A Chinese Ghost Story III

A hundred years after the first film. A young monk and his master shelter in the same abandoned temple and meet the same tree demon. The monk falls for one of the ghosts she commands and is caught between his vows and desire. Ching Siu-tung directed, Tsui Hark produced. Tony Leung Chiu-wai plays the monk, Joey Wong the ghost, Jacky Cheung the master. It is the third in the series and the structure is nearly a repeat of the first. The names change, the period moves forward a century, but the plot is built on the same skeleton, with Joey Wong again as the ghost. It still stands on its own, because its strength is not the story but the staging: wirework, undercranked camera, steam and colour filters building a fantastical world. The giant tongue, the flying fabric and the temple fight are the series' visual signature. It shows both the production speed of nineties Hong Kong fantasy and how comfortable it was repeating itself. Who it is for: fans of Hong Kong fantasy and wire choreography. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a new story; the film retells the first one.