Peking Opera Blues
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Theatrical Screenings
Kinoteka 3
Muranów
Online Availability
Additional Materials
Film description
In 1913, China is in a state of chaos – its weak central government leaves corrupt warlords competing for influence. One night in Beijing engulfed in historical turmoil, the paths of three women cross. One is following a box containing valuables, another dreams of a career as an opera performer, and the third has a dangerous revolutionary mission to carry out. Will they manage to survive as bullets fly through the air?
Peking Opera Blues is a cinematic treat, a showcase of the director’s mastery of breakneck action and a blend of genres and tropes ranging from slapstick comedy and caper film to historical drama, ultimately becoming a grand tribute to Chinese opera. It also brings together three leading ladies of Hong Kong cinema – Cherie Chung, Sally Yeh and Brigitte Lin (sporting stylish menswear). Decades later, there is no doubt why Peking Opera Blues remains widely celebrated as the crowning achievement of Tsui’s filmography.
text:
Marcin Krasnowolski
Tsui Hark
A Hong Kong filmmaker of Vietnamese descent, he was born in 1950 and is widely regarded as one of the most versatile and influential figures in the history of popular world cinema. His first three films, considered landmark works of the Hong Kong New Wave, were not box-office hits, but they continue to astonish with their inventiveness and wealth of influences. It was only when Hark turned to commercial filmmaking that he truly demonstrated the full extent of his abilities, quickly establishing himself as a leading figure in mainstream cinema. From 1984 onwards, he also shaped the careers of key directors and actors, and above all actresses, as a producer. Many of them have since gone on to achieve international success. Thanks to his boundless energy and constant drive to explore new forms of cinematic expression, Hong Kong cinema developed a distinctive identity that helped turn it into a compelling export. Tsui Hark now works primarily in the Chinese film industry, making big-budget blockbusters.
1979 Zabójcze motyle / Dié Biàn / The Butterfly Murders
1980 Niebezpieczne spotkania pierwszego stopnia / Di yi lei xing wei xian / Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind
1984 Shànghǎi zhī yè / Shanghai Blues
1986 Kaczka po pekińsku / Dāo Mǎ Dàn / Peking Opera Blues
1989 Mistrz / Huang Fei Hong jiu er zhi long xing tian xia / The Master
1991 Dawno temu w Chinach / Wong Fei Hung / Once Upon a Time in China
1991 Bankiet / Hao men ye yan / The Banquet
1995 Ostrze / Dao / The Blade
1995 Chińska uczta / Gam yuk moon tong / The Chinese Feast
2005 Siedem mieczy / Qī Jiàn / Seven Swords
2011 Latąjace miecze ze Smoczej Bramy / Lóng Mén Fēi Jiǎ / Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
2021 Chángjīn hú / The Battle at Lake Changjin
2022 Chángjīn Hú zhī Shuǐmén Qiáo / The Battle at Lake Changjin II

