Facets of Love
directed by Li Hsang-han
starring Jackie Chan, Ling Chiang
88 Films
Although best known as the best and most prodigious producers of martial arts movies in history, Shaw Brothers studio was not above exploring other genres as well. One of the studio’s stranger dalliances outside the kung fu genre was the 1973 sexploitation epic, Facets of Love. Directed by Li Hsang-han, Facets of Love was part of a wave of high-end erotic cinema that was unleashed in the wake of Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris. Facets of Love is even captured on film on theater marquees in the Bangkok street scenes in French director Just Jaeckin’s Emmanuelle (1974). Like many of its contemporaries this films is gorgeous to look at thanks to the Shaw studios with their in-house extravagant sets and costumes along with skilled technical crews that really make the smut sparkle.
The film opens with the daily routine of the Bai Hua Lou brothel disrupted by a raid from the police. This triggers a flashback to how the family of one of the girls, Da-Qin, was duped into selling her into prostitution and the torture suffered at the hands of the sadistic madam. The film then diverts to a history lesson narrated by one of the prostitutes about how the 19-year-old Qing dynasty emperor contracted syphilis at the brothel, although history records his fatal malady as smallpox. Later the film veers off into the fantastical, as it becomes a musical about the spirits assigned to protect a young emperor who is more interested in vice than the duty of finding a bride. The emperor crosses paths with a courtesan who believes she’s destined to marry an emperor. This segment of the film features some fun double exposure special effects of the spirits interacting with the physical world as well as some actually funny bits of comedy and good songs. After this lighthearted interlude, the harsh reality of the brothel life returns and we come back around to the sad conclusion of Da-Qin’s story rounding out a truly singular piece of Hong Kong cinema.
If the plot and filmic devices seem a bit too fancy, do not worry. Director Li Hsang-han knows what the audience is looking for and delivers the goods with copious amounts of female nudity, sex, and even a bit of torture thrown in for good measure. 88 Films’ Blu-ray looks great and is a wonderfully quirky release, but the lack of supporting material for this film feels like a missed opportunity. Although common in Japan, there weren’t a lot of sex films from Hong Kong in this era, and a commentary or video essay on these films would have provided meaningful context for the film.
Facets of Love isn’t for all tastes but should be a delight to fans of early ’70s sleaze, Hong Kong style.
