''The House of 72 Tenants'' (七十二家房客) is a

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

Hong Kong film 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 pol ...

directed by

Chor Yuen Chor Yuen (), born Cheung Po-kin (; 8 October 1934 – 21 February 2022), was a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and actor. Chor is credited with over 120 films as director, over 70 films as a writer and over 40 films as an actor. Early ...

. It is a remake of a 1963

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

film of the same name. It was the top box office film of 1973 in Hong Kong, surpassing Bruce Lee's ''

Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. It was Lee's final completed film appearance before his death o ...

''.

Plot

The 72 inhabitants of a dilapidated tenement live under the thumb of a heartless landlady and her sleazy husband. The arrival of a defiant new tenant, the cobbler Fat Chai, sets their downfall in motion. The residents pool their resources to prevent evictions, deflect targeted harassment by a corrupt policeman, rescue the landlords' adopted daughter from a life of torment, and ultimately prevent their home from being sold and turned into a brothel.

Cast

Yueh Hua Yueh Hua (; 14 July 1942 – 20 October 2018) was a Shanghai-born Hong Kong actor, later based in Canada, with Shaw Brothers Studio and TVB. Yueh is one of the most versatile and prolific leading actors of Shaw Brothers. Yueh starred in five ...

- Fat Chai *

Ouyang Sha-fei Qian Shunying ( zh, t=錢舜英, w=Chien Shun-ying; September 9, 1924 – March 8, 2010), better known by her stage name Ouyang Sha-fei ( zh, t=歐陽莎菲, s=欧阳莎菲, first=t, j=Auyeung Sa-fay, links=no), was a Hong Kong actress. She is ...

* Chan Shen - Brother Shum * Adam Cheng * Cheng Hong-Yip *

Cheng Kang Cheng may refer to: Chinese states * Chengjia or Cheng (25–36 AD) * Cheng Han or Cheng (304–338) * Zheng (state), or Cheng in Wade–Giles Places * Chengdu, abbreviated as Cheng * Cheng County, in Gansu, China * Cheng Township, in Malacca, ...

* Chen Kuan Tai - Police Constable (cameo) *

Ching Miao Ching Miao (March 15, 1913 – 1989) was a Taiwanese actor born in Shandong, China. He had appeared in over 190 films, mostly in Hong Kong for the Shaw Brothers Studio. He won the Best Supporting Actor for Golden Horse Awards The Taipei Go ...

- thief in market (cameo) * Chung Hwa * Do Ping * Got Dik Wa * Lily Ho * Ivan Ho * Hu Ching * Ricky Hui *

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 ( ...

* Lau Tan *

Law Lan Law Lan () MHAwarded in her original name Lo Yin-ying (born Lo Yin-ying (); 13 November 1934), is a veteran Hong Kong actress in both the film and TV industry. Career She first started out in the film industry in 1939, cast in antagonistic roles ...

* Cheng Lee - Ah Heung (credited as

Ching Li Ching Li () (1945-2017) was a Hong Kong actress popular in the 1970s. She appeared in more than 60 films, mostly by Shaw Brothers Studio. Early life On October 29, 1945, Ching was born in mainland China, grew up in Taiwan, and moved to Hong K ...

) * Danny Lee * Lee Sau Kei * Leung Tin * Liu Hui-Ling * Nan Hong *

Peng Peng Peng Peng (; born 24 November 2000) is a Chinese professional footballer currently playing as a goalkeeper for Shenzhen Peng City. Club career Peng joined Shanghai Shenhua's youth academy in 2018 after the club bought Genbao Football Base's und ...

Sai Gwa-pau Lim Gan (林根), better known in Hong Kong by his stagename Sai Gwa-Pau (西瓜刨) (7 October 1918 – 12 March 2001) was a Hong Kong film actor who played roles in over 600 movies from the 1950s onwards. His stagename "Watermelon Slice" refer ...

Shih Szu Shih Szu (; born October 24, 1953) is an actress from Taoyuan, Taiwan. She was born Lei Qui Si (雷秋思) to parents from Hunan Province. A ballet student from the age of six, at the age of sixteen she joined Shaw Brothers Studio after seconda ...

Lydia Shum Lydia Shum Din-ha or Lydia Tin Ha Sum (; 21 July 1945 – 19 February 2008) was a Hong Kong comedian, MC, actress and singer. Known for her portly figure, signature dark rimmed glasses and bouffant hairstyle, she was affectionately known to pee ...

- Shanghai Po * Tien Ching - Chow Bing Ken *

Betty Pei Ti Betty Pei Ti (; born 10 November 1951) is a Taiwanese actress. Though born in Taiwan, she is best known for her roles in Hong Kong films, particularly of the Shaw Brothers Studio. Early life Pei was born Han Pai-chou (韩白绸) in Yilan City, ...

Wang Chung (actor) Wang Chung may refer to: *Wang Chung (band), an English new wave band *Wang Chong Wang Chong (; 27 – c. 97 AD), courtesy name Zhongren (仲任), was a Chinese astronomer, meteorologist, naturalist, philosopher, and writer active during the Ha ...

Wong Ching-Ho 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 maj ...

Wong Kwong Yue 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 ...

Karen Yeh Karen may refer to: * Karen (name), a given name and surname * Karen (slang), a term and meme for a demanding woman displaying certain behaviors People * Karen people, an ethnic group in Myanmar and Thailand ** Karen languages or Karenic ...

- Mrs. Han * Yeung Chak Lam

Special notes

''The House of 72 Tenants'' can be considered to have started a new era for Hong Kong film industry. Before the release of this movie, most high-class movies filmed in the then British colony were shot and recorded in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

, while the less respected ones would be shot and recorded in

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding ar ...

. However, since the debut of the movie, which was filmed in Cantonese, and the popularity it achieved, subsequent major Hong Kong films switched their language from Mandarin to Cantonese.

Parodies

Parodies of this movie are found in many of Hong Kong's films and Television shows. In movies: * ''

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father ''He Ain't Heavy, He's My Father'', also known as ''He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'' (新難兄難弟), is a 1993 Hong Kong comedy-drama film directed by Peter Chan and Lee Chi-ngai and starring Tony Leung Ka-fai, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Carina ...

'': Chor Yuen, the director for The House of 72 Tenants is part of the cast. * ''

Kung Fu Hustle ''Kung Fu Hustle'' ( zh, c=功夫, l=Kung Fu) is a 2004 Cantonese-language action comedy film directed, produced, co-written by, and starring Stephen Chow. The film tells the story of a murderous neighbourhood gang, a poor village with unlik ...

'' In TV shows: * ''

Enjoy Yourself Tonight ''Enjoy Yourself Tonight'' or ''EYT'' is a popular variety show that was produced in British Hong Kong. It first aired on TVB Jade on 20 November 1967. The show lasted 27 years with its last broadcast on Friday, 7 October 1994.Chinanews.com.cn ...

'': Where Lydia Shum continues to play the role of 'Shanhai-por' from this movie.

References

External links