(03) Shaw Bros Director - Inoue Umetsugu
Inoue Umetsugu, one of Shaw Brothers Japanese import who is famous for his series of Hong Kong’s Hollywood-styled musical extravaganza. In the ‘60s, he has three musical hits with Shaw Studio: “The Millionaire Chase”, “Hong Kong Nocturne” and “Hong Kong Rhapsody”.
“The Millionaire Chase” depicts the adventures of a trio ( Lily Ho, Chin Ping, Ting Pei) who search for their love and wealth; “Hong Kong Nocturne” revolves three sisters (Cheng Pei Pei, Lily Ho and Chin Ping) who go separate ways in search of their dreams; “Hong Kong Rhapsody” teams Li Ching and Chen Ho to make this light-hearted romp a delight for romantics.
Inoue continues to impart a Japanese sensibility in his subsequent musicals. “We Love Millionaires” and “The Venus’ Tear Diamond” ( both starring Lily Ho, Ling Yun) are familiar musical slapsticks with Hong Kong, Japan and Korea pop-cultures; then his “The Yellow Muffler”, “Whose Baby Is In The Classroom ? “, ……. However, the results are silly and ridiculous plots which ruined the talents.
Inoue has demonstrated his directing versatility. In the early ‘70s, he has made an interesting crime thriller “The Brain Stealers” ( starring Lily Ho, Chen Ho) . Same era, he makes a romance movie “Sunset” ( starring Ching Li, Chin Pei) where the weak plot is a disappointment. His most successful masterpiece is the “5 Billion Dollar Legacy” ( starring Hsing Hui, Wang Ping ) .
1 comment:
He brought fresh wind to SB with his musical comedies, wonderful melodies, lively dances and beautiful costumes. He was considered the "avantgard" of the 60s. I appreciate all his works, he was a director "par excellence"!
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