Search - Chinese Ghost Story on DVD

A Love Stronger Than Death

Scott Bright | Grayslake, IL USA | 06/05/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Movie Summary: A young tax collector named Tsei-Shen is forced to stay in the old almost abandoned Lan Ro temple while making his rounds. There he meets a Taoist monk/master swordsman/ghost buster who is the only other human staying at the temple. He also meets a very beautiful young woman, Nieh Hsiao-Tsing, whom he falls in love with. Although she resists at first, the woman falls in love with Tsei-Shen as well. This complicates things because she is a ghost and has been ordered to delete Tsei-Shen and take his soul.My Opinion: At first I had a hard time with the poor English subtitles and strange story. But then I was pulled into the love story and began to understand what was going on. Some of the small things that happen in the beginning are a bit confusing but I think this is mostly due to the cultural differences and poor subtitles. I ended up liking the movie very much. It has horror, action, and romance all very well mixed up into an entertaining package. The special effects are quite good. The plot is very filled out as well. The Taoist monk is a very cool character and you can?t help but fall in love with the maiden ghost Nieh Hsiao-Tsing.DVD Quality: Non anamorphic, no English language sound track, poor English subtitlesWhat You Should Do: Rent it. Don?t buy this edition, wait for a new version that has an anamorphic transfer. This movie is what I would consider a fairly hard core Hong Kong film. You need to be into this type of film to enjoy it. If you are into this genre you should definitely see it and also check out The Bride With The White Hair."

One of the best visual spectacles in the flicks!

Scott Bright | 09/15/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this movie almost seven years ago at an arthouse theater in Greenwich Village.Since then I have seen it three additional times and I can't wait to buy the video! It was then and remains now one of the most visually stunning and beautiful films I have ever seen (import or domestic!). Not to mention the action, the humor, the romance, and the mile long tongue! Do yourself a favor and BUY THIS MOVIE!!It is a thing of beauty and will last a lifetime."

Good story, fun effects

Scott Bright | 12/28/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Chinese Ghost Story, as often happens, spawned a number of successors, including an erotic spin-off series. Leslie Cheung plays a hapless, clueless tax collector who falls in love with the ghost who intends to make him her victim. Unlike the American Ghost Story with Alice Kriege and Craig Wasson, this ghost, played by Joey Wang, falls in love with her intended victim and asks him to find her ashes and move them to a place where she can be reincarnated. Cheung tries his best, but other ghosts want to keep her from succeeding. Wang, like Kriege, is absolutely gorgeous. Kriege, however, can act. On the other hand, Cheung really does a great job with his part. The story and many of the visual effects are stunning, but some of the corpse effects are more gross than frightening. What makes this movie scary is the storyline, not the effects, and it does have some scary moments. The screenplay is wonderful, so far as I can tell. As often happens with Hong Kong movies, the subtitles do a lot to undermine a good screenplay. Some of them are simply awful."

Suberb!!!

Scott Bright | 08/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Perhaps one of the best oriental movies I have ever seen. Some may say that the film is lacking in a few areas, but the plot combined with director's magic touch blew me away. After seeing the movie I could not give it anything less than a full rating. The atmospere of the film is unique, at times sad, exciting and romantic, with the rare comical undertone throughtout the movie. The special effects might not be as good as the current modern hollywood superhit movie standard, but unlike most new movies which use special effects just to blantly impress the viewer and fill space, the effects of this movie enhance and complement the atmospere and the plot perfectly. A trully moving film."