The House of 72 Tenants w/SLIP

A water dispute compels the colourful renters of a tenement building to resist the abusive landlady looming over their heads. Director Chor Yuen (Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan; The Magic Blade), tasked with remaking a 1963 film adapted from a Shanghainese play, insisted on staging his own version in Cantonese, convinced it would best connect with his audience. His instinct was right: this comedic Hong Kong miniature, featuring a cast of beloved TVB actors, became the highest-grossing film of 1973, outpacing even Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon, with a tale of community building and everyday solidarity. Remembered today for its trove of star cameos, expert set-bound mise-en-scène and influence on Stephen Chow’s 2004 Kung Fu Hustle, The House of 72 Tenants, proved to be a landmark film for Shaw Brothers Studio, helping change the course of Hong Kong cinema by reintroducing Cantonese to its Mandarin-dominated market.

directed by: Chor Yuen
starring: Yueh Hua, Tin Ching, Ching Li, Hu Chin, Lydia Shum Tin-Ha, Chor Yuen, Hoh Sau-San, Lau Yat-Fan, Ku Feng, Cheng Kang-Yeh, Lee Sau-Kei, Ching Miao, Leung Tin, Helena Law Lan, Nam Hung, Danny Lee Sau-Yin, Ou-Yang Sha-Fei, Chen Kuan-Tai, Lau Dan, Chan Mei-Hua, Wong Ching-Ho, Karen Yip Leng-Chi, Shih Szu, Liu Wu-Chi, Lee Ho, Wang Kuang-Yu, Do Ping, Adam Cheng Siu-Chow, Yeung Chak-Lam, Ricky Hui Koon-Ying, Wang Chung, Liu Hui-Ling, Chan Shen, Pang Pang, Helen Ko Ti-Hua, Kong Ling, Lam Fung, Tsung Hua, Lily Ho Li-Li, Cheng Kang, Sai Gwa-Pau, Betty Pei Ti, Luk Chin, Yau Chi-Wan, Law Hon, Yue Ming, Ku Chiu-Chin
1973 / 102 min / 2.35:1 / Cantonese DTS-HD MA 2.0

Additional info:

• Region A Blu-ray
• High-Definition presentation
• Archival interview with Chor Yuen (10 minutes)
• Archival interview with Hong Kong film historian and critic Po Fung (12 minutes)
• New appreciation from director Alex Cheung (Man on the Brink) (8 minutes)
• Selected scenes commentary by film critic Philip Ho Ar Nam (19 minutes)
• New Writing by Hong Kong Film Historian Linda Pun, translated into English
• New English subtitles