''The Banquet'', (in Chinese 豪門夜宴) also ''Party of a Wealthy Family'', is a

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

comedy film. It was quickly filmed for a Hong Kong flood relief charity, after the

Yangtze River The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest list of rivers of Asia, river in Asia, the list of rivers by length, third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in th ...

flooded in July of that year, killing over 1,700 people and displacing many more in the eastern and southern regions of

mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...

. A large ensemble of actors and crew (including multiple directors and cinematographers) worked on the film, many in supporting roles and cameos. The principal star is Eric Tsang.

Plot

Developer Tsang Siu-Chi ( Eric Tsang) and his agent (

Jacky Cheung Jacky Cheung Hok-yau (born 10 July 1961) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. Dubbed the "God of Songs", he is regarded as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong pop music. Cheung is known for his technically skilled vocals, lengthy tours, and m ...

) have bought two of a group of four properties. Rival developer, Boss Hung (

Sammo Hung Sammo Hung Kam-bo ( zh, t=洪金寶, j=Hung4 Gam1-bou2; born 7 January 1952) is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and Film director, director, known for his work in martial arts films, Hong Kong action cinema, and as a fight choreog ...

) has secured the other two properties. Both aim to buy all four so they can knock them down and build hotels. The agent learns that billionaire

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

Prince Allabarba (

George Lam George Lam Tsz-Cheung (born 12 October 1947), also known professionally by his surname Lam, is a Hong Kong-based veteran Cantopop singer, singer-songwriter, music producer and actor, with a career that has so far lasted more than four decades. Lam ...

) is due to arrive in Hong Kong and advises Tsang that they could dupe him in order to gain a billion dollar contract. The prince's father has recently died and the prince bitterly regrets that he was not a good son. The agent tells Tsang that he should make a show of the positive relationship he has with his father, to impress the prince. Unfortunately, Tsang has not seen his father (

Richard Ng Richard Ng Yiu-hon (born 17 December 1939), also known as Richard Woo, is a Hong Kong actor known for playing comedic roles, particularly in Hong Kong films of the 1980s and 1990s. Film and television career Ng has appeared in 80 films to da ...

) for 10 years. Along with his wife ( Carol Cheng) and his sycophantic assistant ( Tony Leung Chiu Wai), Tsang heads off to bring his father back. When they meet up, Tsang pretends to have cancer to convince his father to come home, along with his sister ( Rosamund Kwan) and her husband (

Tony Leung Ka Fai Tony Leung Ka-fai (; born 1 February 1958) is a Hong Kong actor who is a four-time winner of the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. As he is often confused with actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tony Leung Ka-fai is known as "Big Tony," while Tony Leu ...

). Tsang throws a banquet to impress the prince, pretending that it is also a birthday party for his father. However, it has all been a ploy by the agent, who has secretly been working for Boss Hung.

Cast

Almost 100 well-known Hong Kong actors appeared in the film, many of them in cameo roles. The core cast consists of: * Eric Tsang – Tsang Siu-Chi *

– Boss Hung Tai-Po *

– Jacky Cheung Ah Hok Yau * John Shum – Curly, Boss Hung's assistant * Tony Leung Chiu-Wai – Wai, Tsang's assistant * Rosamund Kwan – Gigi, Tsang's sister *

Tony Leung Ka-Fai Tony Leung Ka-fai (; born 1 February 1958) is a Hong Kong actor who is a four-time winner of the Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actor. As he is often confused with actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Tony Leung Ka-fai is known as "Big Tony," while Tony Leu ...

– Leung, Gigi's husband *

– Father Tsang * Carol Cheng (Cheng Yu-Ling, aka Do Do Cheng) – Mimi, Tsang's wife *

Joey Wong use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

– Honey, Jacky's wife *

– Prince Alibaba of Kuwait ("Allabarba" in subtitles) * Kwan Hoi San – Uncle Chicken Roll *

Lau Siu-Ming Lau or LAU may refer to: People * Lau (surname) * Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien * Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab * LAU (musician): Laura Fares Places * Lebanese ...

– Wong *

Jamie Luk Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and t ...

– Vassal * Pau Hon Lam – Uncle Lotus Seed Bun *

Michelle Reis use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , nationality = , citizenship = , alma_mater = Maryknoll Convent School , ...

