Hark (Peking Opera Blues, Once Upon a Time in China) almost singlehandedly reinvented Hong Kong cinema in the 80’s and 90’s with uber-kinetic genre opuses, amping up cinematic spectacle whether with special effects or sheer unbridled energy. This Hong Kong styled homage to the screwball comedies of yesteryear features black belt level slapstick and delightfully droll romcom shenanigans.
In Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles.
New 4K restoration!
In 1937, after The Second Sino-Japanese War breaks out, soldier Tung (Cantopop legend Kenny Bee, last on our screen in My Heart is That Eternal Rose) and young woman Shu (Sylvia Chang, Long Day’s Journey into Night) have an awkward meet cute in darkness under a bridge as they seek refuge during a bomb raid. Although they can’t see each other’s faces they promise to meet again after the dust settles. Ten years later the soldier, now a burgeoning songwriter and tuba-player in a marching band, is back in town desperately searching for his would-be soulmate. As fate would have it, they end up living in the same building unbeknownst to each other. Through a series of mishaps he mistakes her new ingénue roommate Stool (Sally Yeh, The Killer) for his love interest and wacky love triangle hijinks ensue. Webster Film Series favorite Tsui Hark (Peking Opera Blues, Once Upon a Time in China) almost singlehandedly reinvented Hong Kong cinema in the 80’s and 90’s with uber-kinetic genre opuses, amping up cinematic spectacle whether with special effects or sheer unbridled energy. This Hong Kong styled homage to the screwball comedies of yesteryear features black belt level slapstick and delightfully droll romcom shenanigans.
In Cantonese and Mandarin with English subtitles.