Painted Faces
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (October 2017) |
| Painted Faces | |
|---|---|
 US film poster | |
| Chinese | 七小福 |
| Literal meaning | Seven Little Fortunes |
| Hanyu Pinyin | qī xiǎo fú |
| Jyutping | cat1 siu2 fuk1 |
| Directed by | Alex Law |
| Written by | Alex Law Mabel Cheung |
| Produced by | Leonard Ho Mona Fong |
| Starring | Sammo Hung Lam Ching-ying Cheng Pei-pei |
| Cinematography | David Chung |
| Edited by | Kwong Chi-leung Yu Tun |
| Music by | Lowell Lo |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Golden Harvest |
Release date |
|
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Box office | HK$14,730,964 |
Painted Faces (Chinese: 七小福) is a 1988 Hong Kong biographical drama film co-written and directed by Alex Law and starring Sammo Hung as his mentor, Master Yu Jim-yuen of the China Drama Academy.[1] For his portrayal as Master Yu, Hung won his second Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor at the 8th Hong Kong Film Awards. The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.[2]
The Chinese title refers to the Seven Little Fortunes, which includes Hung, Yuen Biao, Jackie Chan and their fellow opera-mates, who later became popular in the Hong Kong film industry. The film focuses on Master Yu and his methods on bringing up his protégés.
Cast[edit]
- Sammo Hung as Master Yu
- Lam Ching-ying as Wah
- Cheng Pei-pei as Ching
- John Shum as Stagehand (guest appearance)
- Wu Ma as Film Director (guest appearance)
- Mary Li as Cheng Lung's mother (guest appearance)
- Chung Kam-yuen as Teenage Samo
- Yeung Yam-yin as Child Samo
- Cheung Man-lung as Teenage Cheng Lung
- Siu Ming-fui as Child Cheng Long
- Joseph Koo as Child Yuen Biao
- Wong Kim-wai as Teenage Yuen Biao
Reception[edit]
Marc Savlov of Austin Chronicle gave the film 3½ stars out of 5 and said that: "Despite the fact that the film lags a bit in its second half [...], Painted Faces remains a charming, gorgeously lensed slice of Hong Kong history, and certainly one that no Jackie Chan/Samo Hung/Yuen Biao fan should pass up."[3]
Accolades[edit]
| Awards and nominations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceremony | Category | Recipient | Outcome |
| 8th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Film | Painted Faces | Nominated |
| Best Director | Alex Law | Nominated | |
| Best Actor | Sammo Hung | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Alex Law, Mabel Cheung | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | David Chung | Won | |
| Best Film Editing | Kwong Chi-leung, Yu Tun | Nominated | |
| 25th Golden Horse Awards | Best Feature Film | Painted Faces | Won |
| Best Director | Alex Law | Won | |
| Best Actor | Sammo Hung | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Lam Ching-ying | Nominated | |
| Best Original Screenplay | Alex Law, Mabel Cheung | Won | |
| Best Film Editing | Kwong Chi-leung, Yu Tun | Won | |
| Best Original Film Score | Lowell Lo | Won | |
| Best Sound Design | Shaw Brothers Recording Studio, Golden Studios, Tsui Ping-kwong |
Won | |
See also[edit]
- List of early sound feature films (1926–1929)
- List of submissions to the 62nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Hong Kong submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References[edit]
- ^ Fu, Poshek; Desser, David (2002). The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity. Cambridge University Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-521-77602-8.
- ^ Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
- ^ Savlov, Marc (6 August 1993). "Painted Faces". The Austin Chronicle. Austin Chronicle Corp. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
External links[edit]
- 1988 films
- 1988 drama films
- Best Feature Film Golden Horse Award winners
- 1980s Cantonese-language films
- Golden Harvest films
- Hong Kong drama films
- Films based on actual events
- Films directed by Alex Law
- Films about Peking opera
- Films set in Hong Kong
- Films set in the 1960s
- Films shot in Hong Kong
- Films whose director won the Best Director Golden Horse Award
- Shaw Brothers Studio films
- 1980s Hong Kong films