Movies

HomeMoviesSearchTV SeriesBookmarksView Source
The Legend of Purple Hairpin
The Legend of Purple Hairpin

The Legend of Purple Hairpin

Genres

MusicDrama

OverView

An adaptation of Tong Tik-sang's now-legendary Cantonese Opera piece, the film features divas Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin (left with Yam), who play the story's lead lovers, and Lan Chi Pak, the sinister official who tries to break up the relationship. Leung Sing-po plays the pair's friend as well as the mysterious 'man in yellow' who exposes plans to separate the couple.

Others

Budget

$--

Revenue

$--

Status

Released

Original Language

Runtime

135 mins

Rating

0/10

Release Date

18 February 1959

Country

Hong Kong

Cast

Yam Kim-Fai

Yam Kim-Fai

Yi Li

Pak Suet-Sin

Pak Suet-Sin

Huo

Leung Sing Poh

Leung Sing Poh

Chan Lap-Ban

Chan Lap-Ban

Pinmei Chen

Pinmei Chen

Cheung Sang

Cheung Sang

Cheung Sing-Fei

Cheung Sing-Fei

Chu Siu-Boh

Chu Siu-Boh

Fung Ming

Fung Ming

Heung Hoi

Heung Hoi

Cibo Liang

Cibo Liang

So Siu-Tong

So Siu-Tong

Bing-Yee Yam

Bing-Yee Yam

Ying Lai-Lei

Ying Lai-Lei

Yuen Lap-Cheung

Yuen Lap-Cheung

Liang Tsi-Pak

Liang Tsi-Pak

The sinister official

Similar Movies

8.0

Farewell My Concubine

January 1993 •Chinese

Two boys meet at an opera training school in Peking in 1924. Their resulting friendship will span nearly 70 years and endure some of the most troublesome times in China's history.

5.8

Qin Xianglian

January 1955 •Chinese

Qing (i.e. Qin) Xianglian was the wife of a man named Chen Shimei, who won the first title of national examination and awarded as husband of the emperor's daughter. Then Qing (i.e. Qin) sues Chen as a murderer who plans to kill his wife and son. In spite of the royal power, gownsman Bao Zhen settles the lawsuit and sentences Chen to serve his head.

0.0

The Eighteen Darts (Part 2)

August 1966 •

The Eighteen Darts (Part 2) is a Chinese Opera Musical starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in child roles.

0.0

The Story of Qin Xiang-Lian

July 1964 •Chinese

The Story of Qin Xiang-Lian is a Hong Kong Chinese Opera musical starring Jackie Chan in a child role.

0.0

The Eighteen Darts (Part 1)

August 1966 •

The Eighteen Darts (Part 1) is a Chinese Opera Musical starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in child roles.

6.8

Bamboo Theatre

September 2019 •

This film is a portrait of unique cultural space for Spirits, Gods and People. While permanent theatres are commonly built in most cosmopolitan modern cities, Hong Kong preserves a unique theatrical architecture, a Chinese tradition that has lasted more than a century - Bamboo Theatre.

3.0

The Rainbow Pass

January 1964 •

The Rainbow Pass is a Chinese Opera starring Sammo Hung in a child role

0.0

River Of Fury

May 1973 •Chinese

River Of Fury presents the self-discovery and awakening of a young man (Danny Lee), who has been exposed and fallen for the lucrative powers of wealth. Lily Ho played a role in sharp contrast with Lee, which has helplessly fallen prey to the irresistible temptations of wealth under the influence of her mother. Once again, Ho demonstrates her remarkable talent in Chinese opera following her Beijing-opera showcase in The Warlord (co-starring Michael Hui Kwun-man).

0.0

Iron-beaked Hen's Sudden Rise to Power

January 1957 •

Iron-Beaked Hen and Fatso Bo on their way to the city to help a relative out of some trouble, they run into a band of robbers. They stop over an allegedly haunted house where they save the lovers To Lok-yin and Yu Mei-yung from their attemped suicide. Hen learn their story and decide to help them out. Yin comes from a rich family, he lost his father when he was very young and was brought up by his uncle. Now that he is old enough to claim his inheritance, the guardian, his uncle, in order to keep the fortune under control, forces him to marry a girl of his choosing. The couple cannot face separation and resolve to end their lives together. Hen thinks of a way to help them, which involves Yin pretending to comply; that is, to go ahead with the marriage arrangement. On the wedding day, they swap the bride with Yung. Disguised as a matchmaker and a county official respectively, Hen and Bo reprimand To's uncle who schemes to seize To's family fortune. To and Yu marry.

