Genre:
Fantasy
Release Date: 06/30/1998
SubTitles: English
Dubbed: English/Cantonese/Mandarin
Sound: 5.1/2
Run Time: 92 Minutes
Flags: Violence
Distributor/Studio: Tai Seng
Following on the success of 1987's
Chinese Ghost Story, Hong Kong was inundated with romantically themed tales of the supernatural. Most were awful, but
Ronny Yu's
The Bride With White Hair has become a classic of the genre. Based on a two-volumed 1954 novel written by
Leung Yu-Sang, the film tells the story of star-crossed lovers and bloody conflict. The two meet when
Lian (
Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia), a beautiful sorceress who was raised by wolves, saves young warrior
Zhuo Yi-Hang (
Leslie Cheung) from a pack of hungry animals. Though she disappears before he can thank her,
Zhuo is entranced. Later
Zhuo becomes a master swordsman with the Wu Tang Clan, a tight-knit martial arts society dedicated to the villainous
Ji Wu-Shuang (played by both
Francis Ng and
Elaine Lui), a mutant half-man, half-woman creature who rules the land with an iron fist. Though
Zhuo is more interested in quiet life of contemplation, the clan elders see
Zhou as their best weapon against their evil King/Queen. Meanwhile,
Lian has grown into a formidable adversary herself -- especially with the use of her trusty whip, which can slice a man in two. She has been recruited by
Ji to thwart the rebels. In the midst of battle,
Zhou and
Lian meet.
Ji -- who secretly lusts for
Lian -- orders her to kill
Zhuo. She refuses, much to his displeasure, and orders her tortured to within an inch of her life.
Zhuo discovers
Lian's semi-conscious body and nurses her back to health. The two soon fall passionately in love and vow to always trust one another. Unfortunately,
Ji's black magic revenge spoils the lovers' new-found bliss.
~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
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