Discussion of 1970s and 1980s TVB Gu Long adaptations

[Ian Liew]

A very fair assessment.

I don't think that Austin Wai had any problems pulling off Sai Mun Chui Sheut's physical presence. He *looked* the part just fine, and in still pictures of him in character as Sai Mun Chui Sheut, he looks quite impressive. When he actually has to *act* the character, however, then he has problems.

Austin was actually quite a handsome chap with very nice, sharp features which made him look very good in wuxia makeup. However, he had a kind of funny accent which kind of ruined the effect - a yawning, sleepy accent which I can't really place. He wasn't really the best of actors in the first place either, but that didn't stop me from liking him immensely the moment I saw him as Sze Keng See in the 13 Princes. He has a certain magnetism and charisma, but it's not the sort which translates well into wuxia, or at least in a leading wuxia role, sadly.

[Ken Cheng]

Austin was actually quite a handsome chap with very nice, sharp features which made him look very good in wuxia makeup. However, he had a kind of funny accent which kind of ruined the effect - a yawning, sleepy accent which I can't really place. He wasn't really the best of actors in the first place either, but that didn't stop me from liking him immensely the moment I saw him as Sze Keng See in the 13 Princes. He has a certain magnetism and charisma, but it's not the sort which translates well into wuxia, or at least in a leading wuxia role, sadly.

I think Austin Wai did his best work as a wuxia actor in THE FOUNDATION (TVB, 1983). He played a wulin adept named Man Ching Ping in that series, and was really cool as this character. I think that his work in THE FOUNDATION is largely what got him the nods to play 1 Dim Hung and Sai Mun Chui Sheut in the 1980s versions of CHOR LAU HEUNG and LUK SIU FUNG. He did a credible job as 1 Dim Hung, but Sai Mun Chui Sheut proved a much more difficult role for him.

[mawguy]

I thought Sabre God would be Damian Lau vs Louis Koo - unless Eddie Kwan did a Ding Pang as well? Eddie did a Li Xunhuan, and darn was that serial awful, even if the song was really nice.

i completely misremembered--thanks for setting the record straight!

While we're talking about 1970s TVB Gu Long adaptations I'd like to put in my usual praise for One Sword. It was only part Gu Long, of course, and even then only in plot (it was a merged Wan Hua Xi Jian Lu and Xiao Ao Jiang Hu plot, with renamed characters), but it was done so beautifully.

i've only read the synopsis--my parents were JY-biased, so i missed out on a lot of the GL adaptations until it was too late to rent them. and only a small handful have been made available on disc. i'm slowly trying to get my hands on whatever's available. fung bo-bo is an amazing actor, so i'm not at all surprised she passed off the boy role.

[mawguy]

Alex Man as Luk Siu Fung: I've never liked Alex Man as an actor. I think he's a bit of a ham and overacts in most of his roles.

and he is the reason i cannot even consider watching that version of LXF. totally agree on the hamminess.

[Ken Cheng]

and he is the reason i cannot even consider watching that version of LXF. totally agree on the hamminess.

Luk Siu Fung was actually one of his better roles. He reigned in the hamminess a *bit* to suit the character, but didn't entirely succeed, and when the trademark Alex Man hamminess was on, the character became irritating.

[mawguy]

Austin portrayed a very cool and effective One Dot Red in the New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung, which was a year or two earlier than Return of Luk Siu Fung.

well, yidian hung was a poor-written, 2D character in the original, so it didn't require much effort to pull off the stoic bits. austin is mostly eye candy, to be honest. he really doesn't have depth. and even if the situation had been reversed--with him getting first dibs at interpreting XMCX, people would still remember wong yuen sun's performance, first impressions bias be damned.

EDIT: wrt his accent, i think it stems from the fact that canto isn't his mother dialect. there are a few HK actors with a similar problem, and more pronounced, too. i haven't heard his voice in ages, so i really don't recall.

[Ian Liew]

I think Austin Wai did his best work as a wuxia actor in THE FOUNDATION (TVB, 1983). He played a wulin adept named Man Ching Ping in that series, and was really cool as this character. I think that his work in THE FOUNDATION is largely what got him the nods to play 1 Dim Hung and Sai Mun Chui Sheut in the 1980s versions of CHOR LAU HEUNG and LUK SIU FUNG. He did a credible job as 1 Dim Hung, but Sai Mun Chui Sheut proved a much more difficult role for him.

