Isabella - Isabella Leong (2006) - Rua da Felicidade, Macau

I have Gary Wong's old Film Pilgrimage page (new page here) to thank for telling me about this location (Gary is basically the go-to guy for local movie locations and I did a post on his first book ten years ago). This is the apartment building where Yan and her mother used to live before her mum died. The landlord has locked her out because she hasn't been able to pay the rent and Ma goes around to try and help her.

Anyway, thanks to Gary we know this location is on Macau's famous Rua da Felicidade and is a small hotel called San Va Hospedaria. Sadly, there are no exterior shots and we just get to see some of the interior including this view of the main staircase as Yan sneaks in to see what is happening.

Isabella - Isabella Leong (2006) - A Lorcha Restaurant, Macau

One of Macau's most popular eateries, especially for visitors from Hong Kong, is the A Lorcha restaurant along the old waterfront on Rua do Almirante Sergio. There is a brief scene inside as Ma (Chapman To) contemplates his new found predicament. The restaurant website is here: https://alorcha.com/en/menu/

Isabella - Isabella Leong (2006) - Travessa do Padre Narciso, Macau

Next up is one of my favourite Hong Kong movies, Isabella, although it was set and shot in Macau. The story is set in the run up to the Macau handover in December 1999 and follows corrupt police Inspector Ma (Chapman To) who is shocked to find out that a girl who has been following him around is his illegitimate daughter from a school days love affair. We follow them as they bond and he tries to mend his ways as he realises he has some extra responsibility now that this girl, Yan (played by the excellent Isabella Leong) has entered his life.

There are lots of bits of Macau just prior to the time when it all got ruined by the big casino resort developments. This was made the year I arrived in Hong Kong to live and I think it took us a good year or so to get over to Macau, by which time the Grand Lisboa - that horrible blot on Macau's skyline - was already under construction. Thankfully, I had managed to catch Macau in more undeveloped times when I visited one weekend in 1996.

Anyway, my inability to travel to Macau at the moment (I haven't been since 2016 and Macau is closed to non-residents...unless you are a rich Mainland gambler) means that all of these locations have been identified via GoogleEarth and Streetview. I haven't been able to get them all but there are enough here to make a good selection for those who are interested. 

First up is close to the start of the film as Ma walks up a road on the way home. This shot is looking down Travessa do Padre Narciso. The coloured wall posts in the background belong to what was once the Palácio do Governador (i.e Macau Governer's residence) but is now the Macau Govt HQ (Sede do Governo da Região Administrativa Especial de Macau da República Popular da China).

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - Jackie Chan (1978) - Whitehead Point, Ma On Shan

Returning to Ma On Shan and we head to the old quarry at Whitehead Point - just a quarried stone's throw away from Starfish Bay. This is where the finale takes place between Beggar Pai, Chien Fu and Master Shang. The quarry looks a bit different compared to the last time we saw it but peeping through the gaps in the rock in the background of one of the captures is the distinctive shape of Pat Sin Leng. In the lower picture the camera is pointing south east and the distant ridgeline (Kai Kung Shan - 雞公山) on the opposite side of 3 fathoms cove is visible in the far background.

Part of Pat Sin Leng poking through the gap, top right

Kai Kung Shan in the background

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - Jackie Chan (1978) - Ho Sheung Heung, Sheung Shui

Here is a location that holds a special significance for me because this is the filming location I was able to "rediscover" after it was seemingly lost to most peoples' memories many years ago. Like many former rural filming spots, the encroachment of modern technology meant many places in Hong Kong were no longer suitable for filming period-set films and, here, electricity pylons were erected along the south slope of Tai Shek Mo in the background. As such it was diificult to film here without having the pylons and associated cables looming into view.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - Jackie Chan (1978) - Starfish Bay, Ma On Shan

This is another frequently used location, although I only heard about it when looking into locations for some screenshots from some IFD/Filmmark cut and paste movies. This location is actually not very far from the old sandy track that can be seen in movies such as Drunken Master and The Young Master. It still basically looks exactly the same because most of the modern development has ocurred behind camera. 

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - Jackie Chan (1978) - Yau Kung Tong, Yuen Long

Here is a familiar location for the blog because several overseas movies have also been shot here (China Cry, Shadow of China, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) as well as a plethora of local ones. It's the Yau Kung Tong hall in Ha Tsuen. In the film it's the Hung Tai martial arts school run by Dean Shek and Peter Chan Lung where Jackie works as a dogsbody and general punching bag.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - Jackie Chan (1978) - Pang Ancestral Hall, Fanling

The location of the Hong Wei Martial Arts school (宏威武館) is the Pang Clan Ancestral Hall (彭氏宗祠) in Fanling. This is where Beggar Pai first settles down to sleep following his escape from the guest house and later, when Master Hung (Charlie Chan) returns to the school to find it destroyed, he takes Chien Fu with him to challenge the Hong Wei school in revenge and the fight scene was filmed inside the inner courtyard of the ancestral hall. This place is about a 5 minute walk from the guesthouse.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - Jackie Chan (1978) - Chong Ha Ching Sze, Fanling

Now a private temple (wiki says Taoist, map says Buddhist) called "Chong Ha Ching Sze" (藏霞精舍), the style of building is reminiscent of the old village ancestral and/or study halls that are still quite common in the New territories. However, its Chinese wiki pages states that the building was constructed in the 1950s. If this is true then it's a good facsimile of traditional village architecture. It's located next to Hong Lok Park - a rather pleasantly landscaped Chinese style garden on San wan Road. 

This is the venue that is supposed to be a guest house and is where we are first introduced to Yuen Siu-tin's character as he first battles mosquitoes and then the staff as they attempt to kick him out. The key identifier here (or at least the one that sealed the deal for me) is the style of railing on the upper floor balcony of the courtyard. If you look at the second to last screencap below (of Yuen sitting on top of one of the staff) you can see that the railing style matches this photo of the interior. Obviously the place has been spruced up a bit since 1978 but it's nice to know it's still around.

Snake in the Eagle's Shadow - Jackie Chan (1978) - nr Wong Chuk Yeung, Sai Kung

Next up is Snake in the Eagle's Shadow. About a year or so ago, Bey Logan posted some screen caps on the Gwulo website asking for help identifying some locations for a new book he is writing. Unfortunately, I wasn't much help at the time (although I did point him in the way of a couple of places, like this one) but as luck would have it, my trusted UK film source, AP, who has supplied me with copies (legitimate, I hasten to say) of many of the films I have covered on the blog (huge thanks to him for all the help over the years) had sent me a HK Legends DVD of Snake in the Eagle's Shadow a while ago and I thought I would have a go.

As it turns out, not only have I been able to track down the locations sought after by Mr Logan, but I have also added a few extra ones, at least enough of the important ones to make it worthy of including here on the blog.

Sadly, several of the people involved in the film have passed away very recently: Peter Chan Lung, Roy Horan and (just this week) Dean Shek, so it's nice to look at this film again and remember these three great actors.

Anyway, first up is not one of the sought after locations because this one is easy. It's the lcoation from the opening scene where Master Chao (Fung Hak-on) fights Master Shang (Hwang Jang Lee) in defense of the snake style. Fans of the genre may recall that this location is the same one seen in the finale of The Young Master. I did make the effort to reach the spot a few years ago only to confirm that, like many other abandoned locations, it has become overgrown and inaccessible and a large portion of it has a Fire Lookout built on it.

SPL - Donnie Yen (2005) - Sheung Yuet Road, Kowloon Bay

Although the main establishing scenes for Wong Po's headquarters and environs were filmed in East TST, for the finale, as Ma takes the money to Wong, the exterior shots and infamous alleyway leading to the venue were filmed in Kowloon Bay. Credit to Dan Thomas for tracking down this via a Japanese reader called Isamu. It's here where Ma battles Jack in a baton v knife fight before heading up to confront Wong Po. It's also here where Wong's wife and child are parked at the end of the sequence. Love him or hate him, I think many would agree that this is one of Donnie's best fights.

SPL - Donnie Yen (2005) - Statue Square, Central

Kwok (Danny Summer) is desperate to meet his daughter for Father's day and so heads out with Lo (Dick Liu) to Statue Square in Central so he can see her.

SPL - Donnie Yen (2005) - Tai Tau Leng Playground, Sheung Shui

Named after a nearby walled village, Tai Tau Leng (大頭嶺) Playground is the rather interesting use of some undercover space created by the Fanling Highway flyover. Instead of filling the space full of planters, as is usually the way in Hong Kong, some enterprising urban planner has instead turned both sides of a traffic roundabout into a covered playground (playground in Hong Kong means space for leisure activities, not necessarily a kiddy climbing frame sort of deal as it means in the UK). It's here where Ma (Yen) and Lok (Ken Cheung Chi-yiu) go to collect a gun from an underworld contact only to fall into a trap.

SPL - Donnie Yen (2005) - Luard Road, Wanchai

Part of Inspector Ma's (Donnie Yen) backstory is that he once hit a perp and permanently brain damaged the guy. So we get a flashback of the event that starts with Ma running down Lockhart Road and then turning into Luard Road before dragging the guy out of his car and giving him the fateful punch.

SPL - Donnie Yen (2005) - Central Market

The gang head off to track down and kill Wong Po's bodyguard, played by long time Donnie Yen stunt collaborator and action choreographer, Kenji Tanigaki. He's the link that they need to remove if their fabrication of evidence against Wong Po is to work. Anyway, they track him down to a hut on top of Central market and a chase around the roof top ensues. Coincidentally, the market building has just recently been reopened following a renovation and looks a bit tidier these days.