Peking Opera esd integral to Hong Kong cinema. Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao came from the Peking Opera school so that’s two major filmmakers and three performers representing it. So it was the backdrop of this caper involving a general’s daughter, performers, military and way more characters vying for treasure and political revolution.
Even if you can’t follow all of it, and it’s taken me several viewings and there str still parts I miss, Peking Opera Blues is a signature film of Tsui Hark, Hong Kong cinema and stars Brigitte Lin, Sally Yeh and Cherie Chung. You get to see period detail, stage performance, gun battles with early 1913 pistols and martial arts.
The colorful performances shine in 4K while the stone halls of the prison cells deliver 4K shadow. The rooftop shootout chase in the snowy night is a striking climax.
Co-star Mark Cheng and cinematographer Ray Wong give new interviews to share their memories of making the film. Experts Grady Hendrix, David West and Dr Lars Laaman do a good job explaining the political and cinematic history of Hong Kong. A new James Mudge commentary gets to apply those insights in a scene-specific way and also connect Peking Opera Blues to other influential Hong Kong cinema.