Ohh, I remember Man Ching Ping, I loved him too - his duel with Kent Tong using the dice was so Shell Game, but he was a really cool chap. Sadly as he was a mercenary, the bad guys hired him to kill Felix despite him actually being on quite good terms with him (I think Felix even owed him money - money which was a big factor in Felix's survival early on or something, and he had to repay the token amount before he would fight Austin). I remember how he died, with that spear falling on him from the ceiling, and with his dying breath he asked Felix to bury him with his girlfriend Dorothy Yu. Why did she commit suicide, do you remember? Because Austin knew he was never going to come back from his assignment, and she wanted to die with him?

[mawguy]

Luk Siu Fung was actually one of his better roles. He reigned in the hamminess a *bit* to suit the character, but didn't entirely succeed, and when the trademark Alex Man hamminess was on, the character became irritating.

well, he was less of a physical fathead back then, i suppose. i've seen him as yongzheng and cheung kwanbo, and that was enough for me. i guess it's good that his version of 3rd Master's Sword is not being made available to the viewing public. i rather like the story, so i'd be terribly put off with his hamminess, if present.

[mawguy]

i just have to make quick comments on bobby auyeung and chun wong in LXF86: WTF? i simply cannot see bobby pulling off honest monk, even now, so never mind back when he was much younger. as for chun wong, i think the blame rests more with the script writers and directors. chun wong can do serious roles and do them well, so the fact that he was a goofy chu ting (such a pity) is not really entirely his fault (he should take some of the blame, seeing as he is capable of portraying the character otherwise). and even though i haven't watched LXF86, my impressions from other discussion about it is that it's rather campy, so i guess it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that chu ting is goofy. all the more reason not to watch this piece of travesty. yes, call me a purist and book-snob.

[mawguy]

With regard to Honest Monk, Lo Hoi Pang felt more than formidable - you could feel some kind of menace, almost as if you were never sure if he was really good or actually secretly bad. The kind of friend who you don't want to have turn against you. Bobby was just more of a friendly, nice groupie.

it's a pity that they changed honest monk's character in LXF70s because i would've loved to see lo hoi pang do the more sinister monk in later books.

[junny]

EDIT: wrt his accent, i think it stems from the fact that canto isn't his mother dialect. there are a few HK actors with a similar problem, and more pronounced, too. i haven't heard his voice in ages, so i really don't recall.

I think it's got a bit of a nasal twang, and it's a touch high. You're right, Cantonese is not his mother dialect, since he's from Shandong and also of Manchu descent. I'm watching him in Chor Lau Heung 1984 and he's all right as Yidianhong, just a bit stiff (or maybe it was just cuz of the character). I don't mind Austin Wai, I just think his sister is better at acting.

[tape]

"The Return of Chor Lau Heung" was always a childhood favorite of mine. Michael Miu is so charming and intelligent in that role, and Simon Yam has always been one of my favorite HK actors. The plot is a bit slow in random parts of the series, but overall I like it a lot.

I remember arguing with my brother where there was a scene that had CLH going to borrow a sword from the old guy's sword manor in order to combat the Bat Prince's Snake Sword since all his other swords kept breaking, and it ending up with the snake sword wrapping itself around CLH's sword, but since it was a legendary sword, he was able to make it explode and win the fight.

Turns out I dreamed it .

[mawguy]

I think it's got a bit of a nasal twang, and it's a touch high. You're right, Cantonese is not his mother dialect, since he's from Shandong and also of Manchu descent. I'm watching him in Chor Lau Heung 1984 and he's all right as Yidianhong, just a bit stiff (or maybe it was just cuz of the character). I don't mind Austin Wai, I just think his sister is better at acting.

oh, yes, she is way superior! which makes it even more sad when you compare them--from the same family! at least the three brothers of david chang, chun pui, and yee tung sing each are good actors in their own rights. 'twould be sad if one was clearly superior.

[mawguy]

"The Return of Chor Lau Heung" was always a childhood favorite of mine. Michael Miu is so charming and intelligent in that role, and Simon Yam has always been one of my favorite HK actors. The plot is a bit slow in random parts of the series, but overall I like it a lot.

i agree! imo, that is by far the better adaptation. the adam fangirls can get as catty as they want; won't change my mind. i think the problem with CLH84 is that they tried to not only combine more than one storyline but added the unnecessary character of the princess, so that made the overall story less cohesive.