0.0

Beijing Opera Go Go Go

Invalid date •Chinese

Zeng Hongqi, a rap-loving senior, is forced to lead the opera club for credits. Despite recruitment struggles and opposition from the student union president, an unexpected opportunity leads the club to a crucial competition.

0.0

The Peach Blossom Fan

May 1961 •

A Shaw Brothers Chinese Opera based on the Qing dynasty musical play that recounts the death of the Ming dynasty through the love story of its two main characters, young scholar Hou Fangyu and a courtesan named Li Xiangjun.

0.0

Farewell to a Warrior

April 1976 •Chinese

Shaw production

0.0

Unsuk Chin: Alice in Wonderland

April 2008 •English

A live recording of the premier of Korean composer Unsuk Chin's Alice in Wonderland opera at National Theater Munich in June 2007. It is a modern opera based on Lewis Carroll's fantasy novel of the same name. The amazing characters Alice meets are portrayed with a colorful combination of puppets and singer-actors.

7.0

The Magic Lamp

January 1964 •Chinese

Adapted from one of China's most well-known fairy tales, the Goddess of Mount Hua falls in love with a young mortal scholar Liu Yanchang and gives birth to a baby son, Chenxiang. When Chenxiang grows up, he seeks to unravel the mystery surrounding his mother whom he has never met.

6.0

The Grand Substitution

April 1965 •Chinese

With China under control of a weak Emperor, two officials compete to steer the future destiny of the land. Chiu believes the people are the future of China, while the diabolical Tu wishes to grind the people beneath an iron heel. Tu decides to take out Chiu's family, but one lone infant escapes.

8.2

The Stage

July 2025 •Chinese

During the Republican era, wars and conflicts were frequent. On stage, the "Overlord" sings with resounding passion, while below, the absurd spectacle of life unfolds. They must both secure the opera troupe's livelihood and appease the audience in their seats. Once the curtain rises, how should this play be performed?

0.0

Sons and Daughters of the Grassland

May 1975 •Chinese

The main characters are two youngsters of China's Mongolian nationality, Temur and his younger sister Schin, whose fine revolutionary qualities - courage, tenacity and wholehearted devotion to the public interests - are highlighted in the dance-drama.

0.0

White Powder and Neon Lights

January 1947 •

This is the first 16mm Cantonese film in full colour, shot on 1940s state-of-the-art Technicolor film stock. Opera star Man-ha (Leung Bik-yuk) enjoys tremendous popularity during her performances in San Francisco, but drowns herself in the vices and temptations of the big city. Increasingly, she fails to show up for performances, almost causing the theatre to go bankrupt. When she sees her lover for the scoundrel that he is, she also sees the errors of her own ways and saves the theatre, restoring it to glory. Joseph Sunn Jue established the Grandview Film Company in Hong Kong during the 1930s and continued making films in the USA during wartime by collaborating with Chinese opera performers in exile there. Wong Hok-sing, an opera actor himself, directed, wrote and starred in this film. He staged a spectacular play-within-a-play at the end, not only to promote the art of Cantonese opera but also to boost solidarity among overseas Chinese through difficult times.

0.0

She Sings for the World

August 2023 •Chinese

A Chinese Canadian son sets out to make a film on his mother, who was once known as the first ever Chinese Opera Singer to have performed Pingju Opera in English in late 1980's China.

8.0

My Way

December 2012 •English

When facing a path with no future or precedent success, will we ever choose to stay? Cheuk Cheung’s My Way explores the Cantonese Opera tradition of male Dan performers, men who play female roles, against the backdrop of a Hong Kong society increasingly putting less value on art. Although female performers have long been part of the mainstream of Cantonese Opera, the film follows the stories of two young men who are still fascinated by the art of the male Dan, striving to find their own way to carry on the practice. A moving and searching look at the struggle for identity, My Way is a colourful, musical and moving film which offers a unique and highly personal look at perseverance in the face of a changing society.