The Bund 《上海灘》

[Ken Cheng]

But as I recalled from Bund I, at the end when HMK was shot, the gwailo guy with long hair popped his head out of the car. And the looks on his face was kind of disappointed when he saw that it was HMK that was shot. What was that all about? At first I thought they originally wanted to target Ding Lik, that's why he seemed disappointed. But then again...what?! Or was he just a lame a$$ bad actor..:P

Here's how I've interpreted it: behind the scenes, Dik Wan Tze wanted to eliminate all opposition before making his grand entrance onto the scene in Shanghai. With Fung Ging Yiu and Lip Yan Wong both dead, the new big men on the scene were Hui Mun Keung and Ding Lik, and these two were doubly dangerous because of their brotherhood/partnership. Each one would be formidable enough on his own; together, the brothers would be very difficult to unseat as Shanghai's criminal overlords.

Dik Wan Tze was instructed by the Japanese authorities to eliminate Hui Mun Keung, but for his own future in Shanghai, Dik must have understood that he needed to get rid of Ding Lik as well.

Dik Wan Tze must have ordered the French assassin to eliminate both Hui Mun Keung and Ding Lik in one hit. On the night of the hit, Hui and Ding went clubbing together. The assassin must have anticipated that the brothers would leave the nightclub together as well and thus, he could get both at the same time.

What the assassin didn't anticipate, however, was that Hui would leave the nightclub, but Ding would stay inside. So immediately after the hit, the assassin was quite pleased with himself until he saw that he had gotten only ONE of the brothers.

So basically, the French assassin only got his mission half accomplished; that's the reason for his dismayed expression when he saw that only Hui Mun Keung had gone down.

I thought the flashback of HMK was good, although he did seem a little gay wiping his nose with that white tissue hehe.

But he did that a lot in the original series too.

If it was me directing (hehe), I would have made this flashback much longer, maybe an entire episode or two, explaining how Ding Lik learned the skills from HMK on one particular case that we didnt get to see in part I. Maybe it would also explain why Ding Lik was able to transform so suddenly later, as you mentioned.

A whole episode? Heh, that would have been THE BUND 1.5!

I liked the flashback because it was so unexpected. With Hui Mun Keung dead, you didn't expect Chow Yun Fat to appear in the sequel outside of recycled footage from the first series, but here was five minutes of entirely new footage of Chow as Hui in the sequel! I was surprised and amazed the first time I saw it!

[Ian Liew]

Actually the first time I saw Gigi Wong was in The Drive of Life where she played Damian Lau's wife. So my impression of her is always the "old fat wife" of Damian Lau hehe :P That's why it seems hard for me to find her attractive in The Bund II hehe.

My .. goodness.. Raymond Lam's mother was Gigi Wong? She didn't look ANYTHING like the Gigi Wong I knew (who of course, I haven't watched in over 20 years, but I haven't seen Susanna Kwan for a few decades either, and she was instantly recogniseable in Heart of Greed).

Sorry for the off-topic, but I'm shellshocked that I watched the show for so long, was wondering who this woman was who they casted in such a big role, and not recognised somebody who I should have.

[Ken Cheng]

Observations after Episodes 6 – 9 of THE BUND, with emphasis on the complex dynamic between Hui Mun Keung and Fung Ging Yiu (and character motivations and sensibilities that emerge as a result of their interactions).

In THE BUND, Fung Ging Yiu has long been, by far, the wealthiest man in Shanghai. Quite simply, there is no one in the city whose wealth even approaches his. His business interests are at the heart of the city’s economy (and extends to banking and other financial institutions, manufacturing, international trade, public utilities, stocks, real estate, gambling, entertainment, and of course, the underground criminal element that cannot be publicly discosed).

Fung Ging Yiu has so much money that money itself has long ceased to be an object for him. He has more of it than he could ever use, so what Fung is obsessed with is power, face…being THE MAN in Shanghai…the one man that the city cannot do without.

