Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972)

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Good concept, poorly executed.

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan is a slow-moving character drama from the Shaw Brothers studio that nonetheless picks up in the second half with a series of murders that are in the grisly Shaw style. The story is set in and around a brothel in which one of the new girls, Ainu, refuses to have her spirit broken and decides to fight back against those who have wronged her. This sounds like one of Shaw's erotic movies although the nudity and sexual content is surprisingly kept to a minimum.Shaw star Yueh Hua plays the role of a visiting detective who takes part in the film's murder mystery sub-plot, but he's very much a minor character here. Lily Ho shines as the sympathetic Ainu, the story's protagonist, but the real star of the show is Betty Pei Ti as the cruel brothel madam. Director Chor Yuen keeps the atmosphere going, although this can be a slog to watch at times. At least it builds up to a fittingly gruesome climax which features some great deaths courtesy of the "yin and yang hands" style, and top melodrama.

Oh my god! This is, like, the perfect movie ever!! If you think that Kill Bill had style and class, it is just a jumped up lego building next to the Taj Mahal of classical kung fu madness, revenge and unbridled sexuality. This movie, made in 1972 - my god I was just 7 then - was years, no decades ahead of its time. It is a testament to the original director, writer, cast and crew that they were on the upper mast of a ship heading towards the new world of cinema and saw the infinite possibilities lying with in the dormant medium. And at the same time, it would be tantamount to lying to overlook the fact that in the last 30 odd years Hollywood has been treading water, left in the wake of that crew's ship.The sets are beautiful, the acting; just cheesy enough to be spot on; the plot twists are at once predictable and yet so in your face as to be satisfying. What a bonus to have sadistic laughter erupt on screen at just the same moment as the mirthless chuckle emerged from my own gut watching this titan!! To say that this was an great movie would be like saying that Moby Dick was a long story; the ultimate understatement.Look about you now. A computer screen, lights, your hands; the room your in. Imagine a new meaning to it all, insight, wit, fulfillment (of the cinematic variety at least) could be yours, simply by watching this gem of a movie. Almost on par with Hidden Tiger, Crouching Dragon this is a movie to be cherished by young and old alike. Find it, buy it, rent it, steal it, borrow it: just do your consciousness a favor and watch it - from beginning to end!! Did I say thumbs up yet? I'd see it again, almost any time.Plot synopsis: Who needs that kind of thing in the face of pure genius!! This movie is like a barrel of monkeys, each one with a different face, gesture, sound; but all coming from and ultimately going to the same happy hunting grounds.Really! To tell the plot line would just belittle the ultimate insight and profound joy (of a purely sadistic nature) that lies with in the heart of this amazing creature. However, in brief: girl is abused, fakes acceptance, kills people, people try to kill her; her weakness is exposed when she has the upper hand - no gyrations just death! - and she also dies. A fine ending to a fine movie. The only way it could have been better, is if the straggler of a detective had met his merry end as well! But in a sense, perhaps he does, if one cares to reflect on such things. Which is again the glory of this movie. No need for reflection afterwards, all is spelled out for the viewer, loose ends neatly tied in a bow.Stop reading this and rent it already!!

I saw this movie in an English Cinema, in Birmingham, in the mid- 1970's, and was quite bowled over by its startling originality, at least to my eyes as a western viewer. It is far better constructed than most of the Kung Fu type movies that have world popularity, and will appeal to a discerning audience. The intricate plot deals with the fate and adventures of two women, masters of their marshal arts, and sworn to vengeance. The significance of the relationship between the two women grows until it becomes central to the film. That alone was original enough in the 1970's - but amazingly it is still original now.The film has a legendary, classical feel to it, and is absolutely not self-conscious about the role of its female leads. The plot twists and turns down to its tragic denouement, breathtaking in its melodrama and beauty. I don't know enough about this but it felt very rooted in chinese culture , and had the classical structure of a greek or shakespearian tragedy.It is also beautifully filmed, and has many of those chinese fencing scenes the mass public has only really just become familiar with in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. But the latter is really not a patch on the earlier film.There may be many more like this - I don't know - and although it didn't feel formulaic to me, perhaps it might to the chinese audience. So I only gave it eight, rather than the nine that was tempting me.So why is this film so unknown, alone and unrated? That, I think, is the result of the unfortunate terms of its original release. Subtitled chinese movies at the time would appeal only to a specialist audience - (and Enter the Dragon had not yet appeared to change all that ) . But the specialist audience would instantly have been put off by the unfortunate "Confessions" marketing title, which immediately put it into the category of the contemporary naff British comedy series "Confessions of a window cleaner" and the like. Many a time I have tried to recommend this film title to friends only to be looked at incredulously as if - oh dear - how pathetic. Not that they would have found it easy to see it - it can't have enjoyed wide release.Now is the time for re-release.

A woman learns martial arts to assassinate the men who raped her. She uses sexual wiles to get close to them. A memorable scene is where one of her victims is wary, having heard of the deaths of several colleagues. She reassures him that she cannot be the assassin. She takes off her clothes to show she is carrying no weapons. He fails to notice that her hair is held up by a large pin...