In 1937 after The Second Sino-Japanese War breaks out a soldier and a young woman have an awkward meet cute in darkness under a bridge as they seek refuge during a bomb raid. Although they can’t see each other’s faces they promise to meet again after the dust settles. Ten years later the soldier, now a burgeoning songwriter and tuba-player in a marching band, is back in town desperately searching for his would-be soulmate. As fate would have it they end up living in the same building unbeknownst to each other. Through a series of mishaps he mistakes her new ingénue roommate for his love interest and wacky love triangle hijinks ensue.

Consummate auteur Tsui Hark almost singlehandedly reinvented Hong Kong cinema in the 80s and 90s with uber-kinetic genre opuses, amping up cinematic spectacle whether with special effects or sheer unbridled energy. This Hong Kong styled homage to the screwball comedies of yesteryear features black belt level slapstick and delightfully droll romcom shenanigans. With striking mise en scene and inspired production design SHANGHAI BLUES is “luscious, loving and a lot of fun… one of Tsui Hark’s most enjoyable works” (South China Morning Post).

“A constant charmer. Watching it is a buoyant experience... Tsui’s affection for his characters rings as clear as his love for screwball comedy antecedents.” –The New York Times (Critic's Pick)

DIRECTED BY TSUI HARK
HONG KONG | 1984 | CANTONESE & MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES