The best Helen Ma’s movies

Following on from the Royal Tramp I, after discovering that the Empress is actually Lone-er, a member of the St Dragon Sect, and that she imprisoned the real empress. Lone-er is bent on eliminating the person who disclosed her true identity, Wilson Bond. But more complications ensues when Lone-er is assigned to protect the Prince, whose servant is none other than Wilson Bond.

After the death of Marshal Yuen, a princess is arrested by a constable whilst training with her kung-fu teacher. They are soon drawn into a conflict which centres around the mysterious man with the golden snake sword - an incredibly powerful magical weapon. Golden Snake Man is seeking revenge on the castle of the Wan family, but Wan has married his former lover. The Five Poison Sect of fighting (and flying) women have entered into an uneasy alliance with the forces of the Manchu Master Wu to steal the golden snake sword. Wan's daughter is torn between her father and her love of the constable. The constable must decide between his brotherly love for the Golden Snake Man and his sense of justice. Meanwhile a blind old man seeks to return the powerful Sword Stained With Royal Blood to the son of Marshal Yuen.

In 1937 Shanghai, a soon-to-depart soldier meets a young woman under a bridge during a Japanese air raid. They vow to meet after the war ends, but they don't know each other's name or face. Ten years later, the young woman, a nightclub singer, takes in a naive girl fresh from the country. The country girl falls in love with the would-be song-writer upstairs who, unbeknownst to the singer, is none other than the soldier from the bridge.

Taking place in 1941, Love in a Fallen City centers on Pai (Cora Miao), a young woman who has been ostracized by her family for divorcing her rich husband. A local match-maker, Mrs. Hsu (Helen Ma), takes pity on Pai and decides to bring her to Hong Kong, under the guise of employing her as the Hsu's nanny, but in reality to introduce her to Fan (Chow Yun-Fat). Pai and Fan seem to hit it off, but Fan's refusal to marry Pai soon sours things. However, as the Japanese begin to invade Hong Kong, the two begin to realize their true feelings for each other.

Lee Khan, a high official under Mongolian Emperor Yuan of the Yuan dynasty (year 1366) procures the battle map of the Chinese rebel Chu Yuan-Chang's army. Rebel spies, aided by treachery within Khan's ranks, strive to corner him in an inn.

Chang Yi plays Chan Chao, a knight of justice, who thwarts the plans of Minister Peng to assassinate the revered Judge Pao Cheng over and over again. Lo Lieh gives Chang a good run for his money as the evil and sinister henchman of Minister Peng.

This tale is about a decapitating swordswoman who will let nothing stand in her way when she falls in love with a bandit's son. Chiao Chiao, made famous in One-Armed Swordsman, is the girl who won't let such trifles as craniums keep her from freeing her man from jail.

Jimmy Wang Yu plays a young kid who heads off to Dragon Valley to meet the childhood friend who was promised as his bride. When he gets there, he finds that the family of the bride might not be an entirely honest bunch of people though. What is the story behind their feud with the monks at the Temple Of The Red Lotus, for a start?

This is a very good Jimmy Wang Yu movie from the time after he went to taiwan when he broke up with the Shaw Brothers. In this nice swordsplay movie there are a lot of bloody fights and you see why he was at the time one of the best actors for this kind of martial arts movies!

Chang Cheh-influenced swordplay film puts a female spin on the genre with its titular heroine. Helen Ma stars as the “can’t hear, can’t talk” swordswoman who makes off with some pearls and bloodily dispatches the many comers who futilely attempt to retrieve them from her. According to Jeff Goodhartz, THE DEAF AND MUTE HEROINE “trumps anything that King Hu or Chang Cheh were unleashing at the time.”

Shaw Brothers musical about three Showgirls chasing millionaires.

There's nothing like a good, opulent, gaudy musical to lift the spirits, but when it's a 1960's Hong Kong musical orchestrated by a Japanese director and composer, it breaks through the ranks as a classic of campy kitsch. A follow-up to the previous year's megahit Hong Kong Nocturne, with the same Japanese creative team, Hong Kong Rhapsody follows the fortunes of an unemployed magician whose love life is so knotty it would take Houdini to unravel!

Susu (Ching Li) is an emotionally troubled young woman still tortured by the loss of boyfriend in a plane crash. Things change when she meets the dashing Yifei (Yang Fang), a handsome intern who strives to heal Susu of her emotional scars.