Years before Chow Yun-fat became synonymous with the Hong
Kong action picture ala A Better Tomorrow, Hard Boiled and The
Killer, the actor saw his first breakthrough dramatic role in the WWII
drama Hong Kong 1941 being released on Blu-ray disc for the first time
by Eureka Entertainment. Co-written and
executive produced by martial arts action star and choreographer Sammo Hung and
directed by British-Chinese Immortality filmmaker Po-Chih Leong, it is
considered the prolific genre filmmaker’s magnum opus and for Hong Kong action
cinema fans as well as war history buffs it is something of a revelation.
Nominated for Best Feature at the Chicago
International Film Festival, it went on to win central star Chow Yun-fat the
Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actor as well as Best Cinematography for
Brian Lai at the 4th Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony for which it
also received a total of eight nominations.
Presented in a brand new 4K restoration and assembled with plentiful extras
by Eureka Entertainment, Hong Kong 1941 is one of the best WWII movies
with a distinctly Chinese perspective you’ve never heard of.
Forming a loose trio of
friendship with them is Yip Kim-fei (Chow Yun-fat) a cocky cool yet street
smart actor from Northern China intent on emigrating to the US or
Australia. However when they’re about to
leave, they’re stonewalled by the Japanese invasion and occupation lasting
between 1941 and 1945 and the parameters of their friendship are put to the ultimate
test as they find each other on opposite sides of the political fence from
collaborator to defector. On the one
hand, Yip Kim-fei finds himself being indoctrinated into Chinese collaborators
sympathetic to the Japanese while on the other hand his loyalty to rescuing his
now-captured and incarcerated friend Coolie Keung remains steadfast and undeterred.
A bold, angry film about one of Hong Kong’s darkest periods
in the history of the Second World War with photographs occasionally providing
glimpses to the audience of wartime atrocities committed by the Japanese, Hong
Kong 1941 arrives on Blu-ray disc at a curious time in the modern political
landscape with alliance leaning more heavily to the Japanese than Chinese. Serving as a stark reminder of the
viciousness which played out in the Sino-Japanese war and efforts to resist
and/or flee the country for the United States or Australia, it is a powerful
character-driven ensemble Hong Kong drama featuring impassioned performances
from all three principal cast members who give arguably their career
bests.
Featuring the aforementioned
award winning 1.85:1 widescreen cinematography by Brian Lai, a radiating
electronic score by Violet Lam and arresting period detailed production design
including but not limited to an actual surviving residential building from 1927
Tung Tau Wai, Wang Chau on display, for a Golden Harvest production this is
among the classier and more emotionally involved offerings from the company to
date.
A huge critical and commercial hit in Hong Kong, amassing
around $7.22 million in HK ticket sales, Hong Kong 1941 was a universally
well received WWII film across the board and still stands the test of time as a
testament to the powerful bonds of friendship during wartime. While the portrayal of the Japanese in a
negative light rings curious now, history buffs will nevertheless laud the film’s
commitment to detail and conveying the emotional weathers of the friendship
being tested by the war, occupation and more threateningly the
collaborators.
Being released outside of
Asia for the very first time by Eureka Entertainment with archival interviews,
two video essays by Tony Rayns, two interviews with the director and archival
interviews with the cast and crew, Hong Kong 1941 is a compelling
character driven historical drama that all but catapulted Chow Yun-fat into the
mainstream, eventually cementing a future working relationship with action
director John Woo. Quite possibly the
finest Golden Harvest film (outside of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
in their catalog.
--Andrew Kotwicki