Hong Kong 1985, 96 min, Dir: Ricky Lau, 40th Anniversary
Cantonese with subtitles
In partnership with the Mactaggart Art Collection at the U of A
The film that, along with producer Sammo Hung’s SPOOKY ENCOUNTERS, launched an entire hopping-vampire horror-comedy subgenre is Hong Kong cinema at its most gleefully inventive and gloriously unrestrained. Lam Ching-Ying plays a unibrowed Taoist priest who, when a bloodthirsty revivified corpse pogoes its way out of the grave and begins terrorizing his town, must use a mix of magic and kung fu to stop the mayhem. Unfortunately, his two bumbling assistants (Ricky Hui and Chin Siu-Ho) cause nearly as much trouble as the bouncing bloodsucker. (Criterion)
In MR. VAMPIRE, the reawakened jiangshi wears the official garments it was buried in. Rank badges are a pair of insignia badges that were attached to the front and back of surcoats worn by officials in the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911), indicating the rank of the wearer in both the civil administration and the military. Civil officials were distinguished by birds while military officials were identified by beasts. Birds & Beasts: Wearing Honour and Order in the Qing Dynasty will explore social rank through dress and art with objects from the Mactaggart Art Collection, the Royal Ontario Museum, and the University of Alberta’s Bruce Peel Special Collection. Birds & Beasts will be on view at the University of Alberta Museums Gallery A in the TELUS International Centre (11104 87th ave, Edmonton AB) from March 13th to June 28th.
