Massage Girls (also known as "Club Girl Story")
Chow Yun-Fat
Lam Kin-Ming
Yu On-On
directed by: Cheung Sum
IMDb link: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0074311
other links:movie poster image
Version reviewed: VHS
Ratings:
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VHS Audio: 6 of 10
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VHS Video: 5 of 10
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Subtitles: Chinese only
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Story: 3 of 10
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Performances: 4 of 10
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CYF: 4 of 10
information updated February 13, 2000
With the invaluable assistance of Wal Pongpun, I have been able to
confirm that the home video release titled Club Girl Story is
the film which was originally released by Goldig Films under the name
Massage Girls. Made in 1976, it premiered in theatres on September
23 of that year. Though the home video was not released until 1981
(after, I might cynically add, CYF's smashing success in the
TV series The Bund), this is indeed one of the earliest releases
of CYF's film career - the third documented film in which he appeared.
There are two versions of this film which I have now seen, one with Cantonese
dialogue and one with Mandarin, both are subtitled in Chinese only.
As a bit of trivia, Massage Girls, under the Club Girl Story title,
has been aired on the satellite network The International Channel.
One of the earliest films in which Chow Yun-Fat appeared, this is the third
release he made as a contract player with Goldig Films. If he had been female, this would be
considered an "exploitation" film, as it contains numerous shots of
him wearing only a towel, showering, bending over in tight pants and
lots of loving shots of his physique. Young and somewhat gangling,
he was already being cast as the attractive (but still innocent) lead in a
film which surprisingly has a fair amount of sleaze to it.
Massage Girls, which goes under the title Club Girl Story in
its home video incarnation, was released on September 23, 1976 in theatres (through
the video was not released until 1981, well after CYF was an established
television star). If you're looking for a stellar performance,
this isn't the movie in which you'll find it, but if you're looking to see
the raw, untutored charm and talent of a young CYF then give this one
a watch. The direction by Cheung Sum is minimal, obviously of the "okay, now stand
over there" variety, and the sets, costuming and story are pretty bad
but it's still evident even in this early outing that the camera loves
CYF. The scenes at the gambling table, for example, show the intensity that would later make his performances so vivid in everything
from The Bund to The Corruptor.
Massage Girls is a relatively simple tale of a young police officer
who goes undercover in a nightclub/brothel to investigate the recent humiliation
beatings of the prostitutes who work there, and to crack open the triad clinch
on nightlife. Positioning himself in the right place at the right time,
CYF meets up with a young prostitute who is running from the gang responsible
for the mistreatment of her co-workers. He manages to save her from being
beaten and doused with urine (a fate which we have already seen befall one of
her hapless friends) and she, being grateful to the handsome
young man, decides
to pay her karmic debt to him right away by taking it out in trade, so to speak.
Along the way though she makes a stop at her family's hovel and we see that this
young woman is being immoral to support her elderly parents and a whole slew of
neices and nephews. After this glimpse into the world of a good girl turned
bad out of necessity, she takes CYF back to the brothel and promptly tells him
to shed his clothes and take a shower (which he does with a fair amount of
zest). As she takes a bath and he relaxes on her bed (wearing a towel strategically
draped) he gives his cover story - as the chauffeur for a rich man he had some
time to kill one afternoon (while Boss and a party girl were holed up in some
Hong Kong Holiday Inn or another) so when he sees an old friend he offers to
give him a ride. Old Friend just so happens to seize this opportunity of
personal transportation and robs a bank as CYF waits at the kerb. Of course
Old Friend and CYF are busted (so the story goes) and so poor CYF is a man
marked for life with a criminal record he did not deserve and thus reduced to
doing whatever he can for a living (hint, hint, hint).
This of course endears the young CYF to his prostie friend even more, and she
climbs into bed with a smirking enthusiasm which is really rather funny. As
she gets under the covers though CYF bolts out of bed and grabs pillows to
shield himself, and only hesitatingly will even sit on the bed beside her.
After a number of attempts to get him on the same side of the sheets as herself,
CYF's working girlfriend gives up and goes to sleep, leaving a somewhat grumpy
CYF to look like he overdid it a little bit with the Scared Virgin routine. Great
fun.
As time goes on, CYF works his way into a position as barkeep and general thug
for the owners of the brothel, as well as into his girlfriend's heart. To
complicate matters however he becomes a personal escort to a femme fatale who
is apparently the mistress of the Big Boss of the triad. Taking her about on
his attractive arm, he delves into the secrets of the triad society and learns
that Boss Lady seems to be just as, if not more so, in charge of happenings as
her benefactor. She seems pleased with her new friend, feeding him, kissing him,
fondling him in front of the maid and just generally showing him off about town.
When his undercover status is compromised though she is none too
pleased and this is when he and his girlfriend are made to dig a pit on the beach
and hop in, so that Boss Lady's thugs can cover them with sand up to their necks
and make convenient targets of their pretty little heads for Boss Lady's revolver.
Just another day of fun 'n' sun at the beaches of Hong Kong.
This old Tai Seng tape was released in '81 and I doubt if it's been re-released
since; the color is faded and for some reason when this film was edited for
video release someone forgot the term "pan and scan" so you end up seeing only
the middle of the film at times. This leads to scenes of hands holding papers
while disconnected voices discuss things off-screen, or long shots of a piece of
paneling behind a dining table with the diners hidden from view. Nonetheless,
it's an entertaining movie for hardcore CYF fans who might get a kick out of seeing
one of the great performers of film as a youngster. The actress Lam Kin-Ming, who
had toiled for Goldig in such films as Bald-Headed Betty and "Fertility" Bank,
gives a very nice performance as Boss Lady.
There are two versions which I have seen, one in Mandarin and one in
Cantonese; both are subtitled only in Chinese. No matter which copy you might find, you won't have a hard time picking up on what's
going on. If you stumble across a copy of this film, grab it. If nothing else,
it's a great party flick for CYF fans.
I have been told that the reference in Chinese to "chi nuu", or "pond woman" is a slighting
reference to a woman who has "been around the block a few times", to use an English euphemism.
Since my familiarity with Cantonese slang hovers around the zero mark, I can't confirm or deny
that. Take it as you will.
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