– Kar-Yan Li * Lydia Shum – Aunt Bill (as Lydia Sham) * Bill Tung – Uncle Bill * Raymond Wong – Forty *

Gabriel Wong In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

– Vassal *

Stephen Chow Stephen Chow Sing-chi (, born 22 June 1962), known professionally as Stephen Chow, is a Hong Kong filmmaker, former actor and comedian, known for ''Shaolin Soccer'' and ''Kung Fu Hustle''. Early life and education Stephen Chow was born in British ...

– Himself * Andy Lau – Presenter *

Maggie Cheung Maggie Cheung Man-yuk (; born 20 September 1964) is a Hong Kong former actress. Raised in Hong Kong and Britain, she started her career after placing second in 1983's Miss Hong Kong Pageant. She achieved critical success in the late 1980s and in ...

– Personal Singing Instructor *

Chin Kar Lok Chin Ka-lok, sometimes credited as Chin Kar-lok (Chinese: 錢嘉樂, Pinyin: Qián Jiālè, born 6 August 1965), is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, and television presenter. Chin was born in Hong Kong, the younger brother of actor and ...

* Leslie Cheung – Himself * Anita Mui – Herself * Aaron Kwok – Leslie's Younger Brother * Anthony Chan * Ti Lung – Cook # 2 * Kara Hui – Household Servant * Teresa Mo – Presenter *

Simon Yam Simon Yam Tat-wah (; born 19 March 1955) is a Hong Kong actor and film producer. He received international acclaim for his performances in international film festival and box office hits such as ''Naked Killer'', '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'', ''Election' ...

– Wai's friend, body language instructor & gigolo *

David Wu David Wu (born April 8, 1955) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. As a child of immigrants from Taiwan, Wu was the first Taiwanese American to serve in ...

– Jogger * John Woo – Guest *

Yuen Miu Yuen is a Cantonese Chinese surname, which can refer to: 袁, 阮, 元, 源, 原 and 苑 *Yuan (surname), the Pinyin transliteration of the Han Chinese surnames 袁, 元, 源, 原 and 苑 *Ruan (surname), the Pinyin transliteration of the Han Chin ...

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

Yuen Tak Yuen is a Cantonese Chinese surname, which can refer to: 袁, 阮, 元, 源, 原 and 苑 *Yuan (surname), the Pinyin transliteration of the Han Chinese surnames 袁, 元, 源, 原 and 苑 *Ruan (surname), the Pinyin transliteration of the Han Chin ...

* Sandra Ng – Trolley Waitress *

Andrew Yu Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...

* Candice Yu * Eric Kot – English Instructor * Jan Lamb * Karl Maka – Wai's uncle, make-up artist * Sally Yeh – Herself *

Sylvia Chang Sylvia Chang (born 21 July 1953) is a Taiwanese actress, writer, singer, producer and director. In 1992, she was a member of the jury at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. In 2018, she was one of the jury members of the main competition ...

– Herself *

Angie Chiu Angie Chiu (; born 15 November 1954) is a Hong Kong actress, and was the third runner up in the 1973 Miss Hong Kong pageant. Early life In 1954, Chiu was born in Hong Kong. In 1971, Chiu graduated from Shung Tak Catholic English College and l ...

Gong Li Gong Li (Chinese: 巩俐; born 31 December 1965) is a Chinese actress. She starred in three of the four Chinese-language films that were nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Gong was born in Shenyang, Liaoni ...

– Herself *

Michael Hui Michael Hui Koon-man (born ; 3 September 1942) (also known as Mr Boo!) is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, scriptwriter and director. He is the eldest of the four Hui brothers (together with Ricky, Sam, and Stanley) who were prominent figures in ...

– Himself *

Leon Lai Leon Lai Ming SBS BBS MH (born 11 December 1966), is a Hong Kong actor, film director, businessman and Cantopop singer. He is one of the " Four Heavenly Kings" of Hong Kong pop music. He uses his Chinese name "Li Ming" or "Lai Ming", whi ...

– Cook Assistant *

Alan Tam Alan Tam Wing-lun MH (; born 23 August 1950) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. He played a major role in developing the Cantopop scene in the 1980s as he was known for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. From 1983 to 1987, Alan Tam ...

– Ali Baba dream version *

Ng Man Tat Richard Ng Man-tat (, 2 January 1952 – 27 February 2021) was a Hong Kong actor originally from Fujian. He was a veteran actor in the Cinema of Hong Kong, Hong Kong film industry, with dozens of awards, including Hong Kong Film Award for Be ...

