ckormos1
I am currently watching every martial arts movie made during the golden age from 1967-1984. Watching in chronological order has given me a better insight into how these movies developed.I have not been able to establish a definite date for the original theatrical release of "Dirty Ho", other than sometime between 1976 and 1979. Recently HKMDB added 8/4/1979 as the date but I can't confirm that at a second source. Until I am certain of a date I can't say for sure if some of the creative choreography first appeared in this movie. Regardless, the use of props, the "fighting while appearing to be stumbling", fighting by making the opponent look off balance, and using Kara Hui as a weapon, all this creative choreography of fighting without fighting was never or at least rarely seen before.The title has always raised eyebrows. To clarify in Chinese the literal translation is "rotten head Ho". Ho is the character played by Wong Yu. The "rotten head" occurs during his fight with Kara Hui. He receives a scratch to his forehead during that fight. Initially, though superficial, the wound is very painful so he seeks medical treatment. The medical treatment only makes it worse. This was planned by Gordon Liu all along to lead to the character's metamorphosis.
poe426
Gordon Liu, who bridged the gap between Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, once again takes top billing in a kung fu comedy that showcases some well-conceived martial arts routines. To hide the fact that he's a kung fu master (and a noble on the lam), he manipulates a young woman at one point (in a brothel, if I remember correctly), using her like a puppet to fend off a would-be assailant; during a wine-tasting, he uses teapots and cups to keep his attacker at bay- while still sampling the wine; when he visits an antique dealer, the antiques themselves become defensive weapons even as he assesses their value. He enlists the aid of Wong Yu (the "Dirty Ho" of the title), whose close encounter with a group of gay gung fu men is worth the price of admission (they're called "The Bitters," but "The BitterSweets" would've been more to the point): Wong is almost converted by the Bitters when he samples their wares (...). When Liu is injured and has to take to a wheelchair, Wong takes up the slack- and then we see Liu, the Stephen Hawking of gung fu, mow down a virtual army of assailants en route to a showdown with the dastardly Lo Lieh. An ingrate, Liu literally kicks his young sidekick to the curb when day is done. Some trademarked choreography and plenty of comedy make this one worth a look.
Chung Mo
This is one of the films that sears itself into your mind forever unless kung fu films are a real turn off. Even when it was only watchable in poorly centered TV prints the brilliance of the action shined thru. Filmed towards the end of the golden age of the Shaw Brothers Studios, Dirty Ho rates as the top of the genre. The way the fights are choreographed is mesmerizing and I have spent hours rewinding the scenes to see exactly how the director orchestrated the camera and actors. It incredible how the movement progresses. I defy anyone to come up with something as subtle yet outrageous as the wine scene or the antique scene. The scenes in "House of Flying Daggers" are quite impressive but everything is computer assisted exaggeration. Here the only tricks are what could be done with editing and camera movement (O.K. maybe a few wires). You can see that most of the work is being done by the highly talented actors.When this is re-released, buy it!
tjopau
If anyone thinks that martial arts films are unsubtle escapism, with violence and little else, then Dirty Ho is a shining example of what they can be. Even from the point of view of the fight sequences, the two 'disguised' fights whilst drinking wine and admiring antiques are as well choreographed as any fights before and since.However, the nature of the relationship between the Prince and Ho is very deliberate and complex. The Prince, a Manchu, and thus regarded with a great deal of suspicion (if not outright hostility) by southern Chinese, is throughout the film the model of a good Confucian, knowledgeable about all manner of fine art, wine and antiques. Ho is uncouth, rude and violent towards him, yet the superior (and distinctly Chinese) virtue of the Prince ultimately convinces him to serve him.This is not only a obvious difference from a majority of Hong Kong films, in which the Manchu dynasty tends to be portrayed in a very negative light, as foreign, barbaric invaders, Dirty Ho provides a balance, indeed in some ways in represents the way the Manchu (Qing) dynasty, initially a foreign and, to the Chinese, barbaric people, soon was assimilated to become more Chinese than the Chinese.And besides that, it is a fantasticly crafted martial arts film, with all the usual training sequences and an absolutely brilliant stylised fight sequence during the opening credits.
AD
