Profiles of Pleasure
Reviewed by James Chang
What can I say? After Director Li Han Hsiang*
returned to HK in 1971, it seemed that every type of brothel from the old
days was rediscovered and brought to the cinema screen. From Beijing to Shanghai,
from Tien Tsin to Canton, the prostitutes in HK were considered to be the
most desirable. To many of the HK directors, prostitution was considered
to be part of the "glorious" past of this colony and worthy of praise long
before the era of Suzie Wong .
Stanley Kwan's Rouge (1987) was a typical example
of glorifying this oldest profession in the world, and the director of this
film, Tony Au, was attempting to follow in his footsteps by creating a luxurious
paradise for dandies and other lustful bastards and indulging in even more
debaucheries. Compared to Rouge though, it is far less dramatic and ravishing.
Overall, it is just a soap opera.
If you are not a moralist or a feminist, you can at least watch it for the
simple pleasures it offers. After all, it is quite enjoyable to see many
very lovely ladies walking about, adorned in fancy clothing and doing all
they can to catch some man’s attention. Though there is no real plot, you
won't get bored, as everything is thrown into a giant pot and served in the
form of potpourri. There are many ladies competing for sugar daddies and
occasionally trying to kill themselves in dramatic fashion after being abandoned.
This film, that takes place in the 1930’s, also presents a feminist movement
that wants to shut the brothels down. Besides the lovely visuals, there are
many songs and Cantonese operas to hear and watch. But if you're asking for
a solid plot and a sense of refined taste, this is definitely not your cup
of tea and you may even find it annoying.
The story starts with the British government’s plan to ban prostitution in
Shek Tong Tsui (Tong Sai), Hong Kong. Adam Cheng, a commissioner educated
in London, is sent to investigate this issue. After arriving with his westernized
fiancée, Carina Lau, he goes to Tong Sai to have a 'thorough investigation’
and ends up being personally involved with two of the courtesans, Nina Li
and Rosamund Kwan. This is the story of how an anti-prostitution commissioner
gets pulled into the world of high-class brothels and the fascinating creatures
within. The story ends when brothels were turned into cabarets**, and Adam
finally has to resolve his relationships with three of the most beautiful
ladies in the world. " Men are teapots and women are cups, one single teapot
is usually matched with a couple of cups " was his philosophy of life.
Basically, the entire film is sheer nonsense, however, people like myself
(mainly guys) could easily find watching this nonsense amusing. Three of
the most beautiful Hong Kong actresses of the eighties are brought together
on the same screen. Carina's performance did not persuade me that she came
from London with a university degree. Besides, I don't think Chinese in the
thirties were likely to be so open-minded about having sex before marriage
(it appears that Adam is intimate with Carina in the film).
On the other hand, all the 'prostitutes' in this film have very distinct
personalities. Rosamund Kwan does a brilliant job portraying a sophisticated
prostitute from Shanghai, who is confident, fashionable, witty and not without
a sense of humor. Nina Li also shines as she plays a corny yet voluptuous
local Cantonese*** girl whose beauty tends towards the gaudy side. In fact,
her role is probably the most dramatic one - as she discovers that she was
engaged to Adam prior to her birth ****. As it is, she has already been married
four times, but she had jinxed all four of them to death (actually, we shouldn't
be that superstitious, it is hinted that these “poor” guys died from exhaustion
after making love with her all day long!). Nevertheless, countless dandies
continue to “fearlessly” pursue her. I find the scene in which she shampoos
herself and converses with Adam Cheng particularly sensual. Other scenes
such as Nina Li dancing on a table, Rosamund drinking tens of glasses of
Champagne to save face, Nina Li teasing poor dead Alfred Cheung (who was
yet another victim of her prowess in bed) was also a pleasure to watch.
Pauline Wong's performance as the owner of the brothel was also exceptionally
fine and Adam Cheng, besides being handsome, has successfully depicted the
personality of a dandy. Compared with these actors, those in the late 1990’s
are merely good-looking statues and dolls. I know it is strange but their
appearance and performance simply doesn’t shine, not to say radiate. I think
what the modern day actors really lack is natural charm.
However, the performance from sci-fi writer, Ngai Hong (Ni Kuang), the old
fellow who played the long-time patron of the brothel was simply terrible.
Still, he was definitely much better than Pai Yun Chin, who plays the feminist
leader. I really wish we could one day have a Peter Ustinov or Charles Laughton
in Hong Kong. Also appearing are Paul Chun Pui, Wong Jing and Lawrence Cheng.
As director Tony Au was once an art director, he has always tried his best
in designing the set for his works. One major attraction of this film besides
the attractive women are the sets and costumes, however, they are not authentic
if we compare them with photographs of the thirties. Besides, for me, the
production design was a bit too gaudy. The songs and extracts from Cantonese
Operas, composed and rewritten by Dr. Law Wing-Fai , professor of the HK
Academy of Performing Arts and sung by Kam Kwok Wai, a celebrated Cantonese
Opera star ,were pleasures to hear.
Basically, Profiles of Pleasures is pleasing to both eyes and ears, no matter
how ridiculous and debauched its plot is.
* Li Han Hsiang (1926-1996), a major filmmaker
throughout the 50s to 70s, was the father of today’s HK commercial films.
When one is watching the God of Gamblers (1989), or a Ching costume drama,
or a Cat III film, don't forget that it was Li Han Hsiang who first brought
such type of materials onto the silver screens in the 70s.He was also the
man who discovered Michael Hui in 1972 and cast him in the Warlord (1972),
thereby catapulting him to regional super stardom. Later on, in the 80s, Li
primarily worked in the mainland, making costume epics where he first discovered
Tony Leung Ka Fai in 1982. As a director, Li has the ability to combine vulgarity
and elegance in a film, and as a scholar, he was extremely meticulous when
dealing with historical details in his films. This ability plus the ability
to discover stars make him different from Wong Jing. By the way, Gong Li
also first appeared in a Li Han Hsiang vehicle playing a supportive role.
** On June 30th 1935, the British banned prostitution
in Hong Kong
*** This is ironic, since it was Nina Li who
came from Shanghai in real life. Rosamund Kwan whose origin was from Mukden,
was educated in Hong Kong and the USA.
**** This is a Chinese custom that was
abandoned after 1919. In the old days, a pair of good friends could make
such an arrangement - if both of them had children of opposite sex at the
same time, their children would marry each other in the future.
If you find watching beautiful Chinese ladies a
pleasure, rating = 7.5
If you are a decent, honest and conservative person,
rating = 5.5
If you are a right-wing moralist, rating = 3
If you are a feminist, DO NOT go for this film.
It can be OUTRAGEOUS.