Watches
July 04, 2022
A Shaw Bros melodrama. That means we're finding ourselves in Yuen Chor territory once again. Chor is probably the only Shaw Bros director with some talent for the genre, but that doesn't mean a lot for a studio specialized in martial arts cinema. The result is pretty blah, though slightly better than other wayward attempts from the studio.
When a son returns home, after being sent away to study and learn from the world, old friendships and romances are rekindled. The son seeks out one of the servants he grew up with, but she keeps him at a distance. She claims it is because of their different societal status, but the servant also seems to be more taken by the son's friend.
There's quite a bit of drama to wade through, it's almost a bit grotesque and soap-like during the finale, but somehow that made the film a little better. Performances aren't good enough for a bona fide drama, the Shaw Bros decors are cheesy, and the romance is extremely overdone. Not Chor's best film, but I expected even worse.