Hui Mun Keung understood this, and so, after becoming Fung’s right-hand man, concentrated his efforts towards achieving this goal for Fung.

As soon as Hui Mun Keung became a part of Fung Ging Yiu’s organization, Fung appointed Hui as the executive manager of the public utilities department (water, electricity) …ahead of experienced business experts such as Leung Gwong Yan, who had worked in Fung Ging Yiu’s organization for years. The reason that Fung gave Hui Mun Keung this responsibility was because Hui understood what it was his boss wanted, and how to get it; this was something that financial wizards such as Leung Gwong Yan couldn’t do.

Case in point: not long after taking position as executive manager of public utilities, Hui Mun Keung decided to bid on Shanghai’s Water and Power Department…spending as much as two or three times as the competition (French business interests led by such individuals as Rinton and Maurice) to outbid them for control of the Shanghai WPD. Leung Gwong Yan objected vehemently to this move…arguing that there was very little money to be made in public utilities, and that the money needed to outbid the French for the WPD was better spent in the stock market or tradable commodities such as textiles. Leung brought his case to Fung Ging Yiu, only to have Fung brush off his recommendations with the remark, “Profit isn’t always the goal in doing business.” A corporate finance guy like Leung Gwong Yan couldn’t make any sense out of what his boss was aiming for here (Why are we in business if we’re not trying to make money, but LOSE money?), but Hui Mun Keung could. Hui understood that Fung Ging Yiu wasn’t interested in making a profit, but extending his influence and control over the city of Shanghai, and if he had to spend rather than make money to get that, he was prepared to do it. Hui Mun Keung got that; Leung Gwong Yan didn’t. That’s why Hui was increasingly valued in Fung’s organization while Leung saw his role and his influence decline. Fung Ging Yiu didn’t need another financial expert; he needed someone who could expand his public profile. That someone was Hui Mun Keung.

The problem was, Hui Mun Keung knew what his boss wanted too well, and was becoming a little too effective for his boss’s comfort. Fung Ging Yiu had long coveted Hui Mun Keung to be his assistant…going so far as to set things up that when Hui’s independent businesses (the nightclub and gambling club) went sour as a result of Ding Lik’s foolish killing of Lo Gum, Fung withheld from intervening immediately to force Hui into joining his organization. For a while, it worked out great for Fung: Hui was everything Fung hoped he would be and then some, and with Hui directing the business, Fung found his control over Shanghai expanding, as hoped.

But an incident with a fortune teller on the street planted seeds of doubt in Fung Ging Yiu’s mind and soon, he was concerned that his most valuable lackey would one day overtake him.

The fortune teller they met on the street identified Fung Ging Yiu as a great man who would be a captain of industry. Fung was pleased by the flattery of the fortune teller, and a little surprised by how accurate the fortune teller was in judging him. Immediately afterwards, however, the fortune teller took a look at Hui Mun Keung and declared, “You’re going to dominate this part of the world by the time you’re thirty years old [Hui was in his mid-20s at the time]. In fact, I think you’re going to be even greater than that gentleman [Fung] over there.”

Hearing that greatly disturbed Fung Ging Yiu. He hadn’t seriously thought about it before, but he began to feel increasingly threatened by the his own most valuable employee. He found that Hui Mun Keung frequently knew Fung’s needs before Fung himself knew them, and was already taking care of Fung’s needs before Fung even asked. Now *most* bosses would LOVE to have an employee like that, but in Fung’s case, it worried him. Fung Ging Yiu was thinking, “This guy knows what I want before even I know it, and he brings me what I want before I ask. He’s too clever for his own good. He’ll take over someday!” When Ching Ching says she won’t be having dinner with her father that night because she has a date with Mun Keung, Fung Ging Yiu becomes even more disturbed: Hui Mun Keung not only had too much influence in Fung’s business organization, but he had too much influence over Ching Ching as well. Fung felt that he was losing ground to Hui Mun Keung on both the professional and personal levels, and he was increasingly wary of his employee.

