D V D C R Y P T

INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN

Directed by Chu Yuan
Written by Chiu Kang-Chen
Cinematography by Wu Cho-Hua
Produced by Runme Shaw
Cast: Lily Ho, Yueh Hua, Betty Pei Ti

1972/87 Mins/Color/Mono
2.35:1 anamorphic/Mandarin/Hong Kong/NTSC Region 1

Review from Image Entertainment DVD

Beautiful Ai Nu (Lily Ho) is kidnapped and sold off to a brothel, run by an equally ravishing madam (Betty Pei Ti). Said madam also happens to be lesbian and a karate expert, including using a move called “ghost hands” where she plunges her hand into an opponent’s chest, killing them. She forces Ai Nu into prostitution, where lusty old men rape her. When, she tries to escape, her accomplice is killed by the madam’s men. She finally becomes the whore the madam wants her to be. She gets in a romantic relationship with the madam, who has fallen in love with her. In fact, she even teaches her karate. But soon bodies of the men who raped Ai Nu start to pile up. Is she acting out her revenge?

This Shaw Brothers classic is definitely ahead of it’s time and was highly controversial back then. It certainly stands out amongst the many of it’s kind and era. There are lots of beautiful naked, Chinese women. While, the two leads, Lily Ho and Betty Pei Ti, have lesbian love scenes that are very sexy and sensuous. Both of them are beautiful beyond all belief. Yet, despite the exploitative nature of the film, it is shot in a very classy style. The sets and the clothing look as beautiful as the women in the film. And the acting, in particular from Ho and Ti, are excellent. And thanks to them, the ending is a very emotional one.

Most of the action in the film is saved for the exciting climax, though there is some kick ass moments here and there. The kung-fu scenes are well choreographed, with some cool sword play thrown in and a good amount of graphic violence. There are lots of arterial spraying, as well as slashing, stabbings, and amputations. In all, INTIMATE CONFESSIONS is a truly awesome and gorgeous mix of karate action and eroticism.

Image punches INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN into our DVD player with this absolutely stunning 2.35:1 transfer. The film looks truly amazing, with no artifacting or flaws, whatsoever. In fact, the movie looks brand new, despite being from 1972. The sound, even in mono, is loud, crisp, and clear. The subtitles look great and are easy to read.

The main extra here is “Intimate Confessions of 3 Shaw Girls”; where Shau Yu-Yin, Caroline Yu, and Lily Li, all talk about the controversy surrounding the film. They also discuss its two gorgeous leads. Caroline Yu was in the remake called LUST FOR LOVE OF A CHINESE COURTESAN, and they talk about that film as well. They end up signing the praise of both movies. There are also a few cool production photos in the still gallery. Also, included is the trailer for the movie, as well as the trailers for a shitload more movies from Hong Kong released by Image.

The disc comes in a transparent keepcase. The cover looks great, as does the awesome menu screen, which features the girls fighting the bad guys in the background. From there one can choose from the twelve chapters the film is broken up into. And, while no inlet card is included, the packaging still looks great!

Image:

Audio:

Extras:

Packaging:

This Film Features: