Biography

The lone female in this group of directors, she reminds me of American actress, Ida Lupino. Dissatisfied, with just taking the acting roles that the studio gave her, she wanted to do what most felt women, were incapable of doing - Directing. Lupino went on to direct everything from Dramas to Westerns and was the only woman (at that time), to do so. Kao Pao-Shu, held the distinction, of being the only woman to have complete control behind the camera when it came to Kung Fu films (Lily Liu co-directed The Snuff-Bottle Connection and Secret Rivals-2). 

She started out at Shaw Brothers (as an actress) appearing in "Tear-jerkers" and made her way, behind the camera. She was married to fellow-Shaw actor, Chiang Nan. She had a very good eye for action giving us such hits as Shaw Bros' Lady With A Sword, starring Lily Ho and Jimmy Wang-Yu's classic - Blood Of The Dragon (co-writing the script with I Kuang). I liked Bandits, Prostitutes, & Silver (with Angela Mao and Wang Tao), though the story was kinda slow, the action spoke for itself. Yet, regardless of the films she shot, it was obvious, that she had honed her craft to perfection and was a major force, through her Independent productions.

I would have thought, that she could have made way, for more women in feature kung-fu films - but I guess it was more about the politics of the movie business, than anything else back then. Everyone was scrambling, trying to get paid and the only ones who didn't have to worry about compromising their artistic freedom were directors like Chang Cheh, King Hu, and a [small] hand-full of others (all men). Yet, you must applaude her effort and her willingness to buck the system and show that women could [also] be trail-blazers, in a world of male-dominated directors. 

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My Favorite Films

• The Master Strikes 
• The Cannibals 
• Blood Of The Dragon 
• Win Them All 
• Lady With A Sword 
• Bandits, Prostitutes, & Silver 
  

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Also See

- In Memory Of