Biography
Overrall, he was (probably) the most famous director at Shaw Brothers -- surpassing both -- Chang Cheh and Chu Yuan. His films dealt with historical costume dramas and sexual themes (often in the form of Comedies) and they were some of the most famous films around. Born in 1926, his films did for costume dramas, what Chang's films did for Kung Fu films. With that being said, you can tell that he was a very insightful, creative, and important figure at Shaw studios.
He had been making films with Shaw Bros' since 1956, and his popularity only gained momentum with each film he made. Not only was he an excellent screenwriter, but he also excelled in Set Design, designing some of the most beautiful set and backdrops the studio had seen. He became so popular that he (eventually) left the studio back in 1964 and opened his own film studio (Grand Motion Picture) in Tawain. His films didn't do quite as well in Taiwain and he returned back to Shaw studios.
In his return to the studio (1972), he introduced the world the stylings of Michael Hui, the lead actor in his film, The Warlord. Hui would go on to bigger things, when he went to rival studio Golden Harvest, where he would break Bruce Lee's box-office records, with a string of comedies. This was done years before Jackie Chan became a star at the studio. He also made stars out such people as Hu Chin (his God-daughter), Tien Ni, and ex-Golden Harvest actor Liu Yung. Liu wasn't (initially) accepted at the studio, until Li raised his profile by casting him in a series of his Emperor Chien Lung films.
During the 70's , his sexual comedies were just as popular, as the kung-fu films of their time. One of his biggest hits was Empress Dowager, which was one of the most lavish films in the studio's history. It was with this film, that cinema favorites David Chiang and Ti Lung fell out. His only major contribution to martial-arts films was the move Tiger Killer, which earned an Oscar (Golden Horse) for actor Ku Feng and Wang Ping.
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My Favorite Films
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