This shows the egotistical personality of Fung Ging Yiu, and how he felt threatened by anything that seemed to take his godly dominance over all aspects of his life (be it control over Shanghai or over his own daughter) from him. From that point forward, Fung Ging Yiu would perceive Hui Mun Keung as a threat, and would be wary of him even as he exploited him. Knowing that at least a part of Mun Keung’s strength came from his partnership with Ding Lik, Fung Ging Yiu even conspired to drive the brothers apart…so that they would not unite against him.

As much as Fung Ging Yiu was using Hui Mun Keung, Hui Mun Keung was also using Fung Ging Yiu. At heart, Hui Mun Keung was still a patriot and an idealist: he wanted to help his countrymen and do something good for the impoverished people of Shanghai, but he knew from bitter experience that trying to attain those goals the way he did in his college years (i.e. protesting in the streets and writing polemical essays for pamphlets) would get him nowhere (except prison and the deaths of his loved ones). So, much as he had taught Chan Hon Lam, Hui Mun Keung worked within the system…joining Fung Ging Yiu’s organization and taking advantage (as much as he could) of the power and wealth his elevated position gave him to accomplish his goals. A part of that was by subtly manipulating Fung Ging Yiu into doing things that would benefit the people of Shanghai, while at the same time dressing it up (for Fung’s sensibilities) as moves that would help Fung to increase his power. For example, taking over the WPD was a move that deeply interested Fung Ging Yiu because of the greater influence it would give him, but it was also a move that would benefit the poor people of Shanghai because they would finally get reliable and affordable water and power service (which had been unavailable to them before). Later, when Fung was in the running for the city council, Hui attempted to convince Fung to tone down such illegal activities as fixing football matches (the Japan vs. Liverpool football match) and murdering dissident journalists (i.e. Lo Chou Bak) because it would displease the city’s American Embassy officials, whose support Fung would need to gain a seat on the city council. Hui Mun Keung understood his boss very well, and knew that he could manipulate Fung Ging Yiu into actions that would benefit Shanghai’s poor people. I think Hui was trying to show Fung that he could best advance his own interests by advancing the interests of his fellow citizens. Fung bought into the idea for a while, and both men were meeting their interests.

But then, when Fung began supporting the interests of the Japanese imperialists, things began to break down and soon, Fung and Hui would find themselves at a cross purpose…

Continuity/Dialogue Flub Note:

At the beginning of Episode 8, Hui Mun Keung tells Ching Ching that he has been in Shanghai for two years (i.e. two years have passed since the events of Episode 1). That’s reasonable. A lot has happened to our characters since the first episode.

But just a few episodes later (12), just before Ding Lik cuts off Hui Mun Keung’s finger, Hui says that it has been “a year” since he and Ah Lik first met and became brothers. This contradicts what Hui said to Ching Ching in Episode 8. This could be a simple error/oversight, or it might have to do with the idea that the phrase “a year” sounds more dramatic than “two years.”

The Episode 8 card-reading gwailo.

This guy was even worse than I remembered.

TVB had gwailo performers who were both better actors and enunciators (not speakers, just enunciators) of Cantonese than this guy. Why didn’t they use any of them? This guy could neither act nor enunciate Cantonese anywhere near decently. Maybe they wanted to interject some humor into the scene?

[NetDragon]

Ok, so I have finished The Bund III, and I have to say that I was quite disappointed :P

What irritates me the most is that this new producer/director doesn't seem to pay much respect to the previous parts. Not even once did any of the themes from part I play during part III. There is only one scene that uses the theme from part II, the one used in the commercial logo of part II. Besides that, none, zero. Part III uses its own themes, and I have to say really weak ones. The producer doesnt seem to be fond of using background music during scenes, and this is kind of a bad move. You dont get that special emotional feeling like in part I and II.

Also it is fun to see that the plotline is kind of a remake of the one in part I, although executed in a bad and unconvincing way. Hence, Wong Yuen Sun = Chow Yun Fat, Lai Chun = Fung Ging Yiu...hehe..yeah..:P
But it doesnt beat the original in any way in my opinion. The hatred against Lai Chun performed by Wong is the weakest acting I have seen in a long time. Also the ending is kind of tragically ridiculous. The ending confrontation is also a far far cry from the original Russian roulette scene, it is not even close and personal at any level.

The only cool thing about Bund III must be Ding Lik. His personality seems to have changed a lot and matured, although ultimately he seems unnecessary to the plotline. And what happened to him in the end really...? It makes the opening scene of episode 1 seem unnecessary, why show his character being ****** to *****..hehe..when this is not related to the end at all.

Overall, it could have been much better. Oh, and another thing, they do not use the flying commerical logo of part I and II at all. It is all the new burning logo, which in my opinion is not that bad, quite a catchy tune in the logo. But showing the face of Ding Lik on the logo only...is kind of wrong..

Geez, and dont get me started on the love relationship between Wong Yuen Sun and Au Yeung Pui San...I think this series must hit the Guiness Record of the amounts of time a couple breaks up and resumes their relationship!

[Ken Cheng]

What irritates me the most is that this new producer/director doesn't seem to pay much respect to the previous parts. Not even once did any of the themes from part I play during part III. There is only one scene that uses the theme from part II, the one used in the commercial logo of part II. Besides that, none, zero. Part III uses its own themes, and I have to say really weak ones. The producer doesnt seem to be fond of using background music during scenes, and this is kind of a bad move. You dont get that special emotional feeling like in part I and II.

I've only seen bits and parts of it so far. Any mention of characters and events from Part I? I know that Ah Lik refers briefly to "Mun gor" in the final episode, but otherwise, any references back to the original series?

Also it is fun to see that the plotline is kind of a remake of the one in part I, although executed in a bad and unconvincing way. Hence, Wong Yuen Sun = Chow Yun Fat, Lai Chun = Fung Ging Yiu...hehe..yeah..:P
But it doesnt beat the original in any way in my opinion. The hatred against Lai Chun performed by Wong is the weakest acting I have seen in a long time.

Which is a shame, because Wong Yeun Sun was one of TVB's best actors during the 1970s. By the time of THE BUND III, however, Wong wasn't at the top of his game anymore, and BUND III was his final work with TVB.

Wong Yeun Sun was always great in wuxia series as swordsmen like Sai Mun Chui Sheut or Ah Fei. In modern period dramas (including early 20th Century like THE BUND series), he seemed out of his element...the same way that Chow Yun Fat seems out of his element in ancient series.

The only cool thing about Bund III must be Ding Lik. His personality seems to have changed a lot and matured, although ultimately he seems unnecessary to the plotline.

Yes. Ah Lik seems relegated to a supporting role in THE BUND III. It doesn't seem like he's the main character of the series anymore. Still, the evolution of his character to this point was great. He finally became the great man we knew he could become; Hui Mun Keung would have been very proud of him.

And what happened to him in the end really...? It makes the opening scene of episode 1 seem unnecessary, why show his character being ****** to *****..hehe..when this is not related to the end at all.

Actually, I was hoping that scene would be explained, but it never was. That opening scene wasn't Ah Lik, but an older lookalike. OK, but just who was that and why did he ****************** in the opening scene?

Overall, it could have been much better. Oh, and another thing, they do not use the flying commerical logo of part I and II at all. It is all the new burning logo, which in my opinion is not that bad, quite a catchy tune in the logo. But showing the face of Ding Lik on the logo only...is kind of wrong..

It suggests that Ah Lik has the central role in the series, which is misleading. Ah Lik's role is diminished compared to Part I and Part II.

Geez, and dont get me started on the love relationship between Wong Yuen Sun and Au Yeung Pui San...I think this series must hit the Guiness Record of the amounts of time a couple breaks up and resumes their relationship!

During the late 1970s early 1980s, TVB paired Wong Yeun Sun and Au Yeung Pui San up a lot because the two had good screen chemistry together. It didn't show in THE BUND III. Two great actors who normally work well together, but didn't quite deliver in the final entry in THE BUND series.

With THE BUND II and THE BUND III, it's hard to say if they're innately weak, or if they're simply overshadowed by the greatness of the first series.

[NetDragon]

I've only seen bits and parts of it so far. Any mention of characters and events from Part I? I know that Ah Lik refers briefly to "Mun gor" in the final episode, but otherwise, any references back to the original series?

Actually, I was hoping that scene would be explained, but it never was. That opening scene wasn't Ah Lik, but an older lookalike. OK, but just who was that and why did he ****************** in the opening scene?

With THE BUND II and THE BUND III, it's hard to say if they're innately weak, or if they're simply overshadowed by the greatness of the first series.

Well, Ding Lik did mention Cheung Gwai in one of the early episodes. I think you have mentioned that before in another post, that he is haunted by the past experience with Cheung Gwai. That is why he doesnt want to take Wong Yuen Sun's character under his wings. Besides that I didnt notice his reference to "Mun Gor" in the last episode, well have to say I did snore..Zzzzz...through some minutes during this 20 episode boring sequel :P So I might have missed a few scenes hehe..

Oh, the opening scene was a lookalike? I thought it was Ding Lik at his older age. When he looked over at the kid and his parents sitting on the table next to him, I thought he started thinking about his dead son from part II. And when the incident occurred a few seconds later...they go immediately back to the past.. How did you know that this guy was a lookalike, and not Ding Lik?

After seeing part III, I do have to say that part II is a stronger sequel. Although it doesn't beat the original, I still sit back with that good old Bund feeling, maybe mostly because of the final events with Cheung Gwai that kind of left me a lasting impression..nearly (but definitely average) on the same level as the final Russian roulette scene in part I. But part III...hmm...I just sat back with a bad taste after the final episode.

It is funny to see that Felix Wong's character is actually doing something useful in the final episode III, because throughout the series he is kind of a total insignificant character, compared to for example Miu Kiu Wai's character. But the very last scene of Felix screaming..hehe..is just embarassing :P But a few years later the last scene of Bund III is in a way remade in the Felix Wong series Soldier of Fortune. That one has almost the same outcome, but is done in a better way in my opinion.

[Ken Cheng]

Well, Ding Lik did mention Cheung Gwai in one of the early episodes. I think you have mentioned that before in another post, that he is haunted by the past experience with Cheung Gwai. That is why he doesnt want to take Wong Yuen Sun's character under his wings. Besides that I didnt notice his reference to "Mun Gor" in the last episode, well have to say I did snore..Zzzzz...through some minutes during this 20 episode boring sequel :P So I might have missed a few scenes hehe..

Yeah...in the final episode, just before Ding Lik sends Wong Yeun Sun's character on his way, the Wong character says, "Mr. Ding...you've paid such a terrible price."

Ding Lik just smiles and says, "All those years ago, Mun-gor paid an even greater price...but he never regretted it."

I'm guessing Ah Lik was referring to when Hui Mun Keung sacrificed everything he had to save the Ching Woo martial artists from the Japanese by betraying Fung Ging Yiu. That was a nice nod to continuity with the original series.

It makes me wonder how much time passed between the beginning of the first series and the end of the third series. Ah Lik looks a little older, but not aged yet. I'm guessing that at least fifteen years had passed...but is that enough time? The nationalist era of Chinese history was very short...Sun Yat Sen and Chiang Kai-Shek's government hardly had any time to get anything started with the warlords, then the Japanese, and then the Communists. At least part of THE BUND saga must have happened during World War II because in Part II, Shanghai was getting air-bombed by Japanese warplanes.

