The Greatest Lover
Chin Chun: Chow Yun-Fat
Silly Chick: Shing Fui-On
Tall Wai: Eric Tsang
Anita: Anita Mui
Li Chi: Nina Li Chi
director: Fak Yiu-Leung
IMDb link: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0095236
other links:
Version reviewed: DVD
Ratings:
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DVD Audio: 8 of 10
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DVD Video: 6 of 10
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Subtitles: 6 of 10
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Story: 5 of 10
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Performances: 5 of 10
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CYF: 5 of 10
This is one of four comedies starring Chow Yun-Fat released in 1988 (five if
you count the action spoof Tiger On Beat): The Greatest Lover,
Fractured Follies, The Eighth Happiness and Diary Of A Big Man. That's
a lot of films by themselves, but the films Goodbye Hero, Cherry Blossoms,
City War and the previously mentioned Tiger On Beat were also released
that year. Obviously CYF was a busy man in '87 and '88.
It rather shows in The Greatest Lover. The geniality which came through
in his other films seems a bit forced here, and some of the sight gags fall
flat. The chemistry between CYF and his co-star Anita Mui is almost non-existant; she
appears very tired and bored. Every shot with Miss Mui is so heavily filtered that
it seems as if it was filmed through a sheet of toilet paper; when she wears white
costuming, she glows like an arc lamp from the diffusion.
That is not to say that this film doesn't have its moments, and funny ones they are,
too. With a cast including CYF, Anita Mui, Nina Li Chi, Eric Tsang, Shing
Fui-On and Elizabeth Lee Mei-Fung it would be hard not to have some very good scenes.
Unfortunately those scenes aren't strung together consecutively, and there is a fair
amount of poorly written and conceived (and acted) filler in between.
The storyline concerns three Mainland men, Chin Chun (CYF), Silly Chick (Shing Fui-On)
and Tall Wai (Eric Tsang), who swim to a new future in Hong Kong. Played as
buffoons (think of them as Chinese "trailer trash") because they are from the
Mainland there is a lot of humor at their expense; this can be funny or irritating,
depending on your point of view and tastes. Once in HK, the three are to rendezvous
at a rundown bar called the Peninsula to collect their illegal identity cards from a
local crook, but CYF gets things confused and ends up at the sumptuous Peninsula Hotel
instead and there he meets up with the characters who will change his destiny forever. (This
is a big cast, but don't let that fool you - it's a very simple plot which just
has a lot of people in it.)
This film has been compared to My Fair Lady quite a bit, but other than superficial
similarities that really doesn't hold. Chow Yun-Fat's character is a stupid glutton for
the most part, not concerned with the opinions of those around him; the only reason
he seeks to better himself is that the nice hotels have more and better food at the buffet.
This is a long way from Eliza Doolittle.
Anita Mui is the top idol-maker in Hong Kong, and her price is high not only in
monetary gains but in obedience: she disciplines and teaches with the aid of a
riding crop. While this could have been slyly amusing, it is never really used
for effect; she's just a tyrant.
Shing Fui-On has a very interesting and (for him) refreshing role - I wish there
had been a lot more of it! He is the most intellectual of the bunch, gentle
and kind; his acting isn't as over-the-top as CYF's or Eric Tsang's. He also
goes in little old lady drag for a while, which is a fun change from the usual
heavies he plays in most of the four zillion HK films in which he's appeared.
There is one particular scene in The Greatest Lover which I think stands
out for special note: a few moments in which CYF does a routine that is very
reminiscent of Charlie Chaplin. Gazing longingly through the plate glass window
of a sweets shop, Chin Chun plants a sloppy vicarious kiss on a sweet bun sitting in a
display tray. Later on he finds the same bun in a trash heap in the dark alleyway
behind the shop, and eats it with relish. It's a funny and touching scene.
There's a lot more emotion displayed toward that Chinese doughnut than in the rest
of the movie toward Anita Mui. The kiss seems more passionate than the one CYF
later bestows on his bride-to-be, too.
The transfer on this DVD is very washed-out, even allowing for the fact that it
was seemingly filmed with half a jar of Vaseline on the camera lens; the English
subtitles are about average for a comedy of this era. If you want to see CYF
doing a not-so-hot job in a comedy, this is a good case study (as opposed to his
very funny portrayals in Diary of A Big Man or Fractured Follies
that same year). It's not a terrible movie, just not a very good one. This is
another one which I would suggest renting before you buy. Some reviews have
found it charming, some terribly sexist and offensive. I personally just think
it's a tired, uninspired film and though it does have a good cast and some good
moments, isn't one that will bear up to repeated viewing.
Fok Yie Leung, a.k.a. Clarence Ford, is the director who brought us the
anti-classic Naked Killer. He worked in television in his early
career, including the series in which CYF appeared to such great effect,
The Bund.
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