Stories Across Time

Green Snake (4K Digitally Restored Version)

Dir: Tsui Hark
Scrs: Tsui Hark, Lillian Lee
Prod Co: Seasonal
Cast: Maggie Cheung, Joey Wang, Wu Hsing-kuo, Vincent Zhao
1993 | Colour | DCP | Cantonese | Chi & Eng Subtitles | 99min

Hong Kong writer Lilian Lee rewrites the classic Chinese folktale Legend of the White Snake by shifting the focus from the White Snake to her younger sister, the Green Snake. Tsui Hark adapts Lee’s novel into Green Snake, set in the ancient Song dynasty. After centuries of ascetic practice beneath a lake, two snake spirits finally attain human form and venture into the mortal world. White Snake, played by Joey Wang, encounters a gentle scholar portrayed by Wu Hsing-kuo and quickly falls in love. Her younger sister, the more impulsive and sensuous Green Snake, played by Maggie Cheung, is also drawn to the scholar. She later attempts to tempt a conflicted Buddhist monk, played by Vincent Zhao, who has begun to question his lifelong commitment to hunting spirits and demons such as the snake sisters.

While Lilian Lee infuses the tale with modern sensibilities, Tsui Hark deepens it with Buddhist reflections on desire and illusion. The film is also visually breathtaking. Its art direction draws on Tang and Song dynasty paintings, while the sisters’ ethereal residence uses gauze partitions instead of solid walls to create a dreamlike, mystical atmosphere. The costumes worn by Wang and Cheung, inspired by Peking opera attire, further enhance their alluring serpentine presence.

Courtesy of Seasonal Film Corporation

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