– Cook #1 *

Meg Lam Meg is a feminine given name, often a short form of Megatron, Megan, Megumi (Japanese), etc. It may refer to: People * Meg (singer), a Japanese singer *Meg Cabot (born 1967), American author of romantic and paranormal fiction * Meg Burton Cahill ...

Wong Wan-Si 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 ma ...

* Kenneth Tsang – Waiter *

Teddy Robin Wai Pang Kwan (; born 20 March 1945 in Guilin, Guangxi), known professionally as Teddy Robin (), is a Hong Kong English pop singer-songwriter, actor, and director and producer. He began his music career in mid 1960s when Hong Kong English pop wa ...

– Football player * Alfred Cheung *

Philip Chan Philip Chan may refer to: * Philip Chan (actor) Philip Chan Yan-kin (born 25 January 1945) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, screenwriter and music composer of Taishan area origin. Career He worked as a Royal Hong Kong Police Fo ...

– Police Officer *

Melvin Wong Melvin is a masculine given name and surname, likely a variant of Melville and a descendant of the French surname de Maleuin and the later Melwin. It may alternatively be spelled as Melvyn or, in Welsh, Melfyn and the name Melivinia or Melva may b ...

– Guest * Billy Lau *

Gordon Liu Gordon Liu (Lau Kar-fai ); born Sin Kam-hei () August 22, 1951) is a Chinese martial arts film actor and martial artist. He played the lead role of San Te in ''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'' (1978) and its sequels, and later played two roles in Qu ...

* Maria Cordero – Guest *

Gloria Yip Gloria Yip Wan-Yee (, born January 13, 1973, in Hong Kong, the elder of two sisters and daughter of prominent businessman Yip Shao) is a Hong Kong actress and singer, best known for her four films with director Lam Ngai Kai, and to Western audie ...

Josephine Koo Josephine Koo Mei-Wah or Gu Meihua () is a Chinese film actress. She had a bright start to her film career, starring in Yim Ho's Hong Kong New Wave classic ''Homecoming'' (1984). The film won her the Best New Performer Award at the Hong Kong Film ...

Hoi Sang Lee Lee Hoi-sang (born April 15, 1941) is a Hong Kong martial arts film actor and martial artist, known for his roles in ''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'' (as Abbot Li Hai Sheng) (1978), '' Shaolin Challenges Ninja'' (1978), ''The Incredible Kung Fu M ...

* Mimi Zhu – Guest * Tai Chi Squadron – Music Band *

Grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshopp ...

Lowell Lo Lowell Lo Kwun Ting (, born 12 October 1950) is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and film composer. He wrote the film scores to many Hong Kong films. He is now also an environmental activist. Early life Lowell Lo Kwun Ting was born on 12 ...

– Taxi Driver * Anglie Leung * Lau Kar Leung – Martial Arts Instructor for Fencing *

Fung Hak On Fung may refer to: *Feng (surname), a Chinese surname that is ''Fung'' in Cantonese *Funj people The Funj are an ethnic group in present-day Sudan. The Funj set up the Funj Sultanate with Abdallah Jamma and ruled the area for several centuries. T ...

The character of Father Tsang has a number of staff, including a sword expert, Master Lau / Uncle Nine (

Lau Kar-leung Lau Kar-leung (28 July 1934 – 25 June 2013), was a Chinese actor, filmmaker, choreographer, and martial artist from Hong Kong. Lau is best known for the films he made in the 1970s and 1980s for the Shaw Brothers Studio. His most famous wor ...

), a servant ( Kara Hui), two English teachers ( Eric Kot and Jan Lamb), a make-up artist Mak ( Karl Maka) and a body language expert / gigolo (

). Tsang Siu-Chu has a daydream about the banquet, in which his imagined self is played by Leslie Cheung, with Aaron Kwok as his brother, and the imagined Prince Allabarba is played by

. He also fantasises that a stream of attractive actresses including Anita Mui, Sally Yeh,

and

attend the meal. These are followed by leading Hong Kong actors including Anthony Chan Yau,

and

(accompanied by Maria Cordero). All of these actors play themselves in the dream sequence, and some return in additional roles at the actual banquet. At the actual banquet, Tsang's staff include cooks

and

, servants

and

, and waiting staff May Lo Mei-Mei, Sandra Ng, Fennie Yuen, Ti Lung and Kenneth Tsang. Guests at the banquet include

David Chiang use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinate ...

