Kuei Chih-Hung (桂治洪, aka Kwei Chi Hung, Gui Zhi-Hong, Gwai
Chi-hung) (20 December 1937 â€" 1 October 1999) was one of the most
popular and daring filmmakers to work for the Hong Kong-based Shaw
Brothers Studios, directing more than 40 films throughout the late
1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. Known for his bold cinematic style,
innovative use of realistic, on-location shooting and often gritty,
controversial subject matter, Kuei found critical and commercial
success working in a variety of genres, including the hard-boiled
crime drama of The Teahouse (1974) and its sequel, Big Brother Cheng
(1975), wuxia classic Killer Constable (1981), and the cult horror
favorites The Killer Snakes (1975) and Hex (1980). Kuei often added
subtle commentary to even his most mainstream projects, depicting the
poverty of the public housing system, police corruption and colonial
government rule with an unflinching honesty.Kuei was born in Guangzhou
(in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong) on 20 December 1937.
Kuei's passion for cinema began as a high school student in Hong Kong,
where he would cobble together makeshift shorts from a shoebox
projector and discarded film stock. After graduating from high school,
he studied stage production and filmmaking at Taiwan's National School
of the Arts, experimenting on several 8 mm films. After writing a few
film scripts for the Taiwan film industry, Kuei joined the famous Shaw
Brothers Studio in the early 1960s. Initially hired as an assistant
director on two Taiwan-shot Shaw films, Lovers' Rock (1964) and Song
of Orchid Island (1965), his skill quickly led to projects in Hong
Kong and an apprenticeship in Japan, where Kuei continued to hone his
craft.At the large Shaw Brothers Studio, Kuei gained a reputation as
one of the most promising assistant film directors on numerous Hong
Kong productions. In 1970, at the age of 34, he finally got the
opportunity to direct a feature, Love Song Over the Sea. Shot in
Singapore and Malaysia, the troubled production was initially
suspended after the film's star Peter Chen Ho, fell ill. The original
director, Shi Mashan, left due to contractual reasons, allowing Kuei
to step in. Pleased with his work on this film, the studio quickly
gave him a number of directorial projects, including the musical
comedy, A Time for Love and The Lady Professional (1971), both
starring Lily Ho.In 1973, he joined forces with the popular Shaw
Brothers filmmaker, Chang Cheh, co-directing The Delinquent, an edgy
action drama about a young dishwasher who falls into a life of crime.
Though a collaboration between the two men, it is Kuei who is credited
with the film's distinctive visual style, including the then
pioneering use of on-location shoots in Hong Kong's gritty streets and
public housing complexes. The film's success led to a string of early
'70s hits with Kuei as the sole director, including the women-in
prison exploitation flick, The Bamboo House of Dolls and the acclaimed
vigilante drama, The Teahouse. He proved a versatile, imaginative
filmmaker with a distinctive style that carried through to a number of
diverse genres including comedy (The Bod Squad, Rat Catcher) and
horror (Ghost Eyes).
Chi-hung) (20 December 1937 â€" 1 October 1999) was one of the most
popular and daring filmmakers to work for the Hong Kong-based Shaw
Brothers Studios, directing more than 40 films throughout the late
1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. Known for his bold cinematic style,
innovative use of realistic, on-location shooting and often gritty,
controversial subject matter, Kuei found critical and commercial
success working in a variety of genres, including the hard-boiled
crime drama of The Teahouse (1974) and its sequel, Big Brother Cheng
(1975), wuxia classic Killer Constable (1981), and the cult horror
favorites The Killer Snakes (1975) and Hex (1980). Kuei often added
subtle commentary to even his most mainstream projects, depicting the
poverty of the public housing system, police corruption and colonial
government rule with an unflinching honesty.Kuei was born in Guangzhou
(in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong) on 20 December 1937.
Kuei's passion for cinema began as a high school student in Hong Kong,
where he would cobble together makeshift shorts from a shoebox
projector and discarded film stock. After graduating from high school,
he studied stage production and filmmaking at Taiwan's National School
of the Arts, experimenting on several 8 mm films. After writing a few
film scripts for the Taiwan film industry, Kuei joined the famous Shaw
Brothers Studio in the early 1960s. Initially hired as an assistant
director on two Taiwan-shot Shaw films, Lovers' Rock (1964) and Song
of Orchid Island (1965), his skill quickly led to projects in Hong
Kong and an apprenticeship in Japan, where Kuei continued to hone his
craft.At the large Shaw Brothers Studio, Kuei gained a reputation as
one of the most promising assistant film directors on numerous Hong
Kong productions. In 1970, at the age of 34, he finally got the
opportunity to direct a feature, Love Song Over the Sea. Shot in
Singapore and Malaysia, the troubled production was initially
suspended after the film's star Peter Chen Ho, fell ill. The original
director, Shi Mashan, left due to contractual reasons, allowing Kuei
to step in. Pleased with his work on this film, the studio quickly
gave him a number of directorial projects, including the musical
comedy, A Time for Love and The Lady Professional (1971), both
starring Lily Ho.In 1973, he joined forces with the popular Shaw
Brothers filmmaker, Chang Cheh, co-directing The Delinquent, an edgy
action drama about a young dishwasher who falls into a life of crime.
Though a collaboration between the two men, it is Kuei who is credited
with the film's distinctive visual style, including the then
pioneering use of on-location shoots in Hong Kong's gritty streets and
public housing complexes. The film's success led to a string of early
'70s hits with Kuei as the sole director, including the women-in
prison exploitation flick, The Bamboo House of Dolls and the acclaimed
vigilante drama, The Teahouse. He proved a versatile, imaginative
filmmaker with a distinctive style that carried through to a number of
diverse genres including comedy (The Bod Squad, Rat Catcher) and
horror (Ghost Eyes).
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