Director: Alex Law Kai-Yui
Screenplay: Alex Law Kai-Yui, Mabel Cheung Yuen-Ting
Starring: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, Cheng Pei-Pei, Lam Ching-Ying, Chung Gam-Yam, Cheung Man-Lung, Wong Kim-Wai
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 112 min
Year: 1988
Back in the 1960s, Master Yu Jim-Yuen ran the China Drama Academy, a school that specialised in teaching Peking opera. Most of the students would live there, being looked after by the master as they trained hard for the ten years their contracts normally lasted.
The academy became famous for its Seven Little Fortunes troupe (made up of more than seven children, but that’s how many would appear in each show). They would wow audiences with their acrobatic Peking opera performances, but they became more famous for the work they did afterwards, when they grew up.
Most notably, among the children who trained at the China Drama Academy were Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Corey Yuen and Yuen Wah. They all made a name for themselves in martial arts movies, but they first developed their skills here.
In the 1980s, writer Alex Law and his partner, Mabel Cheung, had the idea of making a film about the school and its famous pupils. However, they originally struggled to get backing for the project.
A year or so later, after the success of their work together on An Autumn’s Tale, Law and Cheung were able to talk Shaw Brothers into producing the film, entitled Painted Faces, with Law marking his directorial debut. The film is presented on screen, however, not only by Shaw Brothers but also by longtime rivals Golden Harvest. It was the first and only time the two studios worked together. Golden Harvest were only actually involved through allowing Sammo Hung to appear in the film, though.
Painted Faces is now being released on Blu-ray by 88 Films. Long having heard of the film and story it was telling, but never having seen it, I requested a copy, and my thoughts follow.
Please allow me to quote from 88 Films’ press blurb to describe Painted Faces in a little more detail:
“BACK TO SCHOOL WITH SAMMO HUNG. The kung fu legend takes a rare dramatic role as the tough-but-fair master Yu, a teacher training young kids for a life on the stage. But times are changing; the theatres are closing and Yu must find new opportunities for his charges, even if it means letting them work in movies…
Based on the real-life childhoods of Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao and, yes, Sammo himself (he’s playing his own, real-life master) Painted Faces is a nostalgic tribute to a man who turned children into superstars.”
I’d heard stories of the tough, relentless training the stars had to endure back then, and how abusive their teacher could be, so I was expecting quite a bleak drama.
However, whilst we see a couple of canings and a brief, whince-inducing back-stretching exercise, it’s a surprisingly subdued, nostalgic film. The master becomes a father figure, rather than an evil child abuser.
Reportedly, the beatings are toned down from the stories the previous students told Mabel and Alex. Whether or not they should have gone whole-hog with it is a matter of opinion, but what we’re left with is a touching, delicate film that focuses more on the changing times. Peking opera was going out of fashion at this point, and the ageing Yu is struggling to stay relevant.
The film also looks at how the boys were out of touch with the outside world, being shut off in their traditional surroundings, whilst Hong Kong moved forward.
The production design mirrors this end-of-an-era theme, with the decaying school building offset against the gradual modernisation of the world around them. It also adds texture to the film, giving it a wonderfully lived-in quality. This is aided by some beautiful cinematography, courtesy of David Chung Chi-Man. He had directed several films himself prior to this and would go on to do cinematography for handsome classics such as My Heart is That Eternal Rose and Once Upon a Time in China.
There’s not much of an overriding narrative to the film. Instead, perhaps due to the script coming from anecdotes told by the original Little Fortunes, it takes more of a laid-back, episodic, observational approach. Some might find this dull, but I prefer this to the tick-off-the-milestones biographies you more commonly see. It felt like you were living there, among the group, and, despite the slower pace, I would have happily stayed there with them for longer.
The cast is strong. Since Hong Kong didn’t have any opera schools like this by that point, Law and Cheung went to an acrobatic troupe school in Taiwan instead to find the children they needed for the film, particularly in the early segments. The youngsters do an excellent job.
Sammo Hung is much more restrained than usual in the lead role. It must have been difficult portraying his own master, particularly whilst they were still alive. Cheng Pei-Pei came out of a brief retirement to play the master at an opera school for girls, who becomes an implied love interest for Yu. Cheng had a personal connection to the story, too. She had actually performed alongside the Little Fortunes when she was training.
Her performance in Painted Faces kickstarted the second period of Cheng’s career that actually eclipsed the first, in terms of volume of work and awards success.
I was also pleased to see Lam Ching-Ying appear in a dramatic role here. He plays ‘Uncle’ Hua, Yu’s former opera partner, who is now doing stunt work on films but growing a little too old for it. Lam was also originally from a Peking Opera background, though he didn’t go to that particular school. He drives the climax of the film, a scene that’s a little broader than the rest. Given the setting, though, it works.
Overall then, Painted Faces is an elegant, melancholic drama that takes a nostalgic look at the formative years of some of Hong Kong’s biggest stars.
Film: 
Painted Faces is out on 15th June on region B Blu-Ray, released by 88 Films. I noticed a small patch of macroblocking in the background of one shot near the start of the film, but otherwise it looks stunning. It has a wonderfully natural look, with detailed textures and subdued, earthy colours. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed. I had no issues with the Cantonese mono audio.
LIMITED EDITION FEATURES:
– O-RING WITH NEW ARTWORK BY MARK BELL
– DOUBLE-SIDED POSTER
SPECIAL FEATURES:
– High-Definition Blu-Ray Presentation In 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio
– Original Mono Audio With Newly translated English Subtitles
– Audio Commentary by HK Cinema Expert Frank Djeng
– The Art of Movement – An Interview with Actress Cheng Pei-Pei by Frédéric Ambroisine
– Tony Rayns on Painted Faces
– Teaser Trailer
– Original Trailer
– Compression by Fidelity in Motion
Frank Djeng provides a commentary. As usual, it’s an incredibly well-researched and engrossing track. It was highly valuable to me when writing my review. Plus, it includes an amusing anecdote about when Stanley Kwan hit on him!
Tony Rayns is interviewed about the film, too, in a 20-minute piece. He talks about the lives and careers of Law and Cheung, as well as discussing Painted Faces in more detail.
There’s also a 20-minute archival interview with Cheng Pei-Pei. She talks about her early career and how that inspired her role here. She also talks about how she was talked out of retirement to work on the project.
So, 88 Films have put together a nice package for a beautiful film. Highly recommended.
Disc/package: