Shen Yuqi

The rapier wit is not only for playful bantering between a couple but also for fighting justice. Famed attorney Sung Sai-kit (Ma Si-tsang) is best known for his sharp pen and silver tongue. His wife Madam Tong (Hung Sin Nui), sympathetic with a wronged widow, tries every trick up her sleeve to get her husband to help. Ma is funny and lovable who morphs from the henpecked husband to the brilliant and shrewd attorney at court, he displays perseverance behind his devil-may-care and nonchalant attitude, even Stephen Chow reincarnated his persona in the 1992 version.

Starring in numerous singing films, Zhou Xuan was one of the most beloved singers in both cinema and recording industries for her 'golden voice'. Popular nightclub singer Zhu Lan (Zhou) is originally in love with impoverished painter Fang Zhiwei (Gu Yelu), but is taken advantage of by rich playboy Ye Chunhua (Wang Hao) at her most vulnerable time. To add to her misfortune, Zhu discovers her being an adoptee. She also learns the heartbreaking truth about her birth parents which intertwines with her own life across generations. Eventually, irreversible tragedy awaits with revenge exacted for past wrongs. In a case of art imitating life, the songstress's life and upbringing resemble Zhou Xuan's own, making the film even more heart-wrenching. The 'Song Fairy' Chen Gexin composed the film's entire music with six songs sung by Zhou. 'Song of a Songstress', sung towards the end of the film, adds poignancy to the film with its discourse on the joy and sorrow in life.

Teacher Huang San extends to his pupils the high principles of patriotism, thus arousing the hatred of the occupying Japanese. Huang is forced to flee and to escape from the Japanese clutches. One night, he helps a robber escape from a pursuing Japanese officer by firing his gun and thus unintentionally kills the Japanese. Huang San follows to his hideout and from then on, Huang San joins the bandits. Huang San attempts to rob a house but discovers that the occupant is none other than his student Wang Zhongkang who is involved with the guerrillas. Huang San decides to help Zhongkang raid the military arsenal of the enemy. However, as Huang gradually gains the trust of their chief, some jealous associates within the bandit group informs on him. Huang and Zhongkang carry out their raid amid a fierce confrontation, Zhongkang successfully implements his mission but Huang is killed in the battle.

Four sisters, each with their different characters, embark on their separate roads to romance. Elder sister has vast experience of romance; second sister is predisposed to vampiness and wantonness; third sister is righteous and of noble character; fourth sister is just reaching puberty and experiencing the pangs of first love. Being sentimental, flirtatious and amorous, the four sisters form a backdrop conducive to songs and tripping the light fantastic.

Hotelier Pak Kam-lung meets Cheung Yuk-neong on a ship travelling to Hong Kong. In Hong kong, Kam-lung searches for Yuk-neong's whereabouts and throws a costume party to lure Yuk-neong. He finally meets Yuk-neong again but she is cool towards Kam-lung. In order to get close to Yuk-neong, Kam-lung disguises himself as a hotel attendant. Meanwhile, the gentleman-thief Yu Yat-chi is attracted by Yuk-neong's diamond brooch. Yat-chi poses as a banker to get close to Yuk-neong. He lures Yuk-neung to his hideout by falsely claiming that her father is hurt in hospital. Yuk-neung is kept prisoner in an attempt to force her father to hand over the diamond brooch. Kam-lung puts on a female disguise to penetrate the hideout to save Yuk-neong. His disguise is seen through by Yat-chi, but fortunately, the police is alerted in time. The bandits are arrested. Finally, Kam-lung and Yuk-neong are married.

Showing off his love of visual aesthetics as a painter, director Dan Duyu combines elegance, exoticism and oddity into a grand big-budget package with New Arabian Nights. Dan's vision is definitely not bound by the source material, but his magical and music-filled version of the orient turns out to be not so different from how Western storytellers would imagine it.