Tony Ching Ching Siu-tung (Chinese: 程小東, born October 31st, 1953), also known as Tony Ching, is a Hong Kong action choreographer, actor, film director and producer, who has directed over 20 films, including the critically acclaimed supernatural fantas ...

Ku Feng Chan Sze-man (born 3 July 1930), better known by his stage name Ku Feng, is a Hong Kong actor. Background He studied in Beijing, and has appeared in hundreds of films, many of which were produced by the Shaw Brothers Studio Shaw Brothers ( ...

Carina Lau Carina Lau Kar-ling (, born 8 December 1966) is a Hong Kong-Canadian actress and singer. She started her acting career in TVB, before going on to achieve success in films after 2nd year at the college. She was notable in the 1980s for her girl-n ...

, Lee Hoi San,

Loletta Lee Rachel Lee (; born 8 January 1966), previously known as Loletta Lee, is a Hong Kong actress and a Category III film star. She started playing small roles in Hong Kong movies in the 1980s. Her first role as a lead actress was in ''Devoted to You ...

, Waise Lee,

Bryan Leung Bryan Leung Kar-yan (Chinese: , born 20 January 1948) is a Hong Kong film and television actor and film director who has played roles in numerous acclaimed martial arts films. He is affectionately known as "Beardy" due to his trademark facial ...

Lawrence Ng Lawrence Ng Kai-wah (, ; born 19 May 1964) is a popular TV actor in Hong Kong. His more famous works include the television series '' Healing Hands'' and the films ''Fate Twisters'' and ''Sex and Zen''. Ng's older brother is former Charlie N ...

Barry Wong Barry Wong (20 November 1946 – 16 October 1991), also known as Wong Ping-Yiu (黃炳耀), was a Hong Kong screenwriter, film producer and actor. He was hailed as one of the most prolific screenwriters of Hong Kong cinema penning scripts for ...

Johnnie To Johnnie To Kei-fung (born 22 April 1955) is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in ...

, John Woo,

Pauline Yeung Pauline Yeung Bo-ling (楊寶玲, born April 17, 1967) is a Hong Kong actress and a former Miss Hong Kong Pageant 1987. She was born in Hong Kong with ancestry in Dongguan, Guangdong, China. Yeung won the 1987 Miss Hong Kong Pageant, and went on ...

, Chor Yuen, Tai Chi Squadron, Yuen Cheung Yan, Mimi Zhu and the band members of

. The band performing at the banquet are played by Paul Wong,

Wong Ka Kui Koma Wong Ka Kui (; 10 June 1962 – 30 June 1993) was a Hong Kong musician, singer and songwriter. He gained fame in Asia as the leader and a co-founder of the rock band Beyond, where he was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and prima ...

Wong Ka Keung Steve Wong Ka Keung (; born 13 November 1964) is a Hong Kong musician, singer, songwriter and the bassist for the rock band Beyond. He is also younger brother of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Wong Ka Kui, who died in 1993. Life and care ...

and Yip Sai Wing. Further roles include Teresa Mo and Andy Lau as TV presenters, with

Teddy Robin Kwan Wai Pang Kwan (; born 20 March 1945 in Guilin, Guangxi), known professionally as Teddy Robin (), is a Hong Kong English pop singer-songwriter, actor, and director and producer. He began his music career in mid 1960s when Hong Kong English pop w ...

Wan Chi Keung Wan Chi Keung (; May 1, 1956 – February 16, 2010) was a Hong Kong Association football player, actor and businessman. Known as "Asia's top striker" Wan was a key player for the Hong Kong national football team in the 1970s and 1980s. He played ...

and Billy Lau as soccer players.

and Anglie Leung play a pair of cops, chasing a thief played by Tommy Wong. Additional cameos include

as a photographer, James Wong as a food vendor,

as a jogger,

as a cab driver, and

Mars (actor) Cheung Wing-fat (), also known as Mars (), is a Hong Kong actor, action director, stuntman and martial artist. He is one of Jackie Chan's best friends. Early life Cheung Wing-fat was born in Hong Kong in 1954. He got the nickname "Weird Fire Sta ...

as an unknown role.

Box office

The film grossed HK $21.92 million in Hong Kong.

References

External links

* *
The Banquet
at th
Hong Kong Movie DataBase
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banquet, The 1991 films Hong Kong films 1990s Cantonese-language films Hong Kong cuisine Films directed by Tsui Hark

Plot

Cast

Box office

See also

References

External links