The Love Eterne

Fourth century China. A young woman who wants to study persuades her family to let her dress as a man and go to school. There she forms a bond like brotherhood with a fellow student, who does not know she is a woman. In time the feeling between them changes, but when the truth comes out the families step in. Li Han-Hsiang made this huangmei opera film for Shaw Brothers, drawing on the legend of the Butterfly Lovers. The male part is also played by a woman, Ivy Ling Po, opposite Betty Loh Ti. It did extraordinary business in Taiwan and Singapore and made Ling Po a star overnight. It took six Golden Horse awards that year, best picture and best director among them. The songs are what carry the film.