The Prodigal Son (1981)
The Prodigal Son (Chinese: 敗家仔) is a 1981 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Sammo Hung and co-written with Barry Wong. The film stars Yuen Biao, Lam Ching-ying, and Frankie Chan. The film was released on 22 December 1981 and grossed HK$9,150,729. The Prodigal Son was nominated for two Hong Kong Film Awards and won the award for Best Action Choreography. The film tells the story of Leung Chang, the son of a wealthy man who is half-heartedly studying kung fu. Leung Chang’s lack of expertise forces his father to pay people to lose to him in fights.Plot:
Leung Chang is a young man in a wealthy family living in Foshan in the mid-19th century. He is a martial artist trained by two instructors in his father’s employ. He has fought over three hundred times in Foshan and won every fight, but unbeknownst to him, his father has arranged for his servant Yee Tung-choi to bribe Chang’s opponents to lose to him in order to protect him. This has caused Chang to believe that he is a world-class fighter, but in truth he hasn’t even mastered the basics of kung fu and any real fighter could easily defeat him.
Everyone knows this but him, giving him the nickname “The Prodigal Son” behind his back, because of the money he is costing his parents who pay to keep him from getting injured.
One night, three of Chang’s friends attend a performance by the Lok Fung Lin Chinese Opera troupe. One of Chang’s friends is attracted to the lead actress and asks her out on a date after the performance. She refuses, but he insists and even harasses her. She reveals herself to be a man, Leung Yee-tai, a master of Wing Chun.
Release:
The Prodigal Son was released in Hong Kong on 22 December 1981. The film grossed a total of HK$9,150,729 at the Hong Kong box office. In the Philippines, the film was released by Season Films Universal on 11 January 1989. The Prodigal Son was released on DVD by Image Entertainment on 15 June 1999 It was later released on DVD by 20th Century Fox in 2004.RELATED:
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At the 2nd Hong Kong Film Awards, Sammo Hung, Lam Ching-ying, Yuen Biao and Billy Chan won the award for Best Action Choreography for their work in The Prodigal Son. The Prodigal Son was nominated for the Best Film and Best Director (Hung) awards, but lost both awards to Ann Hui’s Boat People. In 2012, Time Out placed The Prodigal Son at number 54 on their list of Top 100 Hong Kong films.