Overview: Although most famous for their kung fu movies, Hong Kong’s legendary Shaw Brothers studio made more than just chop socky; taken from a (famously saucy) classic novel, Golden Lotus is an epic tale of a passionate - and sometimes destructive - love affair between a rich man and a poor women, a potent story of lust and power.

Co-starring no less than Jackie Chan in one of his earliest roles and directed by the award-winning Li Han Hsiang, Golden Lotus reveals the true strength and diversity of Hong Kong filmmaking.

88 Films are proud to present this under-seen masterpiece on Blu-ray.

Blu-ray Verdict: To be honest, this is yet another movie where I’ve been fooled into watching because my man Jackie Chan was noted as being front and center throughout, and yet he only actually pretty much appears at the very beginning!

Anyways, that aside, Chan (in what has been described as being his first ever big movie role) was pretty good in the little screen time he had, as was pretty much all of his noisy comic relief. The rest of the cast are also noteworthy, as a whole, but namely Hu Jin (I loved the way she conveyed so much through her physicality, especially her piercing eyes, which spoke more than a thousand words).

I mean, she delivered on the vulnerability, of course, but also the almost “femme fatale” aspects of the character. I’ve seen steamier and hotter sex scenes, but the erotic stuff here was pretty good. The melodrama is very soapy, but pretty solid, and there’s some good intrigue that keeps you glued to the story.

The production design and cinematography are also pretty good, so all in all, in conclusion, a lot of people down the years have praised this movie for its cinematic endeavor in adapting the novel, but having never read it, I cannot comment. But if you’re a fan of it, or spicy melodrama, I’d say its worth checking out, for sure.

Bonus Features:
High Definition (1080p) Presentation in 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio
Original Mandarin Audio

Official Purchase Link