The Bride with white hair

Directed with exuberant energy by Ronnie Yu (“Bride of Chucky”), “The Bride with white hair” is a fine example of the type of genre bending movies that Hong Kong cinema is most famous for. Part Romeo and Juliet and part martial arts fantasy adventure, the film takes place in a mythic, medieval China and stars Hong Kong superstars Brigitte Lin and Leslie Cheung as members of opposing clans who fall in love and get caught in the middle of a violent feud. The film’s shamelessly romantic mood is set from the opening scene which has Cho Yi Hang (Leslie Cheung), a Wu Tang Clan sect disciple, forlornly guarding a single white rose believed to have mystical powers, while mourning the absence of his true love, Lian Nichang (Brigitte Lin), the white haired one of the title. The film then goes back ten years to tell their epic story, complete with evil siamese twins and plenty of hair extension fighting. Cast includes Francis Ng, Elaine Lu. Based on the novel by Leung Yu-Sang. In Cantonese with English subtitles.