The Angel Strikes Again - Lily Ho (1968) - Hollywood Theatre, Mongkok

Someone posted online somewhere (can't remember where) that they were really impressed with the street mockup used for the cinema sequence in this film. Granted, much of the on street sequences were filmed on the (very obviously) fake Movietown lots, however, the cinema sequence was shot at a real place. It was the Hollywood Theatre on the corner of Sai Yeung Choi Street South and Soy Street. The cinema is long gone (it closed in 1980) but note that at the time of filming it was showing the 1967 Shaw film, Susanna (Chinese title: 珊珊). Hollywood Plaza stands on the site now (not to be confused with "Plaza Hollywood" above Diamond Hill MTR station).

This is where agent 009, posing as a buyer, agrees to meet the gang to pay for some explosives. 

This last image is great because it shows the view looking south down Sai Yeung Choi Street South, with Soy Street crossing in front. In the distance is part of the old Kwong Wah Hospital site.

The Angel Strikes Again - Lily Ho (1968) - Fei Ngo Shan Road

After succesfully planting explosives on board the plane, Fan Mei-sheng calmy smokes a ciggie on Fei Ngo Shan Road as he watches the (very fake) plane blow up in the sky. In the left background is the split peak of Lion Rock.

The Angel Strikes Again - Lily Ho (1968) - Kai Tak Airport

Some more Shaw nostalgia for this next film, The Angel Strikes Again, released on 30th May 1968. I believe it's a sequel to Angel with the Iron Fists released the previous year and features Lily Ho Li-li returning as agent 009, an Interpol agent who has been tasked with tracking down a gang who specialise in extorting money from companies in return for not blowing up their stuff. The movie sets the scene with some of the gang members placing their miniature explosives on a plane so we see a very nice panning shot of the area around the airport as the scene is established.

A young Fan Mei-sheng smokin' a fag

Here's a stitched panorama of the opening panning shoot. Click to zoom.

Victoria Park Road Layby - Now and Then

Whilst doing the newly extended HK Island waetrfront walk, I also went past this small layby off Victoria Park Road. This is where Dr Orantes (Marion Cotillard) is kidnapped by the villagers in their attempts to get hold of vaccinations.
 

Heroes Two - Alexander Fu Sheng (1974) - nr Wong Chuk Yeung, Sai Kung

Another popular filming site for Shaws, and indeed many movies throught the 1970s and 80s, was the plateau above Three Fathoms Cove in Sai Kung District. It's also been featured on the blog on multiple occasions previously, but by far the most popular post for it in the one I did for The Young Master where the only way Lung (Jackie Chan) can beat his opponent (Whang In-sik) is by getting completely stoned on bong water.

In this movie, this is the location of the final fight between the rebels, led by Fong and Hung, and the Ching general and his minions. The location is now completely overgrown now, as are many former filming sites simply because of the shift away from these outdoor locations during the 1980s.

Heroes Two - Alexander Fu Sheng (1974) - Pak Shek Au, Kwu Tung

The next up is another Shaw movie, Heroes Two, that I shall dub "Locations: Two" because that's the number of places I have been able to identify for this one. The reason being that, like many Shaw movies, much of it was shot on sound stages at Movietown.

The film stars Fu Sheng as the legendary Fong Sai Yuk, a mythical fighter from Ching Dynasty era. He gets duped by Ching officials into getting fellow rebel, Hung Hei-gun/Hung Hsi-kuan (Chen Kuan-tai), arrested and makes amends by freeing him from his subterranean dungeon prison. The film culminates in a big brawl between the rebels and the local Ching officials.

The film starts off with the burning of the Shaolin temple and the hunt for Hung. This whole sequence was shot in a place that should be very familiar to readers of the blog by now, it's the formerly-beautiful-rolling hills-but-now-a-building-site-for-the-Northern-Metropolis Pak Shek Au. So many films, particularly Shaw ones, were shot here over the years and the area is basically now ruined. Forever.
 

Hung Hing Road - Now and Then

I recently walked some of the newly minted Hong Kong Island waterfront walk and noted that it takes you along Hung Hing Road right next to the entrance to the Cross Harbour Tunnel. Having just recently covered this bit of road for She Shoots Straight I took the opportunity to grab some modern day comparisons.

Looking east towards Victoria Park

Looking southwest with the tunnel entrance in the background.

Looking at the tunnel entrance

The cars are entering the cross harbour tunnel

The Champions - Stuart Damon (1967) - Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter

The end of Stirling's memories shows us a view of Causeway Bay Typhoon Shelter, and with it the end of the Hong Kong locations for this singular episode. Unsurprisingly, this footage also features in another ITC production, Jason King (follow the link to the post and you can see the same image at the bottom).

The Champions - Stuart Damon (1967) - Yee Wo Street, Causeway Bay

After Stirling gets in his rickshaw, we are treated to some passenger point of view shots of the rickshaw journey. The first image shows the rickshaw travelling up Yee Wo Street from the east, close to the junction with Pennington Street.

The next sequence from the rickshaw ride shows us being pulled around the end of Yee Wo Street close to the Causeway Bay tram terminus. You can just see the yellow walls of the old St. Paul's Convent School down Tung Lo Wan Road on the far right in the lower image.

The Champions - Stuart Damon (1967) - Star Ferry Pier, Central

In his reminiscences, Stirling recalls catching a rickshaw to Wanchai. The image we see is a rickshaw rank outside the old Star Ferry terminal in Central. The building in the background is Star House over in Tsim Sha Tsui. So at least we know the stock footage was contemporary for the show (Star House was completed in 1966).