''Witch from Nepal'' (奇緣) is a 1986 Hong Kong

supernatural film Supernatural fiction or supernaturalist fiction is a genre of speculative fiction that exploits or is centered on supernatural themes, often contradicting naturalist assumptions of the real world. Description In its broadest definition, super ...

directed by

Ching Siu-tung 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 ...

. The film 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 ...

as Joe Wong, an architect on vacation in Nepal with his girlfriend, Ida (

Yammie Lam Yammie Lam Kit-ying (27 April 1963 – 31 October 2018), also known as Yammie Nam, was a Hong Kong actress and most notable for her performances in TVB drama series ''The Greed of Man'' and ''Looking Back In Anger'', as well as in the film serie ...

). Joe injures his leg as in a hospital where he has dreams of a beautiful woman with magical powers. Joe is later in a hospital in Hong Kong with his leg infected, finding that the woman from his visions named Sheila (

Emily Chu Emily Chu (; born 31 October 1960) is a Hong Kong people, Hong Kong film actress. Partial filmography * ''Jiu wan shi ba zhuan'' (1982) * ''Duel of the Masters'' (1983) * ''Funny Face'' (1985) * ''Heart of Dragon'' (1985) - Jenny * ''Millionai ...

) magically heals him. Sheila is a good witch who gets Joe to return to Nepal to fight a cat-like demon with supernatural powers. The film was part of a trend of supernatural film productions from Hong Kong about Chinese tourists in exotic South Asian locations. It grossed $4.2 million Hong Kong dollars on its theatrical run in Hong Kong. The film was nominated for two awards at the

6th Hong Kong Film Awards The 6th Hong Kong Awards ceremony, honored the best films of 1986 and took place on 24 April 1987 at Hong Kong Baptist University, Academic Community Hall, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong. The ceremony was hosted by Carol Cheng Carol Cheng Yu Ling ( ...

, where director Chin Siu-tung won the Best Action Choreography Award.

Plot

While on vacation in

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

, Joe Wong (

) and his girlfriend, Ida (

), ride an elephant when Joe falls and hurts his knee and is sent to a hospital. In a local hospital, Joe has visions of a beautiful veiled woman with mystical powers. Joe's leg later becomes infected and he finds himself in a hospital in Hong Kong, and finds the woman from his dreams earlier named Sheila (

) magically healing his legs and granting him superhuman powers such as the ability to make large leaps through the air. Sheila reveals to Joe that she is a witch and that he has become a chosen one, to help defeat a demon for a Himalayan tribe who had their temple destroyed by the creature. Joe and Sheila begin to have an affair. Joe eventually meets up with the demon (

Dick Wei Dick Wei (, born April 15, 1953) is a Taiwanese actor, director and writer who specializes in martial arts and action films. Early life and career A Hakka, he was born in the town of Pingtung in southern Taiwan and began studying martial art ...

) and the two have a clash at a temple. Sheila eventually sacrifices herself to save both Joe and Ida.

Production

''Witch from Nepal'' was director

's second film as a director after ''

Duel to the Death ''Duel to the Death'' is a 1983 Hong Kong ''wuxia'' film starring Norman Chui and Damian Lau. It is the directorial debut of Ching Siu-tung. Plot In 16th century, during the Ming dynasty era, every ten years the greatest swordsman from Japan face ...

'' (1983).

Style

''Witch from Nepal'' follows a trend of Hong Kong films at the time to have a plot about Chinese tourists in exotic South Asian locations such as

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

such as ''

The Seventh Curse ''The Seventh Curse'' is a 1986 Hong Kong adventure film directed by Lam Ngai Kai based on Ni Kuang's novel series ''Dr. Yuen Series'' and stars Chin Siu-ho as Dr. Yuen. The film also stars Chow Yun-fat as Wisely, the protagonist in Ni's ''Wi ...

''. The film is a mixture of genres that include

gothic horror Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

, comedy and mystery.

Release

''Witch from Nepal'' was released in Hong Kong on 27 February 1986. grossed a total of HK$4,285,113 The film has been released under several different English titles including ''The Nepal Affair'', ''Affair from Nepal'' and ''A Touch of Love''.O'Brien, 2003. p.89

Reception

At the

, the film was nominated for Best Art Direction (James Leung) and Best Film Editing (Peter Cheung). Ching Siu-tung (Along with other three choreographers such as

Philip Kwok Philip Kwok (; also known as Kuo Chui, Kwok Chui, Kwok Chun-Fung; born 21 October 1951) is a Hong Kong-based Taiwanese actor, martial artist, and stuntman. He rose to fame as a member of the Venom Mob, an ensemble of highly-talented martial ...

Alan Chui Chung-San Chui Chung-San (often known as Shu Zhong Xin, Hsu Zhong-Xin or Alan Hsu; 16 August 1952 – 2 November 2022) was a Hong Kong actor, director, choreographer, martial artist and stuntman. He was known for being an action director and stuntman. Ch ...

and Lau Chi Hou) won the award for Best Action Choreography, beating other films nominees including ''

Righting Wrongs ''Righting Wrongs'' () is a 1986 Hong Kong action film produced and directed by Corey Yuen, and also produced by and starring Yuen Biao, both of whom also serve as the film's action directors. The film also co-stars Cynthia Rothrock, Melvin Wong ...

'' and ''

Peking Opera Blues ''Peking Opera Blues'' () is a 1986 Hong Kong film directed by Tsui Hark. The movie combines comedy, Hong Kong action, and serious drama with scenes involving Peking Opera. Director Tsui Hark described the film as a satire on the "Chinese igno ...

''.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Best Action Choreography HKFA 1986 films 1986 action films 1986 martial arts films 1986 horror films 1980s romance films Hong Kong action films Hong Kong martial arts films Hong Kong horror films Hong Kong romance films Martial arts horror films Hong Kong supernatural horror films Romantic horror films Golden Harvest films 1980s Cantonese-language films Films directed by Ching Siu-tung Films set in Nepal Films shot in Nepal Films set in Hong Kong Films shot in Hong Kong 1980s Hong Kong films