Another quickie, this time only two locations but I wanted to include them because they were both major locations for many films during the 1960s and 70s.
The Fate of Lee Khan was filmed in 1973, back to back with
The Valiant Ones. However, for some reason, the latter film had its release delayed by two years.
Several years ago Chaplin Chang told me that Golden Harvest had agreed to fund the films but for some reason Raymond Chow, notoriously difficult to get any money from, had kept putting off payment to King Hu and so production was stalled for several months. In the end Chaplin, who was working for King Hu at the time (Hu's production offices were in Yau Yat Tsuen), was sent around to Golden Harvest to "remind" Chow that he still owed the money for the films.
Anyway, this film is largely set inside an inn, the "Welcome Spring Inn", where various rebels conspire to overthrow a powerful prince, Lee Khan (Tien Feng), who has arrived in the area to collect a military map from a spy. Lots of subterfuge and intrigue, as with most of King Hu's films, as well as appearances by some famous names and faces including Li Li-hua, Tien Feng, Feng Hsu, Han Ying-chieh, Pai Ying and the always great to watch, Angela Mao.
The first of the two exterior locations is the area I have previously identified as Pak Shek Au. I don't know if this is the name that applies to the whole area but for the purpose of this blog it is a location immediately west of Kwu Tung in North District. We previously saw it on
The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires and the images below are a very similar angle to the top image in that linked post. The bumpy ridgeline in the background belongs to Tai Shek Mo - the same hill (from a different angle) that can be seen in
Enter the Dragon and
Snake in the Eagle's Shadow.
Unfortunately, although there has been no major development here (no malls at least), much of the area is now used for the scurge of the NT - plant hire and small industrial warehouses that now litter the area. So the place is no longer the quiet, empty area it used to be.
In the image below, the small hillock (centre frame) was located where the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals campground / football field is now located. Judging from aerial images from the 1970s, it looks as though this small hill was actually excavated to make way for the camp ground and a small adjacent industrial space.
The following two images are from the end of the film as the rebels ride off into the sunset. This was actually filmed much closer to the now removed hillock. In the last image below, as they ride past the camera, the hill in the background is still around and looks pretty much the same today as it did then - unlike the surrounding area which is now overgrown slightly. It's located immediately west of the football ground.