I remember arguing with my brother where there was a scene that had CLH going to borrow a sword from the old guy's sword manor in order to combat the Bat Prince's Snake Sword since all his other swords kept breaking, and it ending up with the snake sword wrapping itself around CLH's sword, but since it was a legendary sword, he was able to make it explode and win the fight.

Turns out I dreamed it .

LOL! you probably confused it with another tv series around the same time, where michael was the son and rightful heir to his father's sword & manual but was ousted by his two jealous and scheming martial brothers. but later on, he came into his rightful inheritance. i don't even remember what the series is called anymore. but your description matches my vague memories of that series.

[tape]

LOL! you probably confused it with another tv series around the same time, where michael was the son and rightful heir to his father's sword & manual but was ousted by his two jealous and scheming martial brothers. but later on, he came into his rightful inheritance. i don't even remember what the series is called anymore. but your description matches my vague memories of that series.

I think you might be talking about "The Dragon Sword" where Michael Miu stars as the main character in three story arcs. I think the last one is where his enemy has a super weapon and the Dragon Sword was broken, so he needed to get it fixed with a whole bunch of different things before they could fight the villain. It does sound like what my dream was like, except I'm certain that I saw Dragon Sword afterwards as I was pretty grown up (~18) and ordered it from Yesasia myself .

[junny]

"The Return of Chor Lau Heung" was always a childhood favorite of mine. Michael Miu is so charming and intelligent in that role, and Simon Yam has always been one of my favorite HK actors. The plot is a bit slow in random parts of the series, but overall I like it a lot.

I remember arguing with my brother where there was a scene that had CLH going to borrow a sword from the old guy's sword manor in order to combat the Bat Prince's Snake Sword since all his other swords kept breaking, and it ending up with the snake sword wrapping itself around CLH's sword, but since it was a legendary sword, he was able to make it explode and win the fight.

Turns out I dreamed it .

Hahaha. I'm enjoying Miu Kiu Wai's CLH immensely, I giggle like a little girl whenever he's on screen . He's so suave as CLH, and I really like his chemistry with Chan Wing-chun, who played Wu Tit-fa. I don't remember watching Adam Cheng even though he's pretty much the iconic CLH, and I think I was pretty put off by Adam being CLH that I refused to watch any CLH drama adaptations. But then bam, Miu comes along and I just had to watch it, and so far so good. I'm at the part where Simon Yam's just come out as the mysterious Master Yuen, boy he looked real good. I read somewhere that Miu's CLH is less emo than Adam's, not sure how true that is.

My only grouse is that Barbara Yung's character is really quite annoying and useless. They should have just made her play one of CLH's girls rather than create a new character for her.

oh, yes, she is way superior! which makes it even more sad when you compare them--from the same family! at least the three brothers of david chang, chun pui, and yee tung sing each are good actors in their own rights. 'twould be sad if one was clearly superior.

I haven't seen Derek Yee act a lot, more familiar with Chun Pui and David Chiang. Love those two! I wonder if the three brothers have ever been in a drama or film together?

[tape]

Hahaha. I'm enjoying Miu Kiu Wai's CLH immensely, I giggle like a little girl whenever he's on screen . He's so suave as CLH, and I really like his chemistry with Chan Wing-chun, who played Wu Tit-fa. I don't remember watching Adam Cheng even though he's pretty much the iconic CLH, and I think I was pretty put off by Adam being CLH that I refused to watch any CLH drama adaptations. But then bam, Miu comes along and I just had to watch it, and so far so good. I'm at the part where Simon Yam's just come out as the mysterious Master Yuen, boy he looked real good. I read somewhere that Miu's CLH is less emo than Adam's, not sure how true that is.

My only grouse is that Barbara Yung's character is really quite annoying and useless. They should have just made her play one of CLH's girls rather than create a new character for her.

I think I giggle like a little girl whenever he's on screen, and I'm a guy! It's definitely not just nostalgia either; I watched it again probably only 3 years ago .

I'm not sure if you've seen it before and are rewatching so I don't want to spoil anything, but Miu's CLH is definitely much less emo. He's emo for like 5 minutes and then remembers how awesome he is and that everyone makes mistakes.

Not a huge fan of Barbara either, but she does get better (but still non essential) as the story goes on.

[junny]

I think I giggle like a little girl whenever he's on screen, and I'm a guy! It's definitely not just nostalgia either; I watched it again probably only 3 years ago .

I'm not sure if you've seen it before and are rewatching so I don't want to spoil anything, but Miu's CLH is definitely much less emo. He's emo for like 5 minutes and then remembers how awesome he is and that everyone makes mistakes.

