Qian mian mo nu (1969)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Chang-hwa Jeong

Writer:

Chin Sung (screenplay)

Genre:

Action | Crime

Cast

Tina Fei Chin	...	Chi Ying
Liang Chen	...	Yu Ta
Pat Ting Hung	...	Molly
Carrie Ku Mei	...	(Guest star)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hsi Chang
Yu Chin Chang
Hsin Yen Chao
Yi Ling Chen
Kuan Chin
Tsi-Ang Chin
Wen Chin
Dan Fan
Mei Sheng Fan
Yun Tai Ho
Julia Hsia
Shirley Huang
Ling Ling Hung
Wei Lieh Lan
Chun Liu
Liang Hua Liu
Hsiang-lan Lu
Ying Ma
Sha-fei Ouyang
Ai Lien Pan
Yasuyoshi Shikamura		(as Lu Chuen)
Choh Lam Tsang
Hsiao-yin Wang
Jeanette Yu Wei
Chih-Ching Yang
Pao Chin Yeh

Also Known As:

Chin min moh lui (Hong Kong: Cantonese title)
Temptress of 1,000 Faces (Hong Kong: English title) (alternative spelling)
Temptress of a Thousand Faces (International: English title)

Runtime:

83 min | 76 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Shaw Brothers

A hoot and a half

Warning!! Do not watch this movie unless you're thoroughly inebriated. No hallucinogens necessary though, as the producers have provided those for you in the form of this celluloid mind-trip.

The Temptress of the title attempts to take over the world. Like any self-respecting unhinged megalomaniac, she lives in a palatial cave, protected by an army of ninja guys and a bevy of pistol toting female guards. Best of all, the cave's hot tub quarter (every cave has one of these) is stocked with hotties in blue panty ensembles. What could be better? If this is what world domination is all about, take me to your leader!!

The intrepid and talented heroine of this girl-power yarn (sexy Tina Chin Fei) is good with a gun and adept at Kung Fu. Furthermore, she's aided in her fight against evildoers by the cinematic tradition of inept henchmen. The ninja guys are not very good at ninja-ing, and the guards can't shoot straight, adding proof to a time-worn complaint: You can't get decent help these days. Along the way, the wicked Temptress assumes the identity of the heroine. This turns out to be an ingenious plot device, as we're treated to some Tina vs. Tina escapades, including a wild nightie fight.

A lot of bodies pile up in this masterwork, but the mayhem has the dramatic intensity of a Kindergarten play. (There's no mention of funeral services for the fallen extras). .

A highlight is the final scene. It's intentionally funny, but it's brazen political incorrectness actually makes it much funnier then it's intended to be. Classic!

The distributors evidently went to a lot of trouble and expense in the restoration of this gem. As far as I can tell though, English subtitles are only available on the vastly inferior VCD format. Go figure. (As of this writing, the one part of the globe that's been rewarded with a DVD is France. The disc specs for Diablesse aux mille Visage, as it's titled in France, indicate the inclusion of the original Mandarin soundtrack and available French subtitles. Despite the listed runtime of 83 minutes, this DVD matches the VCD frame for frame, with a run time of 76 minutes).

If you're a fan of demented comic strip style cinema, a screening of Temptress of a Thousand Faces belongs high on your list of life's priorities.