Oh, the opening scene was a lookalike? I thought it was Ding Lik at his older age. When he looked over at the kid and his parents sitting on the table next to him, I thought he started thinking about his dead son from part II. And when the incident occurred a few seconds later...they go immediately back to the past.. How did you know that this guy was a lookalike, and not Ding Lik?

Because in the very next scene, Ding Lik's aide comes into his office and tells him, "Mr. Ding. Last night, a man who looks like you was gunned down in front of a restaurant."

That was an interesting sequence, but it looks like they didn't go anywhere with it.

As of the end of THE BUND III, we know that Ding Lik is about the pack up operations in Shanghai and immigrate to France (I hope he made it there alive, unlike Hui Mun Keung). Depending on the timeline, that's an interesting choice of destination: by the time of THE BUND III, wasn't France already occupied by the Nazis? Certainly wouldn't be a friendly place to go.

In my own personal (imagined) BUND timeline, Ah Lik fled (with many other wealthy Shanghai citizens) to Hong Kong with his fortune and his gang in 1949 to escape the Communists. He resettled there and continued his activities in his new home. He probably retired sometime during the 1960s or 1970s, and maybe died in the 1980s or 1990s (by which time his enterprises had evolved into a major business empire in Hong Kong...but the root of it would have been the company that Fung Ging Yiu founded back in the 1920s).

Hmmmm....I smell a fanfiction project....

After seeing part III, I do have to say that part II is a stronger sequel. Although it doesn't beat the original, I still sit back with that good old Bund feeling, maybe mostly because of the final events with Cheung Gwai that kind of left me a lasting impression..nearly (but definitely average) on the same level as the final Russian roulette scene in part I. But part III...hmm...I just sat back with a bad taste after the final episode.

At least the theme songs of all three parts were strong. The original is a classic, but Part II and Part III also had very good theme songs.

It is funny to see that Felix Wong's character is actually doing something useful in the final episode III, because throughout the series he is kind of a total insignificant character, compared to for example Miu Kiu Wai's character. But the very last scene of Felix screaming..hehe..is just embarassing :P But a few years later the last scene of Bund III is in a way remade in the Felix Wong series Soldier of Fortune. That one has almost the same outcome, but is done in a better way in my opinion.

I think THE BUND III gave Felix and Miu a good chance to show off what they could do in meatier roles. Up until this point, the two of them had only played extras. Their acting skills were still unrefined, but even at this early stage, they were showing promise. I think THE BUND series gave Felix and Miu their big break at TVB.

It's funny to think that the series that is considered Chow Yun Fat's greatest moment at TVB might also have been the launching point for the acting careers of three of the "Five Tigers" of 1980s TVB.

[NetDragon]

Because in the very next scene, Ding Lik's aide comes into his office and tells him, "Mr. Ding. Last night, a man who looks like you was gunned down in front of a restaurant."

Geez..I actually managed to miss that dialogue :P I must have been so convinced that the old man was an aging Ding Lik that my ears totally ignored that dialogue, or just simply because my Cantonese is average hehe. Still, unnecessary opening then, would be better if it was Ding Lik being gunned down, and the next scene started the flashback.

[Ken Cheng]

Geez..I actually managed to miss that dialogue :P I must have been so convinced that the old man was an aging Ding Lik that my ears totally ignored that dialogue, or just simply because my Cantonese is average hehe. Still, unnecessary opening then, would be better if it was Ding Lik being gunned down, and the next scene started the flashback.

Having the REAL Ding Lik gunned down at the end of THE BUND III would have been an appropriate (but sad) ending to the saga: Ah Lik shares the fate of Mun-gor, Chang Gwai, Fung Ging Yiu, Lip Yan Wong, Dik Wan Tze, Lai Jun, etc. That's how it ends for all gangsters, no matter how great.

