Go Back to China - Anna Akana (2019) - Victoria Harbour

Next up is another film by Emily Ting who wrote and directed Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong. Called Go Back to China the film tells the story of a young socialite, Sasha (Anna Akana), who is cut off from her trust fund by her estranged Chinese dad, Teddy (Richard Ng), in an attempt to get her to go to China and help him out in the family toy business. Most of the film appears to have been shot in Shenzhen, where the factory is located, but there's a brief glimpse of Hong Kong in a couple of scenes.

First up is a nice view of the harbour as the plot moves to Hong Kong as Sasha, in an attempt to get some trendy design into her dad's plushies, takes the company's two Filipino designers on a trip.

Forbidden - Tony Curtis (1953) - Inner Harbour, Macau

A brief return to the 1950s for this next post. The film is Forbidden and stars a very young Tony Curtis as Eddie, a sort of low-level criminal who has been employed by a much bigger criminal to go to Macau to bring back the gangster's former romantic interest (Joanne Dru). The problem is, the romantic interest also happens to be one of Eddie's former romantic interests as well.

I won't spent too long on this - only a single post - other than to say that this is another studio-based film that has benefited from the real location footage captured a few years before for Macao. The very few scenes involving back-projected footage all use the Dick Davol-shot film. Given that Macao was released by RKO and this film is from Universal International means that the latter most probably bought or licensed the footage from the former (or perhaps directly from Davol?). Suffice to say there are no real on-location shots. 

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Rosary Church, Tsim Sha Tsui

In the final post for this rather location-rich film we have another first for the blog with the appearance of the Rosary Church on Chatham Road South. This is where Emy and George finally get married. For those that don't know this is a small, but ornate, Roman Catholic church built in the early 20th Century to cater for the area's growing Catholic community.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter Breakwater

In one of the more bizarre locations from this film, the reunion between George and Emy takes place on the old typhoon shelter breakwater in Yau Ma Tei. The only way to get here was by boat so I guess the crew just wanted a very inaccessible place to prevent passers-by ruining the scene? The whole area has of course since been reclaimed and the location below now corresponds with the southern end of Olympic MTR station. In the second image, you can see the curved brickwork of the circular northern tip of the breakwater. There is a modern breakwater for the new shelter, but it's located 600 metres west of where the original one was and appears to be just made from piled rocks rather than concrete.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Cherry Street, Tai Kok Tsui

George finally makes it back to Hong Kong, but Emy is nowhere to be found and he spends his time going to all their old haunts. In one scene, despite leaving the ferry at Kowloon City Ferry Pier, George turns to cross the road and is suddenly transported all the way over to Cherry Street on the north side of Yau Ma Tei Typhoon Shelter. He goes into a cafe - it looks like part of its name was 旺角 (i.e. Mongkok) but was perhaps called 旺角冰室 or some such? If anyone can remember this place feel free to leave a comment or point me to some old photos of this place. What I can say is that it was located somewhere along a row of tenements numbered 60-66 and 68-78 Cherry Street. Two blocks, one each side of Chun Wing Street. Both blocks have since been replaced by a development called "Florient Rise".

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Repulse Bay Tin Hau Shrine

A popular location for foreign films due to the quirky nature of the place, adorned with oversize statues and tile covered oddities. It took me along to to realise that the large building in the back is not a temple but the training HQ of the Hong Kong Life Saving Society. It blends in well with the surroundings and over the years has served (in film) as a private house and even a bath house. In Yellow Emanuelle it appears to be a restaurant or cafe where Emy goes with her "saviour" following her attempted suicide.

Yellow Emanuelle- Chai Lee (1977) - Cape Collinson Road, Hong Kong

George gets sent back to London and Emy is distraught because she doesn't hear from him for ages. She considers ending it all before being plucked away from the cliff edge by a passing good samaritan (or not so good as it turns out). This scene was filmed along Cape Collinson Road. The land in the background looks like an island but is actually the Clearwater Bay peninsula. Here is a similar view from the very awesome film Les Tribulations d'un Chinois en Chine.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Silverstrand Garden, Clearwater Bay

Here's an interesting one. If you remember my posts on Love in Hong Kong, you will recall this post regarding Silverstrand Garden. Well, it appears that the owner of that property had previously allowed filmmakers to use it for a movie shoot because here is the exact same property popping up 6 years earlier as the house that Emy buys for her and George to live in.

In Yellow Emanuelle, the house is empty, but as Emy buys furniture the room starts to fill up with the exact same stuff that can be seen in the later film, including the same electronic piano/keyboard, the same settee and chair, and the very same side lamps.

I wonder if the property was owned by a local film contact or that it was just lucrative for the owner to let it out for filming?

I should say this isn't the first time a property has been used for different movies. Old timers will recall I posted about the house used as Bruce Lee's house in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story was the same one owned by Chuck Norris' boss in Forced Vengeance. Click the links for a reminder.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Shatin Floating Restaurant

This is only the second time this location has appeared on the blog (the first time was for the French film Le Monocle Rit Jaune - although that was at the original location near Lok Lo Ha). The restaurant was originally opened in 1963 and moved several times before finally closing in 1984. In 1977, the restaurant had reached its final mooring point around where the Lek Yuen Estate now stands. This image on Gwulo shows it moored in that final location, as the reclamation carried on in front - which corresponds with where the Shatin Jockey Club Swimming Pool now stands. The restaurant lasted until 1984. I have no idea what happened to the structure but it was replaced by a concrete version that sits in the river next to the City One estate. 

