''Love in a Fallen City'' is a 1984 Hong Kong film directed by

Ann Hui Ann Hui On-wah, (; born 23 May 1947) is a film director, producer, screenwriter and actress from Hong Kong who is one of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers of the Hong Kong New Wave. She is known for her films about social issues in Hon ...

. It was adapted from the novella of the same name by

Eileen Chang Eileen Chang ( zh, t=張愛玲, s=张爱玲, first=t, w=Chang1 Ai4-ling2, p=Zhāng Àilíng；September 30, 1920 – September 8, 1995), also known as Chang Ai-ling or Zhang Ailing, or by her pen name Liang Jing (梁京), was a Chinese-born A ...

, and produced by

Shaw Brothers Studio Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd. () was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, and operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1925, three Shaw brothers— Runje, Runme, and Runde—founded Tianyi Film Company (also called "Unique") in Shangh ...

. The movie stars

Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five Hong Kong action heroic bloodshed films: ''A Better Tomorrow'', ''A Be ...

and

Cora Miao Cora Miao () is a Chinese actress who worked predominantly in Hong Kong cinema, Hong Kong films. During her career she was nominated for four Hong Kong Film Awards and four Golden Horse Film Festival, Golden Horse Film Festival awards, winning one ...

as the romantic leads. The film followed in the trail of Hui's critically acclaimed Vietnam film ''

Boat People Vietnamese boat people ( vi, Thuyền nhân Việt Nam), also known simply as boat people, refers to the refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its h ...

'' but was a much more modest commercial success. The movie earned HK$8,134,72

Ann Hui adapted another Eileen Chang novel thirteen years later in '' Eighteen Springs (film), Eighteen Springs''.

Plot

The film is set in 1940s Shanghai and Hong Kong. Bai Liu-Su (Cora Miao) is an introverted divorcée who has her fair share of misery after breaking up with her good-for-nothing husband. Her large, extended family feels she has shamed them through divorce. Her situation at home has become unbearable. A charming Malayan businessman based in Hong Kong, Fan Liu-yuan (Chow Yun-Fat), who is always surrounded by women, happens to visit Shanghai and becomes interested in Bai after chancing on her through mutual friends. Fan sees in Bai what many others don't and tries his best to make her fall in love again. A middle-aged couple tries to matchmake the two. Bai takes a gamble and decides to visit Hong Kong with the

Japanese invasion of China The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

looming, willing to risk all just to get out of her awkward family situation; even though she falls for Fan, future is uncertain. It is only through surviving war-torn Hong Kong as

civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not "combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatant, b ...

s that the two realize that they truly love each other.

Awards

''Love in a Fallen City'' won the Best Original Film Score (

Lam Man-Yi Lam or LAM may refer to: Organizations * Laguna Art Museum, California, US * Lam Eng Rubber, a Malaysian manufacturer * Lam Research, American semiconductor equipment company * LAM Mozambique Airlines, flag carrier airline of Mozambique * Librar ...

) in the 1985

Hong Kong Film Awards The Hong Kong Film Awards (HKFA; ), founded in 1982, is an annual film awards ceremony in Hong Kong. The ceremonies are typically in April. The awards recognise achievement in various aspects of filmmaking, such as directing, screenwriting, ac ...

. It was nominated for a further three awards, which it did not win: *Best Supporting Actress (

Chiao Chiao Lisa Chiao Chiao, often credited as Chiao Chiao (; born Chiao Li-na (焦莉娜); 6 March 1943), is a Taiwanese film actress best known for her work in Hong Kong cinema. Background Born in Chongqing, on 6 March 1943, Her family moved to Taiwan in 1 ...

) *Best Cinematography (Anthony Hope) *Best Art Direction (

Tony Au Tony Au Ting-Ping (; born 1954) is a Hong Kong film director and artist. Biography He was born in Guangdong. After graduating from high school in 1972, he engaged in fashion design. Afterwards, he studied filming at the London Film Academy. He ...

). Costume designer

Wong Yiu Lin Wong may refer to: Name * Wong (surname), a Chinese surname Places * Wong Chuk Hang, an area to the east of Aberdeen on Hong Kong Island * Wong Chuk Hang Estate, a public housing estate in Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong * Wong Chuk Hang Road, a majo ...

was awarded the Best Costume Design award for the 1984

Golden Horse Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...

External links

* *
A review of the film and its DVD
Hong Kong films 1984 films Films directed by Ann Hui 1980s Cantonese-language films Films based on works by Eileen Chang 1980s Hong Kong films {{1980s-HongKong-film-stub