Hopping Vampires, Seductive Snakes: The Night of Hong Kong Madness

Film description

This year's double bill is a perfectly measured dose of Hong Kong classics, reminding you why the Fragrant Harbor was the most exciting place on the world cinema map in the 1980s. Films were made without regard for budgets, with joy and the conviction that anything is possible in cinema. That's why audiences around the world eagerly awaited entertainment fresh from Hong Kong. Mr. Vampire, produced by the legendary Sammo Hung, is the most famous representative of the hopping vampire comedy subgenre — colorful and funny, with great martial arts scenes. The visually beautiful “Green Snake” is one of the most fairy-tale-like and sensual films by master Tsui Hark, an artist who shifted popular cinema into high gear.

These are the first official screenings of these films in Poland—not from worn-out VHS tapes, but from beautifully restored 4K copies. Put together, they will make for a great evening, especially since we will be serving refreshments during the intermission!

Mr Vampire

Geung see sin sang
dir. Ricky Lau, Hong Kong 1985, 96’
[theatre screenings+online]

Taoist master Gau agrees to perform a reburial for the long-deceased father of the wealthy Mr Yam. However, when the coffin is unearthed and opened, it turns out that the body has not decomposed. This spells serious trouble, as the corpse may come back to life at any moment as a jiangshi - a reanimated dead body. Will Master Gau and his rather dim-witted disciples find a way to deal with the dead, yet surprisingly lively, threat?

Lavishly produced and bursting with colour, “Mr Vampire” was made at the initiative of Sammo Hung, one of the most important figures in Hong Kong martial arts cinema, and it gave rise to the subgenre of kung fu comedies featuring hopping jiangshi, which enjoyed great popularity for a time. Today, it stands as a legendary film, a reminder of how diverse and inventive Hong Kong cinema was during its golden decade. Viewed today in its restored version, it remains an utter delight, effortlessly funny and dazzling with the flawless choreography of its action sequences.

Green Snake

Ching se
dir. Tsui Hark, Hong Kong 1993, 98’
[only in theatres]

Two demons take the form of beautiful women and settle among humans in a house they conjure for themselves. When the White Snake falls in love with a local scholar, the Green Snake becomes jealous, and the situation grows complicated - especially as a Buddhist monk who knows their true nature sets out to hunt them down.

“Green Snake” is an adaptation of a novel by Lilian Lee (also the author of the original story behind Stanley Kwan’s “Rogue”), drawing on an old Chinese folk tale. Through the lens of Tsui Hark - at the peak of his creative powers - this story about the essence of humanity unfolds as a fairy-tale adventure, filled with colour and sensuality, yet also with dynamic action scenes. The director, whose energy and imagination revolutionised modern action cinema, was a true master at casting female roles. Joey Wang and Maggie Cheung as the White Snake and the Green Snake have never looked more stunning - especially in the newly restored 4K print. They simply don’t make films like this anymore: bold, irreverent, and balancing perfectly between beauty and kitsch.