Cross the river (过江)(1988)

Cross the river (过江)

Dir:  Chang Cheh

Cast:  Dong Zhi Hua , Xiaojian Xu , Yiwen Sun , Wenlin Zhou, Yuming Du, Lixin Mu, Xiangwei Wang

Plot: 1936, the japanese are allied with the Kuomintang member called Liu Shaoji, during a Sichuan Opera he saw the beautiful Hua Yunfang, and he decided that he wants her. But thanks to the opera troupe members he failed. Liu Shaoji's desire doesnt stop and he tries many way to get her, Mu Xiaolou (a beijing opera actor) and the Sichuan troupe decide to protect her against the evil thoughts of Liu Shaoji..

Year: 1988

Country: Mainland China / HK
Trailer (Edit by us (source Official Mainland dvd): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAslIC-sDao

Notes: This movie has been released in China on dvd by Boing! (it doesnt carry english subs, only chinese s. or t.). If you want an english-friendly edition go (if u can still find it) for the HK vcd. This is not the first movie that Chang Cheh directed in China, he made 3 more movies there: Shanghai 1937, Slaughter In Xian,and Hidden Hero. Dong Zhi Hua had a role in all of them, Xiaojian Xu's career consists of movies like Laugh at Life (a 1994's kung fu flick), The Swordsman and the General (another fu flick) and the mainland Chang Cheh movies. Yiwen Sun (the girl who plays Hua Yungfang in this movie) ,after "Cross the river" didnt do anything else. If u have more infos pls feel free to share em with us. The film is known also as: The Dragon Through The River (过江龙)
Personal opinion: Who doesnt know Chang Cheh? Well, if you dont know who he was, well, go and check some of his shaw brothers movies! Maybe not a lot of people knows that he made some mainland flicks since in a lot of websites those movies are stated only as HK which is not true. "Cross the river" is one example. It is a coproduction between HK and China. It has a lot of opera, most all of the martial arts scenes are during opera performances, just awesome. We really like this kind of thing. Don't worry, there are some street fighting especially when Mu Xiaolou (Dong Zhi Hua) is involved. The only thing we didnt like was the last fight, too short in our opinion (and too many fireworks involved).
Some snapshots (source: official mainland dvd):