Lily Ho in ‘Lady With A Sword’

Lily Ho was one of the top stars at the Shaw Brothers studio in Hong Kong when she made LADY WITH A SWORD in 1971. Ho’s image was equal parts high fashion and sex appeal, and she may not have been the obvious choice for a story that involved a grim and deadly quest for revenge.

But Lily Ho’s short but glorious career thrived on confounding genre expectations. In LADY WITH A SWORD, she delivers a rock solid performance as a young fighter caught in a web of conflicting loyalties as she tries to avenge her sister’s death. Assisted by her orphaned nephew (played by Yuen Man-meng, a student of Yu Jim-yuen, sifu of Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung), she tracks down the killer only to discover he is her fiance, a dissolute playboy who is the son of her father’s benefactor.

LADY WITH A SWORD aka FENG FEI FEI (1971). Directed by Kao Pao-shu. Fight choreography by Han Yingjie (as Han Yingchieh) and Simon Hsu (as Hsu Er-niu). Starring Lily Ho, Yuen Man-meng (as Meng Liang), Wang Hsieh, James Nam (as Hsun Nan-kung) and Ching Lin.

LADY WITH A SWORD was the first film directed by Kao Pao-shu, an actress who had specialized in both character parts and kung fu roles before moving behind the camera.  Shortly after this production, she left the Shaw studio and formed her own company. Kao shows a sure hand in her direction. For the action choreography, she tapped Han Yingjie, whose longtime collaboration with King Hu in films like COME DRINK WITH ME (1966) and A TOUCH OF ZEN (1969) had revolutionized the wuxia genre. Simon Hsu, a stunt coordinator with a stellar resume in action films of the period, partnered with Han in designing the extensive swordplay sequences.

Director Kao Pao-shu.

Kao Pao-chu’s direction is particularly deft in her handling of female characters in roles both small, like the madam of a brothel who briefly interrupts a deadly duel to scold the fighters for disrupting her business, and large, as in the lead villain’s doting mother, played by Ching Lin, who transforms from affable hostess to cold-eyed fury when her son is threatened. But LADY WITH A SWORD really belongs to Lily Ho, who dominates nearly every scene and, relinquishing her usual repertoire of pouts and flirtatious glances, pursues her foes with implacable determination. 

Read Mark Pollard’s review of another Kao Pao-shu film, THE DESPERATE CHASE (1971).

Here’s a clip from LADY WITH A SWORD, showing Lily Ho and Yuen Man-meng fighting the villains.