Peking Opera Blues’ Tsui Hark is one of the pioneering directors and key voices of the Hong Kong New Wave and Golden Age throughout the 1980s into the 1990s, a time when the predominantly action and/or comedy films being made in Hong Kong were not only financially successful but also wildly stylistically innovative and considered to be some of most exciting films at that time in world cinema.
Hark in particular was most recognised for his Once Upon a Time in China trilogy, starring Jet Li, as well as for bold and adventurous films including the likes of Green Snake (1993), Dangerous Encounters of the Third Kind (1980) and even later works including Time & Tide (2000) or his American releases starring Jean-Claude Van Damme which include the truly out there Double Team (1997) and Knock Off (1998, complete with a theme song by Sparks!). Hark made a name for himself directing distinctive and unique action films with extremely fluid, dynamic cinematography and action choreography alongside breakneck pacing and some of the world’s biggest, most beloved action stars at the time (Jackie Chan, Van Damme, Jet Li, Maggie Cheung and so on).
One of Hark’s most well-known films, Peking Opera Blues, was released in 1986 and has since gradually earned itself the recognition of a cult following, which now sees it released by Arrow Video on Blu-ray and 4K, ready for even more widespread love and appreciation than ever before. And while this maddening genre (and gender) bending experience can lack cohesion and feel all over the place at times (in ways not dissimilar to a number of other films from the Hong Kong New Wave, which intentionally sought out formal and narrative excitement occasionally at the cost of narrative clarity or depth), Peking Opera Blues is a thrilling and occasionally funny film. It’s full of wonderfully vibrant cinematography courtesy of Poon Hang-Sang, colourful costumes, expressive make-up and fun performances from its leading stars (notably Brigitte Lin, Sally Yeh and Cherie Chung Cho-Hung).
Hark’s film is a manic and unkempt but beautifully controlled odyssey which connects three young women trapped in a limiting and misogynistic world as they come together through an overwhelming mix of espionage, performance/stage acting, politics and gender warfare, all chasing after their own personal goals and motivations which gradually come to overlap as the film continues. Peking Opera Blues’ story is zany and playful but certainly overstuffed at times with a clear prioritisation on exciting visual language and unpredictable stylistic flourishes which make the film as enticing and quirky on a formal level as it is difficult to follow narratively.
This is a film throughout which the audience must come to expect the unexpected, to tussle with the plot in order to enjoy the distinctive visual style and the fun blending of different genres as Hark hops from slapstick comedy to touching camaraderie and genuine character drama constantly for all of his 105 minutes. Because of this, a certain pressure is placed upon the performances and visual style (particularly the set design and the use of colour) to anchor the film in order to make it more palatable and accessible, which does work, but only to a certain extent.
It can be frustrating trying to keep up with such a hyperactive film at times, particularly during scenes which focus more upon complicated exposition rather than expressing their ideas through the action and comedy itself to make things smoother, but the style of Peking Opera Blues is such that many audience members won’t mind this at all and will still feel fully immersed within this unique cinematic world. The fun, strange score, the fluid cinematography, the sharp editing and the energetic performances all help this to be the case, even if not quite enough to make for a truly great film.
Peking Opera Blues is, if nothing else, an exciting summary of many of the qualities of the Hong Kong New Wave. It’s a film that’s difficult to forget due to its excitable nature and very specific traits, which connect directly to a very specific cinematic place and time.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Limited Edition Special Features
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original lossless Cantonese mono audio
- Optional lossless English mono audio
- Optional English subtitles for the Cantonese audio and hard-of-hearing subtitles for the English audio
- Brand new audio commentary by film critic James Mudge
- An Opus for Peking: Starring in a Tsui Hark Classic, a brand new interview with actor Mark Cheng
- An Operatic Achievement, a brand new interview with cinematographer Ray Wong
- Hong Kong Confidential: Inside Peking Opera Blues, a brand new interview with author and Hong Kong cinema expert Grady Hendrix
- Peking Provocations, a brand new interview with film critic David West
- Peking History Blues, a brand new interview with historian and academic Dr Lars Laamann
- An archival interview with star Sally Yeh
- An archival interview with composer James Wong
- Original theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Xinmei Liu
- Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing on the film by critic Camille Zaurin and Professor Jamie Zha
Peking Opera Blues will be released by Arrow Video on limited-edition 4K-UHD and Blu-Ray on 16 February.
