Bedrockgames
I post in the voice of Christopher Walken
For those who don't know, Cheng Pei-Pei, the star of Come Drink with Me, who is also known for her role as Jade Fox in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, passed away today. She is one of my favorite action stars from the late-60s and early 70s. She had an amazing screen presence, was graceful and strong. There is something truly unique about her physical performance and it paved the way for many later stars. There is a lot to love about Cheng Pei-Pei but one of the things that always stands out for me is her footwork. This is my personal ranking of her movies. I am not going to rank them all but keep it to a more limited list (largely because there are some films in her catalogue I would need to see again to give a proper rating):
1) Lady Hermit: Hands down this is my favorite Cheng-Pei Pei film. Directed by Ho Meng-Hua in 1971, this is a straight forward story where she plays a hero in hiding who takes a new disciple as she recovers and plans to deal with the ruthless Black Demon and his men (who are brutalizing the population and harrowing her friends). The performances are all solid. The fight choreography is perfect and the shot framing is wonderful. And the characters all work. It is a tale of justice and revenge but also a love triangle, and I think the storytelling is very well done around that. There are some particularly good shots in the finale during her showdown with Black Claw. I tend to this of this as Cheng Pei-Pei's definitive role. By today's standards this movie is pretty tame, but it has a very over the top sequence where Lady Hermit announces her intentions to take different body parts from people who have harmed her friends, and then proceeds to do so.
2) Come Drink With Me: A great movie on its own, directed by King Hu in 1966, this one stands out for the direction. It is one of her earlier martial arts performances but she is wonderful here. Her dance background really contributes to the sense of style in it. The plot is quite simple, she is an imperial official sent to rescue or negotiate the release of her kidnapped brother (not 100% sure if this is her literal brother as some versions I have seen have had different dialogue) and bring the corrupt bandits behind the kidnapping to justice. It came out in 1966, so it has elements that might seem old fashioned if you are more used to films from the 70s (for example there is a musical sequence, though the musical sequence makes sense within the events of the film). But is also part of that first wave of Shaw Brothers new school wuxia so ample amount of blood too. This is just a beautiful movie.
3) Golden Swallow: This one is interesting as it is the sequel to Come Drink With Me, but is almost diametrically opposed to the direction and philosophy of the first movie. Directed by Chang Cheh in 1968, it unfortunately relegates Chang Pei-Pei's golden swallow character to a less prominent role than she had in the first movie (and she seems to be an almost completely different person). This is really more of a Jimmy Wang Yu vehicle than a Chang Pei-Pei one. While that is a mark against the movie, Chang Cheh is a brilliant director and this is a stunning movie with one of the most memorable endings ever filmed.
4) The Shadow Whip: This one was directed by Lo Wei in 1970 and I think one of Cheng Pei-Pei's funnest and most exciting movies. It is set in more of a snowy landscape and has a mystery at its core, which revealed over time in the form of backstory. Also she uses a whip in this one, which makes a very big difference. That isn't an easy weapon to plan around the way a sword is, so it feels fresh and interesting.
5) Jade Raksha: Directed by Ho Meng Hua in 1968, this one I love for the villain and for the haunting style of Cheng Pei Pei's Jade Raksha character (she signs like a ghost before she kills people). It used to be very hard to find. Now I think it is available through one of the more recent shaw brothers boxed sets (I remember having to watch it before on a very poor quality VCD). The villain's hypocrisy and cruelty are unrivaled. There is also a very interesting movement involving another character which is a lesson in revenge gone wrong.
6) Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: This is obviously a movie many people know and love. Having Cheng Pei-Pei play the central villain was in my view and excellent choice. The movie is beautiful, the fight sequences are languid and exceptionally graceful in how they are shot and choreographed. I love her backstory here and how terrifying she can be at times.
7) The Lady of Steel: This is another Ho Meng Hua film, directed in 1970 (clearly he and she were a good pairing). This is just a nice, solid Cheng Pei-Pei movie and rather well directed by Ho Meng-Hua. Great use of Lightness Kung Fu in it. Basic tale of revenge. Definitely not my first recommendation for either Cheng Pei-Pei or Ho Meng-Hua but totally worth seeing.
Some other movies that leap to mind are Dragon Swamp. I haven't seen this one in a long time, but remember it being a great adventure film. It is a 1960 Lo Wei movie [edit: correction this should read 1969]. I could see it being ranked on the list if I saw it again and gave it some thought. That Fiery Girl, Thundering Sword and Raw Courage are all others I remember enjoying but haven't seen in a while as well. Dragon Creek is another one that is interesting but more of a drama. In the movie Wing Chun she has a short but memorable cameo as Wing Chun's Sifu. And she has been in a bunch of more recent movies and shows too like The Legendary Amazons, Mulan, and Ice Fantasy. If you don't know her work, I highly recommend checking her out. I don't think you get movies like Kill Bill without people like Cheng Pei-Pei.