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - The Ambassador Hotel, Tsim Sha Tsui

It appears that George's favourite hotel when he is stopping over between flights is the Ambassador Hotel on Middle Road. Well, the front entrance was on Middle Road but the building itself occupied the corner plot shared with Nathan Road. It was famous for having a large, tall mural on the exterior facade facing Nathan Road. It closed in 1994 and Oterprise Square went up in its place, although this has also been renamed simply to "26 Nathan Road". I've included the screen shot of what I think might be the hotel's real lobby, but I'm not sure so perhaps if anyone can remember what it looked like they can comment below. (edit: confirmation from Rodney in the comments that it was real)

Note the sign above the front entrance - possible evidence that the film was shot in 1976, assuming it wasn't left up too long after it was needed. 

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Old Blocks on Ma Tau Kok Road

I thought this view of a plane lifting off at Kai Tak was quite interesting because it shows some of the area just to the south of the airport site. I think this shot was most probably shot when this scene was being filmed because it is basically filmed from the same location.

In the initial image below you can just see the top corner of the old Ma Tau Kok Public Pier- which I have just recently confirmed has been completely removed due to the construction of the "Central Kowloon Route". The Kowloon City Ferry Pier is untouched but the route emerges from a tunnel right next to it and the old public pier was directly in the way.

Anyway, the old brown buildings that can be seen in the other images are nameless Chinese tenements that still exist along the very tip of Ma Tau Kok Road and are separated by Hing Yin Street, Chung Sun Street and Ming Lun Street.

The gas works in front was once part of the extended site that has since been redeveloped into a residential development called the "Grand Waterfront". The gasworks are still around but the site is now limited to the opposite side of To Kwa Wan Road (reminder).

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Tai Hang Tun, Clearwater Bay

Whilst back home, Emy goes to visit a nearby fortune teller to find out if George is suitable for her. This was filmed at what is now the Tai Hang Tun kite flying area in Clearwater Bay. The small temple is actually an open pavilion and the film crew created a wall for one side to give the impression of a shrine. Emy goes back later in the film and the place is destroyed and you can see the wall in the images below.

This pavilion is still around but looking a bit worse for wear. This area is now hugely popular for kite flying and if you turn up on an evening you can grab all the discarded kite stuff that dumb people just dump on the ground because they can't be bothered to take it back home or throw it in the bin.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - More Ching Chun Koon, Tuen Mun

The reason that I didn't include these screen caps with my earlier post on Ching Chun Koon is because it took me a while to figure out where this was. In the context of the film, this is supposed to be Emy's home where she lives with her father. In the last post we saw that in the movie she points up the hill towards Green and White Jade to indicate her house, but these garden scenes were all shot at the aforementioned temple. In the top image, the purple and white walled building in the background is called Man Ching House (晚晴樓) and is located on the west side of the temple complex. I believe it is the part of the complex that is designated as an old peoples' home.

There has been a bit of development since this film was made though. The Man Ching House and octagonal gateway, seen in the top image, are still around, but the ornate wall with its 9 dragon motif has been replaced by another structure.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Cheung Sha Sheung Tsuen, Lantau Island

After disembarking from the ferry, the pair are walking along as Emy points towards her "house" on the hill. This sequence was filmed on South Lantau Road heading towards Cheung Sha Sheung Tsuen. In fact, these houses, known as Green and White Jade, appear to be owned by Swire and are available for rent. As you'll find out in the next post, the close ups of Emy's house were actually filmed elsewhere.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Mui Wo Ferry Pier

Continuing Emy's journey home, we are now transported to Mui Wo (aka Silvermine Bay) and its old ferry pier. I should add that the footage of the ferry arriving at Cheung Chau and the cut to this shot was done to imply we are in the same place. I believe this version of the pier only had a few more years to go before being replaced by the current, much larger, version. Anyway, the next post will make better sense as to why the film crew were in Mui Wo. For modern context, Mui Wo's public bike park is now located in this same spot.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Cheung Chau

George follows Emy home on the ferry and the establishing shots we have for Emy's distant outlying home island is the inner harbour of Cheung Chau. The shots are looking west as the "Man Choy" ferry (which used to do the Wilmer Street to Sham Shui Po ferry run) arrives at the dock.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Kowloon City Ferry Pier, Ma Tau Kok

Emy lives on one of the outlying islands and has to go home. She gets George to drop her off at the ferry pier. In this case Kowloon City Ferry Pier. It's an odd choice for travelling out to the outlying islands given that the last image below tells us the ferry is going to North Point.

In the background of the top image you can see the old Ma Tau Kok public pier with its rudimentary roof and supporting columns. I posted about the same place a few months ago. The whole area is currently undergoing some major redevelopment so I'm not sure how much will be left when it's all finished. (edit: can confirm the old Ma Tau Kok public pier has now completely gone)

The ferry, by the way, is the Man Fook (民福) which was in operation between 1969 - 1999.

Yellow Emanuelle - Chai Lee (1977) - Carnarvon Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

I posted about the Grand Hotel just before Christmas, but this time we get to see it (bottom image) from a slightly different angle as George and Emy walk around the weird 5 street junction in Tsim Sha Tsui. The hotel is on the corner of Humphrey's Avenue but here we are looking at it from across the street where Carnarvon Road sweeps south and then west in the busy part of TST where the couple have just walked around from either Hart or Prat Avenue.