A Golden Harvest presentation of a Golden Harvest Entertainment Co., Film Unlimited production. (International sales: Golden Harvest, H.K.) Produced by Raymond Chow. Executive producer, Catherine Hun.
Directed, written by Derek Yee, Lo Chi-leung, from a screen story by Bosco Lam.
Sing ... Leslie Cheung
May ... Karen Mok
Chung ... Law Kar-ying
Mango ... Shu Qi
Wah ... Tsui Kam-kong
Derek Yee ... Lau Ching-wan
The dreamy Sing, who's suffering from a bad case of "8-1/2" syndrome, has difficulty focusing on the job, and his own g.f., policewoman May (sparky Karen Mok, excellent as usual), attributes his loss of sexual interest in her to his close working relationship with Miss Mango. The pic eventually gets made, but then a fire destroys the negative.
There are plenty of in-jokes throughout the script --- including one sequence in which a look-alike actor plays a director called Derek Yee who suicides after his movie flops --- but the generally smooth production values and good-natured tone are enough to carry along non-specialist Western auds.
The boyish Cheung largely drifts through the movie in a bemused haze, with most of the strong characterizations coming from the other players. Shu Qi is fine as the dumb starlet and has at least one scene (where she slips into her native Mandarin dialect) that gives her role a smidgin of substance.
Some early sex scenes between Cheung and Mok are notably realistic by H.K. standards, though as a whole the movie's tone is more "Viva" than "Erotica." Chinese title roughly means "Male-Female Sexual Desire."
Camera (color), Jingle Ma; editor, Kwong Chi-leung; music, Clarence Hui; art direction, Ringo Fung; costume design, Ben Lok; sound, Leung Chi-to; associate producer, Li Pak-ling. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (competing), Feb. 14, 1997. Running time: 100 MIN.
(Cantonese dialogue)
Contact Derek Elley at
derek.elley@variety.com