Esprit D'amour

Dir: Ringo Lam
Scrs: Clifton Ko Chi-sum, Lo Kin, Raymond Fung
Prod Co: Cinema City
Cast: Alan Tam, Cecilia Yip, Ni Shu-chun, Tang Bik-wan, Bill Tung, Philip Chan
1983 / Colour / 35mm / Cantonese / Chi & Eng subtitles / 89min

A genre mishmash blending elements of horror, comedy and romance, this directorial debut of action-film virtuoso Ringo Lam is an inventive story driven by the idea that spirits roam the human world not to haunt us but to seek help in their unfinished businesses. After a game of the Chinese Ouija Board, insurance agent Chi-ming (Alan Tam) begins having spooky encounters with a female ghost, Siu-yu (Ni Shu-chun), whose very death he is investigating. He becomes smitten by the otherworldly beauty, stirring the jealous rage of his fiancé (Cecilia Yip)... This low-budget Cinema City production was a surprise hit and, together with its tuneful theme song, elevated Tam to superstardom in both film and music. And Taiwan actress Ni Shu-chun, making her film debut at the tender age of 16, became an instant star with her bewitching performance as the sweet, innocent phantom.

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