The Legend (1993)

This Hong Kong martial-arts extravaganza tells of evil emperors and true love. The secret Red Lotus Flower Society is committed to the overthrow of the evil Manchu Emperor and his minions. ... See full summary »

Director:

Corey Yuen

Writers:

Kin Chung Chan, Susan Godfrey (english adaptation)

Stars:

Jet Li, Josephine Siao, Michelle Reis

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jet Li	...	Fong Sai Yuk
Josephine Siao	...	Miu Chui Fa
Michelle Reis	...	Ting Ting
Sibelle Hu	...	Siu-wan
Adam Cheng	...	Chan Ka Lok
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lung Chan	...	Macu
Sung Young Chen	...	Tiger Lui
Kong Chu	...	Fong Tuk
John DeMita	...	Fong Sai Yuk (voice)
Keith Ferguson	...	(voice)
Xian Gao	...	Support
Joe Hannah	...	(voice)
Karen Huie	...	(voice)
Tom Konkle	...	(voice)
Peter Kwong	...	(voice)

Storyline

This Hong Kong martial-arts extravaganza tells of evil emperors and true love. The secret Red Lotus Flower Society is committed to the overthrow of the evil Manchu Emperor and his minions. One of his Governors is sent on a mission to retrieve a list of members of that secret society. Meanwhile, Canton kung fu practitioner Fong Sai-Yuk falls in love with the beautiful daughter of a rich merchant, recently moved to Canton. Her father, in an attempt to gain influence in the region and thus improve his business, offers his daughter in marriage to the winner of a kung-fu contest. Some interesting gender role-reversals take place during a 'comedy of errors.'

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Plot Keywords:

kung fu | emperor | secret society | martial arts | wooden platform | 

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Taglines:

Fast. Furious. Deadly.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Release Date:

4 March 1993 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

The Legend

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eastern Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min 95 min (USA)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Sai Yuk is curling his mother"s hair and says that he can speak English ("wonderful"), Mother Fong asked where he learned it. He tells her that he learned from Josephine Siao, who actually plays Mother Fong in the film.

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Quotes

Fong Sai-Yuk: [assaults "intruder"] Who are you?
Mother Fong: [removes disguise] I'm your mother.
Fong Sai-Yuk: Wow. Mom! You look just like a man!
Mother Fong: Yeah, and I just won Tiger Lu's daughter's hand in marriage.
Fong Sai-Yuk: Does Dad know?
Mother Fong: Nooo!

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Crazy Credits

In the original Hong Kong cut, the final scene has Tiger throwing the Red Flower scroll into the air where it unfurls. The closing credits then roll down a parchment labeled "Red Flower Society Name List", as if the entire cast and crew were members of it.

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Alternate Versions

UK version was cut by 1 sec. for sight of real animal cruelty (horse tripped so that it falls forward onto head) due to BBFC policy and the Cinematograph Films (Animals) Act 1937.

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Connections

Spoofs Wong Fei Hung (1991)

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Soundtracks

Excerpts
from Shu gim yan sau luk (1976)

User Reviews

very good despite the overdub

Believe it or not, this was the movie that introduced me to Jet Li. I was immediately hooked. I've read reviews that discredit the dub into English, but I found it easy to overlook this -- in fact, I found it to be somewhat hilarious. This film has all the makings of a great movie. There are no sub-plots that do not get resolved. The servant who always bawls whenever Jet Li's character get's set to go away for a minute or two is downright hilarious. That's one of the unique things about this movie: with so much drama they managed to make a hilarious movie, as well. As usual, the kung fu is extraordinary. In particular, there are a few scenes in which the opponents face off and the camera takes a moment to pause and let the viewer see the poses from a brilliant perspective. This will always be one of my favorite Chinese films.