New! Lady and the Tramp: Cheng Pei-pei and Yueh Hua

Cheng Pei-pei (Zheng Peipei) was 20 years old and her colleague Yueh Hua only a few years older when they starred in the groundbreaking swordplay movie COME DRINK WITH ME in 1966. The film’s success made them internationally famous. COME DRINK WITH ME, an unquestioned masterpiece by director King Hu (Hu Chin-chuan), was not only the first modern wuxia film, it also ushered in an era of Mandarin cinema’s dominance of swordplay filmmaking in Hong Kong. COME DRINK WITH ME brought lush Western-style production values to what had been a minor and generally overlooked Chinese film genre. King Hu made the film while working at the newly resurgent Shaw Brothers studio. Its success made it possible for him to leave Shaw’s and move to Taiwan, where he continued to redefine martial arts cinema with a series of critically acclaimed films.

Cheng Pei-pei in COME DRINK WITH ME.

Both Cheng Pei-pei and Yueh Hua were originally from Shanghai, born during or in the immediate aftermath of World War II. After emigrating to Hong Kong, they were both recruited into a performing arts training program sponsored by the Shaw studio. Cheng had previously studied ballet and Western-style dance, a fact made use of by the studio in the form of early publicity shots of the lovely young starlet in leotards. She was immediately cast in a series of dramas and musicals that made good use of her demure elegance. King Hu chose her for the role of Golden Swallow in COME DRINK WITH ME specifically for her background as a dancer, one of his goals being to bring the jazzy rhythms of modern dance to Chinese swordplay. The innovative choreography in the film was by Han Yingjie, a former stuntman who would go on to work closely with Hu on other films like DRAGON GATE INN (1966) and A TOUCH OF ZEN (1969).

Left to right: Cheng Pei-pei, Yueh Hua, flyer for COME DRINK WITH ME (detail).

Cheng Pei-pei and Yueh Hua stayed with Shaw Brothers for most of their active careers. They made at least six more movies together, including PRINCESS IRON FAN, a story adapted from the Monkey King saga which was released about four months after COME DRINK WITH ME. Cheng reprised her COME DRINK WITH ME role of swordswoman Golden Swallow for director Chang Cheh in the 1968 film of that name, but she later recalled that Chang was reluctant to allow her to perform her own stunts, much to her displeasure. She also worked with extensively with director Lo Wei (who went on to direct Bruce Lee’s THE BIG BOSS and FIST OF FURY) on martial arts films like DRAGON SWAMP (1969) and THE SHADOW WHIP and THE LADY HERMIT (both 1971). Cheng pretty much retired from the film world in the early 1970s, although she continued to appear in occasional roles in films like 1988’s PAINTED FACES and 1994’s WING CHUN (where she played Michelle Yeoh’s sifu). Ang Lee cast her as the embittered Jade Fox in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, and introducing her to a new generation of action film fans.

Cheng Pei-pei and Yueh Hua at the Shaw studio.

Yueh Hua remained with the Shaw studio for most of his career, appearing in many of Chor Yuen’s wuxia films of the 1970s, most notably as the villain in the under-appreciated KILLER CLANS (1976). He can also be seen as the government official investigating a series of bizarre murders in the camp classic INTIMATE CONFESSIONS OF A CHINESE COURTESAN (1973). In 1975, he married actress Tanny Tien Ni, and the couple made several films together.

In this clip from COME DRINK WITH ME posted on Youtube, Cheng Pei-pei is beginning to suspect Yueh Hua’s drunken beggar is more than he appears to be, but he teases her with a song when she asks for more information. Jackie Chan may be one of the children singing with Yueh, because he’s credited as a child actor in this film. I haven’t been able to spot him.