A true multi-hyphenate, Stephen Chow is a writer-director-star-producer responsible for some of the wildest, most enjoyable comedies in cinema history, flying the flag for his brand of Hong Kong mo lei tau (“nonsense comedy”). Across 1 – 22 June, Odyssey 2023 and Prince Charles Cinema will showcase STEPHEN CHOW IN FOCUS, a retrospective program that’s the first of its kind in the UK.
Films screening in the season include Chow’s international hit KUNG FU HUSTLE (Stephen Chow, 2004). Taking place in an immaculately art-directed 1940s Shanghai, the dangerous Axe Gang are running rampant over the city. Only Pigsty Alley, one of the city’s slums, is willing to stand up to them. A petty thief called Sing (Chow) tries to get into the gang, complicating matters for everyone. Hong Kong action cinema royalty fills out the cast and crew, with legendary fight director Yuen Woo-Ping choreographing the wild brawls.
One of Chow’s directorial efforts, THE MERMAID (Chow, 2016), is the only film in our retrospective that doesn’t star him. His on-screen absence didn’t stop this eco-comedy from becoming one of the highest-grossing films in China’s box office history. In the film, a rich property developer wreaks ecological havoc with his multi-billion land reclamation project, only to fall for a beautiful mermaid that intends to assassinate him.
The season will also feature two rarely screened films from the director-actor’s back catalogue. SIXTY MILLION DOLLAR MAN (Wong Jing and Raymond Yip Wai-Man, 1995) finds Chow’s playboy protagonist blown up by a Japanese yakuza and brought back to life by a mad scientist. Adding fantastical special effects to his comedic arsenal, the film also features the late Ng Man-tat, a regular Chow collaborator. Rounding out the selection is FORBIDDEN CITY COP (Vincent Kok and Stephen Chow, 1994), a combination of period wuxia and spy movie with Chow starring as an imperial agent protecting the Chinese emperor from outside forces.
Part of the Odyssey 2023 film festival, STEPHEN CHOW IN FOCUS is programmed by lead festival curator Riley Wong and culture writer/festival juror Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy. It provides a wider context of both Chow’s career and Hong Kong film culture in recent decades. It wishes to inspire a new scope for discussion, in reflection of a revolutionary time.
In its third edition, Odyssey: a Chinese cinema season is an annual film festival presented by NGO UK-China Film Collab (UCFC). It takes place across the UK and online from 26 May – 30 June with over 60 films, 10 discussion panels and exclusive Q&As, focusing on the theme of #globalsustainability.
Film Programme Overview
Stephen Chow in Focus: Forbidden City Cop + Intro
Screening Date: 1 June 2023
Time: 18:30
Screen 2
Director: Vincent Kok and Stephen Chow
Starring: Stephen Chow, Carina Lau, Carman Lee
1996 | 86 mins | British Hong Kong
Language: Cantonese with English Subtitles
Synopsis:
An imperial agent gets ridiculed for his various inventions, until his supportive wife encourages him to attend a conference. The conference is actually a trap to kill all the doctors serving the emperor, where the agent’s crazy inventions come in handy.
Curator’s Recommendation:
An inspired parody of both wuxia and spy movies (listen out for a familiar-sounding theme song), Forbidden City Cop also marks the directorial debut of his regular co-star Vincent Kok. A box office hit, the film also stars Wong Kar-Wai regular Carina Lau as Chow’s loyal wife.
A pre-screening introduction will be provided by the curators.
Stephen Chow in Focus: Sixty Million Dollar Man + Intro
Screening Date: 8 June 2023
Time: 18:25
Screen 2
Director: Wong Jing and Raymond Yip Wai-Man
Starring: Stephen Chow, Gigi Leung, Elvis Tsui
1995 | 90 mins | British Hong Kong
Language: Cantonese with English Subtitles
Synopsis:
After being blown up by a Japanese yakuza for dating the wrong woman, rich playboy Lee Chak-sing (Stephen Chow) is brought back to life by a mad scientist. Only thing is, he now has a computer chip in his brain and the ability to turn into different household utensils. It’s not long until the chaos he makes grabs the attention of the yakuza, who are out to kill him again.
Curator’s Recommendation:
Partially shot in Hawaii, Sixty Million Dollar Man is as much a Chow showcase as an introduction to the wild world of co-director Wong Jing — a filmmaker so prolific that this is one of three features he worked on in 1995. Watch sparks fly between Chow and his regular on-screen sidekick from A Chinese Odyssey and Shaolin Soccer, the late Ng Man-tat.
Stephen Chow in Focus: Kung Fu Hustle + Intro
Screening Date: 15 June 2023
Time: 18:05
Screen 2
Director: Stephen Chow
Starring: Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu, Danny Chan, and Eva Huang
2004 | 90 mins | China & Hong Kong SAR, China
Language: Cantonese with English Subtitles
Synopsis:
1940s Shanghai: the dangerous Axe Gang are running rampant over the city. Only Pigsty Alley, one of the city’s slums, is willing to stand up to them. A petty thief called Sing (Stephen Chow) tries to get into the gang, complicating matters for everyone.
Curator’s Recommendation:
An international sensation in the early 2000s, Kung Fu Hustle pushes Chow’s ambitions to dazzling peaks, combining Looney Tunes-style CGI, stunning 1940s production design and a goofy love letter to Hong Kong action movies. Come for Chow, stay for a who’s who of kung fu character actors like Chiu Chi Ling and “Brucesploitation” legend Bruce Leung!
“The supreme achievement of the modern age in terms of comedy.” – Bill Murray
Stephen Chow in Focus: The Mermaid + Intro
Screening Date: 22 June 2023
Time: 18:20
Screen 2
Director: Stephen Chow
Starring: Deng Chao, Lin Yun and Show Lo
2016 | 94 mins | China & Hong Kong SAR, China
Language: Mandarin with English Subtitles
Synopsis:
Liu Xuan (Chao) is a rich property developer, wreaking ecological havoc with his multi-billion land reclamation project. A mermaid society affected by the reclamation project sends the beautiful Shan (Lin Yun) to disguise herself as a human and assassinate Xuan.
Curator’s Recommendation:
Chow’s take on The Little Mermaid isn’t just one of China’s biggest blockbusters ever: it’s an eco-crisis fairytale romcom that pushes his mo lei tau (“nonsense comedy”) approach to grand heights. Cast as the lead after a search involving 120,000 participants, Lin Yun is a true discovery and aces Chow’s slapstick approach to madness.
This particular film responds to one of Odyssey 2023’s festival programme strands, ‘Biodiversity’. It is also the origin of inspiration for the festival’s theme this year – ‘Global Sustainability’.
“Chow never forgets that the camera is the funniest tool at his disposal, and the only one that speaks in a language that everyone can understand.” – Slate
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ABOUT ODYSSEY 2023
Cinema is where people connect.
60+ films, masterclasses, 10 discussion panels and exclusive Q&As. Odyssey is the biggest annual film festival in the UK, bridging curious audience with Greater China and overseas Chinese communities. The theme for 2023 is ‘Global Sustainability’.
Presented by UK-China Film Collab (UCFC)
Festival Date: 26 May-30 June 2023
Format: Offline in Person & Online via Shift 72
Festival Website: odysseychinesecinema.uk
Instagram & Twitter Handle: @odysseyccs
Hashtags: #globalsustainability #odyssey2023 #ukchinafilm #peace
