The Bride with White Hair
The Bride with White Hair is a 1993 Hong Kong wuxia film directed by Ronny Yu, starring Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung.
| The Bride with White Hair | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Traditional | 白髮魔女傳 |
| Simplified | 白发魔女传 |
| Mandarin | Bái Fà Mó Nǚ Zhuàn |
| Directed by | Ronny Yu |
| Produced by | Ronny Yu Clifton Ko Raymond Wong |
| Screenplay by | Ronny Yu Lam Kei-to Elsa Tang David Wu |
| Story by | Liang Yusheng |
| Starring | Brigitte Lin Leslie Cheung |
| Music by | Richard Yuen |
| Cinematography | Peter Pau Lee Tak-shing |
| Edited by | David Wu |
Production company | Ronny Yu Films Ltd. |
| Distributed by | Mandarin Films Distribution Co. Ltd. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Mandarin Cantonese |
| Box office | HK$19.8 million[1] |
The film's main character, Lian Nichang, is loosely based on the protagonist of Liang Yusheng's novel Baifa Monü Zhuan, which served as source material for the 1982 film Wolf Devil Woman. However, Yu saw the film as a Romeo and Juliet story and said that the lovers' struggle against fate and their heroic duty inspired him more than the familiar trappings of most wuxia films.[2] As such, the film departs significantly from the original source.
A sequel, The Bride with White Hair 2, directed by David Wu, was released later in the same year.
Plot
Zhuo Yihang was raised by Taoist Ziyang of the Wudang Sect and groomed to be a chivalrous swordsman. He is tasked with leading a coalition force formed by the eight major orthodox martial arts sects to counter an evil cult.
During a battle against the cult, Zhuo Yihang meets a young woman, Lian Nichang, and falls in love with her. She is an orphan and was raised by wolves as an infant before being adopted by Ji Wushuang, the conjoined twins who lead the cult. After consummating their romance, Lian Nichang decides to leave the cult and follow Zhuo Yihang in pursuit of an ordinary life away from the martial artists' community.
Lian Nichang succeeds in leaving the cult after suffering great pains. Meanwhile, Zhuo Yihang returns to Wudang and is horrified to see that his fellows have been murdered. The coalition members believe that Lian Nichang is responsible so they attack her when she arrives to meet Zhuo Yihang. Zhuo Yihang is forced to turn against Lian Nichang.
Devastated by her lover's betrayal, Lian Nichang morphs into a vicious white-haired killer and slays all the coalition members present. Suddenly, Ji Wushuang appears and reveals that he/she is actually the one who killed the Wudang members. Zhuo Yihang and Lian Nichang join forces to defeat and kill Ji Wushuang. However, even after the victory, Lian Nichang vows never to forgive Zhuo Yihang for betraying her and walks away while he looks on helplessly.
In a brief epilogue set years later, Zhuo Yihang is alone in a remote mountain region guarding a rare flower that is said to bloom only once every several decades and has the ability to reverse the effects of ageing (turning white hair back to dark). Believing that it can cure the harm he has inflicted on Lian Nichang, he awaits for the return of his loved one and hopes that she will show up.
Cast
- Brigitte Lin as Lian Nichang
- Leslie Cheung as Zhuo Yihang
- Leila Tong as Zhuo Yihang (child)
- Francis Ng as Ji Wushuang (male)
- Elaine Lui as Ji Wushuang (female)
- Yammie Lam as He Lühua
- Joseph Cheng as Yu Xincheng
- Eddy Ko as Wu Sangui
- Law Lok-lam as Taoist Baiyun
- Pau Fung as Taoist Ziyang
- Jeffrey Lau as sect elder
Year-end lists
- Top 10 (listed alphabetically, not ranked) – Matt Zoller Seitz, Dallas Observer[3]
References
- The Bride with White Hair at the Hong Kong Movie DataBase
- "Mad Blood Stirring" (p. 4) by Eleanor M. Farrell
- Zoller Seitz, Matt (12 January 1995). "Personal best From a year full of startling and memorable movies, here are our favorites". Dallas Observer.