Not a huge fan of Barbara either, but she does get better (but still non essential) as the story goes on.

Kekeke, I'm giggling as I read what you wrote Miu Kiu Wai is indeed swoon-worthy, I find it adorable that he did CLH, then later Kong Fung (in Tony Leung's Legendary Siblings), and those two characters are handsome and charming. This is my first time watching Miu's CLH, though I don't mind spoilers that much, and am also reading the novel as well (but am only on the first story).

I really like all of Miu's costumes as CLH (and indeed, in most of his dramas where he acts as the suave gentleman, he really looks the type). I am enjoying his portrayal tons, his CLH comes across as personable and friendly, able to drink with you till dawn and listen to your troubles. But beneath his easygoing exterior, he's highly intelligent and observant. He's also so patient with Siu-jing, sometimes I wonder what on earth he saw in her to fall for her (I know he ends up with her in the drama). I'm glad you said that Miu's CLH is less emo and more carefree (and awesome!), because that's always been the impression I get from CLH, so hearing about Adam's being emo didn't square.

As for Barbara, I like her okay, but not a great fan. I always link her with Felix since they were so cute together in LOCH 82, so it was a bit of a surprise to find that she's done more dramas with Miu and that people shipped them (and still ship them) like crazy.

[Ken Cheng]

Ohh, I remember Man Ching Ping, I loved him too - his duel with Kent Tong using the dice was so Shell Game, but he was a really cool chap. Sadly as he was a mercenary, the bad guys hired him to kill Felix despite him actually being on quite good terms with him (I think Felix even owed him money - money which was a big factor in Felix's survival early on or something, and he had to repay the token amount before he would fight Austin). I remember how he died, with that spear falling on him from the ceiling, and with his dying breath he asked Felix to bury him with his girlfriend Dorothy Yu. Why did she commit suicide, do you remember? Because Austin knew he was never going to come back from his assignment, and she wanted to die with him?

I forget the reason that Man Ching Ping's lover killed herself. I think the reason you gave was probably it.

i just have to make quick comments on bobby auyeung and chun wong in LXF86: WTF? i simply cannot see bobby pulling off honest monk, even now, so never mind back when he was much younger. as for chun wong, i think the blame rests more with the script writers and directors. chun wong can do serious roles and do them well, so the fact that he was a goofy chu ting (such a pity) is not really entirely his fault (he should take some of the blame, seeing as he is capable of portraying the character otherwise). and even though i haven't watched LXF86, my impressions from other discussion about it is that it's rather campy, so i guess it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that chu ting is goofy. all the more reason not to watch this piece of travesty. yes, call me a purist and book-snob.

The series wasn't played for laughs, but at the same time, it was clear that TVB wasn't aiming to do a straightforward LUK SIU FUNG adaptation like it did during the 1970s. In THE RETURN OF LUK SIU FUNG, TVB seemed to be looking to take bits and parts of the various LUK SIU FUNG novels that it liked and combine that with some of its own "original" ideas to make a sort of smorgasbord stew (with the expected mixed results). I felt that THE RETURN OF LUK SIU FUNG got off to a strong start, but had a weak ending (a common flaw of TVB series).

The series did have somewhat of a downer ending, which I actually kind of *liked*. I'm kind of a sucker for downer endings.

I read somewhere that Miu's CLH is less emo than Adam's, not sure how true that is.

It's true. After

 click to show spoilers

So Yung Yung's death

, Adam Cheng's Chor Lau Heung seemed to mope around for the rest of the series. Michael Miu's Chor Lau Heung never moped, no matter what happened.

[junny]

I think you might be talking about "The Dragon Sword" where Michael Miu stars as the main character in three story arcs. I think the last one is where his enemy has a super weapon and the Dragon Sword was broken, so he needed to get it fixed with a whole bunch of different things before they could fight the villain. It does sound like what my dream was like, except I'm certain that I saw Dragon Sword afterwards as I was pretty grown up (~18) and ordered it from Yesasia myself .

Oh no, it's out of print on Yesasia Now I really want to watch it...

It's true. After

 click to show spoilers

So Yung Yung's death

, Adam Cheng's Chor Lau Heung seemed to mope around for the rest of the series. Michael Miu's Chor Lau Heung never moped, no matter what happened.

That's pretty fail then for Adam's CLH. I'll just stick with Miu's CLH, much more soothing on my eyes.

The only forever moper I remember in Gu Long's universe is Li Xunhuan. Guy is really depressing.