Surprisingly, THE BUND III ended with only one major casualty. BUND endings are usually bloodbaths, but both Ding Lik and Wong Yeun Sun's character walked away alive. Very strange for a BUND series.

[NetDragon]

Surprisingly, THE BUND III ended with only one major casualty. BUND endings are usually bloodbaths, but both Ding Lik and Wong Yeun Sun's character walked away alive. Very strange for a BUND series.

Probably because it was another producer/director for part III. He didnt understand the concept that the original director had in mind. Speaking of the original director, his name was also Keung wasn't it? I think you mentioned his name in an earlier post, I just dont remember his surname. Do you know if he directed any other tvb series in that era? It was obvious that he meant for the Bund to end at part II. Seeing Ding Lik walking away in distance, and that sad theme plays in the background, is probably his way of finishing and wrapping it up. Ok, Ding Lik didnt die, but his retribution is to lose everyone close to him and live the rest of his life lonely. He walks into oblivion... So no wonder part III had another director, the original guy probably didnt want to continue...and thus part III seemed quite unnecessary.

[Ken Cheng]

Probably because it was another producer/director for part III. He didnt understand the concept that the original director had in mind. Speaking of the original director, his name was also Keung wasn't it? I think you mentioned his name in an earlier post, I just dont remember his surname. Do you know if he directed any other tvb series in that era?

I think his name was "Chiu Jen Keung," or something like that. He did quite a bit of directing work for TVB during the late 1970s and early 1980s, but offhand, I don't remember what he did other than THE BUND. He was much younger than most other TVB directors at the time (I think he was only in his thirties).

Edit: his other directing credits include TVB's 1970s versions of THE LEGENDARY SIBLINGS and HEAVEN SWORD AND DRAGON SABRE, and 1982's SOLDIER OF FORTUNE (starring Felix Wong).

It was obvious that he meant for the Bund to end at part II. Seeing Ding Lik walking away in distance, and that sad theme plays in the background, is probably his way of finishing and wrapping it up. Ok, Ding Lik didnt die, but his retribution is to lose everyone close to him and live the rest of his life lonely. He walks into oblivion... So no wonder part III had another director, the original guy probably didnt want to continue...and thus part III seemed quite unnecessary.

I honestly think THE BUND was meant to be a one-and-done series with no sequel, but because of the first series' phenomenal popularity, TVB made sequels to meet the demand.

But TVB should have known better; with two-thirds of the main cast gone, and without the meticulous planning and execution of the original series, the sequels were not going to be able to keep the magic going.

[NetDragon]

I honestly think THE BUND was meant to be a one-and-done series with no sequel, but because of the first series' phenomenal popularity, TVB made sequels to meet the demand.

But I was thinking of this, this kind of depends on one thing. I see that the English title that appears in the opening credits of each episode is "THE BUND (I)". Was this title tagged onto the series after part II and III was made, or was it originally there before the sequels were made? Probably the HK broadcast version didnt have this title, but did the international exported versions have it?

[Ken Cheng]

But I was thinking of this, this kind of depends on one thing. I see that the English title that appears in the opening credits of each episode is "THE BUND (I)". Was this title tagged onto the series after part II and III was made, or was it originally there before the sequels were made? Probably the HK broadcast version didnt have this title, but did the international exported versions have it?

The practice of giving TVB series an English title did not begin until 1983, and I think THE FOUNDATION was the first to do this. English titles weren't given to older series retroactively until they were reissued on VHS in the mid-1980s. So 1983 was the first time the series we know as "上海灘" was first called THE BUND.

In the original broadcast version, the series had no English title. It was not until at least 1983 that the English title was added.

[Ken Cheng]

Extra note: although Chiu Jen Keung directed both THE BUND and THE BUND II, the writer of the series was one Koo Siu Fung, who also wrote the screenplays for a number of Chow Yun Fat's early movies during the early 1980s, including THE POSTMAN STRIKES BACK.

