My Young Auntie


AKA: Fangs of the Tigress

Year of release: 1981

Genre: martial arts/comedy

Director: Lau Kar-Leung

Action directors: Lee King-Chue, Hsiao Ho, Lau Kar-Leung

Producer: Run Run Shaw

Writers: Lee Taai-Hang, Lau Kar-Leung

Cinematography: Peter Ngor

Editing: Lee Yim-Hoi, Chiang Hsing-Lung

Music: Eddie Wang

Stars: Kara Hui, Lau Kar-Leung, Johnny Wang, Gordon Liu, Hsiao Ho, Yuen Tak

Not rated; contains IIA-level violence and language

My Young Auntie

After its' premiere in 1981, My Young Auntie was a huge success, both with critics and audiences. Its' star Kara Hui went on to become the first female star of a kung fu movie to win a Hong Kong Film Award, and she earned the nickname of "Auntie" (a term of repect in Chinese culture), which she maintains to this day. My Young Auntie is also regarded as one of director Lau Kar-Leung's strongest movies and one of the pinnacles of the kung fu comedy genre.

My Young Auntie

Unfortunately, time has taken off a bit of the sheen of My Young Auntie. The broad comedy, which includes cartoonish musical cues and seemingly endless mugging for the camera, is very hit-or-miss. It's pretty obvious that Lau was trying to emulate the success of the Cantonese comedies of the Hui brothers, with a menu that features puns, pop culture references, and musical parodies. But nothing ever seem to really gel. A big reason of this goes to Kara Hui. She's likeable enough, but the character feels woefully underwritten and underdeveloped -- which is surprising, since the role was created especially for her by Lau Kar-Leung.

My Young Auntie

However, any misgivings a viewer might have about the story or comedy are forgiven by the fight sequences, which -- as you might expect from Lau Kar-Leung -- are very exciting. There's nothing particularly inventive about them (except for perhaps a seemingly invincible bad guy with some very vulnerable armpits), but they are all done well. In particular, the last forty minutes or so of the movie is almost wall-to-wall action, and definitely shows why many people think the "old school" kung fu movies are some of the best ever created.

RATING: 7

DVD Information (US version)

Manufacturer: Dragon Dynasty

Picture format: anamorphic widescreen

Sound format: Dolby mono

Languages: Mandarin, English

Subtitles: English, Spanish

Extras: trailers, photo gallery, interviews, commentary by Andy Klein and Elvis Mitchell

This is another solid release from Dragon Dynasty. The remastered picture and sound are tremendous, and really give this movie a whole new feel for those used to seeing the poor-quality releases of this movie that have come out over the years.

As for the extras, they're not as solid as some of the other Dragon Dynasty DVDs, with the only noteworthy one being a 15-minute interview with Kara Hui. The commentary track is a bit meandering and features some inaccuracies (such as the commentaros saying that this was a Cantonese, not a Mandarin, language production).

Still, if you're a fan of My Young Auntie, this is an excellent DVD well worth your money.

Movie Review Index  Main Page