Ho Meng Hua (1 January 1923 - 19 May 2009) was a Chinese film director from
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
, working in the
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong ( zh, t=香港電影) is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of ...
and the
Cinema of Taiwan
The cinema of Taiwan ( zh, t=臺灣電影 or ) is deeply rooted in the island's unique history. Since its introduction to Taiwan in 1901 under Japanese rule, cinema has developed in Taiwan under ROC rule through several distinct stages. It has ...
.
Early life
In 1923, Ho was born in
Guangdong province
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
, China. Ho grew up in Shanghai, China.
Education
Ho graduated from
Shanghai Drama Institute.
Career
In 1955, Ho joined the
Shaw Brothers
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 ...
studio. In 1958, Ho's directorial debut was An Appointment After Dark. Ho eventually became one the studios' most prolific directors, directing about fifty films between then and 1980.
[(credited as He Menghua, p. 181)]
Filmography
Films
* 1955 ''Romance in the Western Chamber'' - as screenwriter.
* 1956 ''Miss Kikuko'' - as assistant director.
* 1958 ''Red Lantern ()'' - as director.
* 1958 ''An Appointment after Dark'' - as director.
* 1959 ''Day-Time Husband'' - as director.
* 1960 ''Rendezvous in the South Sea''
* 1960 ''Malayan Affair ()'' - as director, screenwriter.
* 1964 ''
Between Tears and Smiles
Between Tears and Laughter is a 1964 Hong Kong drama film directed by Lo Chen. Set in Republic of China (1912–49) era Peking (Beiping), the story revolves around a college student (Kwan Shan) and three young women: a wealthy daughter of a gov ...
'' - co-director
* 1964 ''The Warlord and the Actress''
* 1966 ''The Monkey Goes West''
* 1966 ''
Princess Iron Fan
Princess Iron Fan () is a character from the 16th century Chinese novel ''Journey to the West''. She is the wife of the Bull Demon King and mother of Red Boy. She is one of the most popular ''Journey to the West'' villains, alongside her husband ...
''
* 1967 ''
Susanna ()'' - as director.
* 1967 ''The Midnight Murder''
* 1967 ''The King With My Face''
* 1967 ''
Cave of the Silken Web''
* 1968 ''Land of Many Perfumes''
* 1968 ''The Jade Raksha''
* 1968 ''
Killer Darts
''Killer Darts'' is a 1968 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio and starring Yueh Hua and Chin Ping.
Plot
Liu Wen-lung's home is attacked by bandits led by Chou Chao. Liu's wife was killed, but his son Yu-long was save ...
''
* 1969 ''Vengeance Is A Golden Blade''
* 1970 ''Lady of Steel''
* 1971 ''The Lady Hermit''
* 1971 ''The Long Chase''
* 1972 ''
The Black Enforcer
''The Black Enforcer'' () is a 1972 Hong Kong dramatic action film directed by Ho Meng Hua. The original Hong Kong Mandarin release title is ''Hei ling guan'' (Cantonese: ''Hak leng goon''). It was released in Hong Kong cinemas on 28 January 19 ...
''
* 1972 ''
The Human Goddess
''The Human Goddess'' Chinese: 仙女下凡, ''Sin Lui Ha Fan'' is a 1972 Hong Kong fantasy film comedy directed by Ho Heng Hua.
Plot
Seventh sister comes down from heaven to Hong Kong to see the mortal world.
Cast
*Lee Ching
* Chin Feng
*Pa ...
''
* 1973 ''The Kiss of Death''
* 1973 ''Ambush''
* 1973 ''The Master of Kung Fu''
* 1974 ''The Sinful Adultress''
* 1974 ''Young Passion''
* 1975 ''All Mixed Up''
* 1975 ''The Golden Lion''
* 1975 ''The Flying Guillotine''
* 1975 ''
Black Magic
Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 145 ...
''
* 1976 ''
Black Magic 2
''Black Magic 2'' (Cantonese: 勾魂降頭 Pinyin: Gōu Hún Jiàng Tóu ) is a 1976 Hong Kong horror film directed by Ho Meng Hua. It is a sequel to the 1975 film ''Black Magic''.
Plot
A martial artist fights against an evil sorcerer who ha ...
'' U.S. title: ''"Revenge Of The Zombies"''
* 1976 ''Oily Maniac'' - as director.
* 1976 ''The Criminals''
* 1976 ''The Dragon Missile''
* 1977 ''
The Mighty Peking Man
''The Mighty Peking Man'' (猩猩王) (Mandarin: ''Xīngxing Wáng'' – which translates to "Gorilla King" in English) is a 1977 giant monster film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio to capitalize on the craze surrounding the 1976 remake of '' ...
'' a.k.a. U.S. title: ''"Goliathon"''
* 1978 ''The
Vengeful Beauty
''The Vengeful Beauty'' (血芙蓉) is a 1978 Shaw Brothers film directed by Meng Hua Ho, starring Lo Lieh, Chen Ping and .
Plot
As the trained Flying Guillotine assassins secretly working for the Emperor begin their attacks, one of the as ...
''
* 1978 ''The Psychopath''
* 1978 ''
Shaolin Handlock
''Shaolin Handlock'' (十字鎖喉手) is a 1978 Shaw Brothers film directed by Ho Meng Hua, starring Lo Lieh and David Chiang.
Plot
Li Bai (Dick Wei) is the creator and master of the 'Shi Zi So Hou Shou' (which basically is a ' Throat Locki ...
''
* 1979 ''
Abbot of Shaolin'' a.k.a. U.S. title: ''"A Slice Of Death"''
* 1980 ''The Swift Sword''
Personal life
In 1948, Ho moved to Hong Kong.
On May 19, 2009, Ho died in Hong Kong.
References
External links
*
What We Talk About When We Talk About Ho Meng-Hua (January 2004)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ho, Meng-Hua
1923 births
2009 deaths
Film directors from Shanghai
Hong Kong film directors
Chinese expatriates in Taiwan
Chinese emigrants to British Hong Kong