1) Lady Hermit: Hands down this is my favorite Cheng-Pei Pei film. Directed by Ho Meng-Hua in 1971, this is a straight forward story where she plays a hero in hiding who takes a new disciple as she recovers and plans to deal with the ruthless Black Demon and his men (who are brutalizing the population and harrowing her friends). The performances are all solid. The fight choreography is perfect and the shot framing is wonderful. And the characters all work. It is a tale of justice and revenge but also a love triangle, and I think the storytelling is very well done around that. There are some particularly good shots in the finale during her showdown with Black Claw. I tend to this of this as Cheng Pei-Pei's definitive role. By today's standards this movie is pretty tame, but it has a very over the top sequence where Lady Hermit announces her intentions to take different body parts from people who have harmed her friends, and then proceeds to do so.
2) Come Drink With Me: A great movie on its own, directed by King Hu in 1966, this one stands out for the direction. It is one of her earlier martial arts performances but she is wonderful here. Her dance background really contributes to the sense of style in it. The plot is quite simple, she is an imperial official sent to rescue or negotiate the release of her kidnapped brother (not 100% sure if this is her literal brother as some versions I have seen have had different dialogue) and bring the corrupt bandits behind the kidnapping to justice. It came out in 1966, so it has elements that might seem old fashioned if you are more used to films from the 70s (for example there is a musical sequence, though the musical sequence makes sense within the events of the film). But is also part of that first wave of Shaw Brothers new school wuxia so ample amount of blood too. This is just a beautiful movie.
3) Golden Swallow: This one is interesting as it is the sequel to Come Drink With Me, but is almost diametrically opposed to the direction and philosophy of the first movie. Directed by Chang Cheh in 1968, it unfortunately relegates Chang Pei-Pei's golden swallow character to a less prominent role than she had in the first movie (and she seems to be an almost completely different person). This is really more of a Jimmy Wang Yu vehicle than a Chang Pei-Pei one. While that is a mark against the movie, Chang Cheh is a brilliant director and this is a stunning movie with one of the most memorable endings ever filmed.
4) The Shadow Whip: This one was directed by Lo Wei in 1970 and I think one of Cheng Pei-Pei's funnest and most exciting movies. It is set in more of a snowy landscape and has a mystery at its core, which revealed over time in the form of backstory. Also she uses a whip in this one, which makes a very big difference. That isn't an easy weapon to plan around the way a sword is, so it feels fresh and interesting.
5) Jade Raksha: Directed by Ho Meng Hua in 1968, this one I love for the villain and for the haunting style of Cheng Pei Pei's Jade Raksha character (she signs like a ghost before she kills people). It used to be very hard to find. Now I think it is available through one of the more recent shaw brothers boxed sets (I remember having to watch it before on a very poor quality VCD). The villain's hypocrisy and cruelty are unrivaled. There is also a very interesting movement involving another character which is a lesson in revenge gone wrong.
6) Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: This is obviously a movie many people know and love. Having Cheng Pei-Pei play the central villain was in my view and excellent choice. The movie is beautiful, the fight sequences are languid and exceptionally graceful in how they are shot and choreographed. I love her backstory here and how terrifying she can be at times.
7) The Lady of Steel: This is another Ho Meng Hua film, directed in 1970 (clearly he and she were a good pairing). This is just a nice, solid Cheng Pei-Pei movie and rather well directed by Ho Meng-Hua. Great use of Lightness Kung Fu in it. Basic tale of revenge. Definitely not my first recommendation for either Cheng Pei-Pei or Ho Meng-Hua but totally worth seeing.
Some other movies that leap to mind are Dragon Swamp. I haven't seen this one in a long time, but remember it being a great adventure film. It is a 1960 Lo Wei movie [edit: correction this should read 1969]. I could see it being ranked on the list if I saw it again and gave it some thought. That Fiery Girl, Thundering Sword and Raw Courage are all others I remember enjoying but haven't seen in a while as well. Dragon Creek is another one that is interesting but more of a drama. In the movie Wing Chun she has a short but memorable cameo as Wing Chun's Sifu. And she has been in a bunch of more recent movies and shows too like The Legendary Amazons, Mulan, and Ice Fantasy. If you don't know her work, I highly recommend checking her out. I don't think you get movies like Kill Bill without people like Cheng Pei-Pei.
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