Chow Yun Fat's first forays into movies, however, were not very well received by fans or critics. It wasn't until the late 1980s, after Chow had begun working with John Woo, that he began getting acclaim for his movie work.

[Ken Cheng]

Say...doesn't the dude in the middle of this photo look kind of familiar?

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[almo89]

Is that CYF's new movie?

[Ken Cheng]

Is that CYF's new movie?

Yep. The movie is called simply, SHANGHAI.

I understand that his character is a villain this time around...a Shanghai gangster lord named "Anthony Lan."

Personally, I prefer to think of him as a Hui Mun Keung who never died.

[Ken Cheng]

Thoughts after thirteen episodes.

Episodes 11, 12, and 13 are, in my opinion, the heart of THE BUND series...not just in their position halfway through the series, but as the point where the plotline and cinematographic style reaches a zenith.

THE BUND's noirish atmosphere peaks in Episodes 11-12. The scene of Hui Mun Keung visiting the armaments warehouse on that foggy night, the deadly fight between the Ching Woo Martial Arts Association and Japan's Heavenly Dragon Society, and Hui Mun Keung's midnight game of "cat and mouse" with Fung Ging Yiu's gang brought the darkness to a new level. The tension of these episodes reaches a fever pitch that finally explodes bloodily when Ding Lik confronts Hui Mun Keung and takes a finger from him as a minimal penalty for betraying Fung Ging Yiu.

Also, these episodes represent the transition of the focus from Hui Mun Keung to Ding Lik. Up to this point, Hui Mun Keung was distinguished (visually) by his propensity for wearing a heavy dark overcoat...an article of clothing that Ah Lik did not wear. After Hui Mun Keung departs from Shanghai, however, Ah Lik begins to dress like his brother and former partner, which is fitting because he would soon assume the position of favor under Fung Ging Yiu that Hui Mun Keung once enjoyed (including Ching Ching).

Query: in a previous post, I raised the question of where Hui Mun Keung acquired his fighting skills from. Hui's fighting skills were incredible: he could hold his own even against the trained martial artists of the Ching Woo Association and the Heavenly Dragon Society. While one would expect a Shanghai gangster kingpin to be tough, one wonders how the likes of Hui Mun Keung and Ding Lik, who were street fighters, could match up against trained martial artists and assassins.

Just as curious is how Hui Mun Keung seemed to lose his fighting edge after leaving Shanghai. While working as a busboy in a Hong Kong teahouse, Mun Keung let a gang of local thugs beat him to a pulp and he didn't fight back. This was the same Hui Mun Keung who once singlehandedly took back a stack of stolen films from Boss Wong, and who had recently killed Kyoko Yamaguchi, Japan's top superspy. How could he let a group of second-rate thugs beat him up so easily? I've always found that curious. It's like he left his fighting edge in Shanghai, and didn't get it back until his adopted family was murdered.

Symbol: Hui Mun Keung left Shanghai in a coffin, from which he emerged before arriving in Hong Kong. Symbolic of rebirth, a la Christ? The bloody hand and numerous church scenes reinforce this symbol.

[NetDragon]

Symbol: Hui Mun Keung left Shanghai in a coffin, from which he emerged before arriving in Hong Kong.

Interesting! I never noticed this in the damn vcd cut version. I am currently watching The Lonely Hunter. Although it follows in the step of The Bund, with the same kind of opening credits and stuff, it still is a big yawn. What a sloppy storyline!

[Ken Cheng]

Interesting! I never noticed this in the damn vcd cut version. I am currently watching The Lonely Hunter. Although it follows in the step of The Bund, with the same kind of opening credits and stuff, it still is a big yawn. What a sloppy storyline!

The more series you watch, including series made during the same period as THE BUND, you really realize what a monumental achievement the original series was. TVB just captured lightning in a bottle in the original BUND in a manner it has never been able to replicate.