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This special limited edition slipcover is limited to 1,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.
Named after Yasujiro Ozu’s custom-made, tatami-level, crab-like tripod, Kani is a new home video label dedicated to leveling the gaze and furthering the understanding of Asian cinema in North America. Focused on genre-defying films, Kani aims to expand the canon, bolster up-and-coming filmmakers and reintroduce repertory classics in context. Vinegar Syndrome’s sister company, OCN Distribution, is thrilled to be representing this diverse and unique home video line!
A water dispute compels the colourful renters of a tenement building to resist the abusive landlady looming over their heads. Director Chor Yuen (Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan; The Magic Blade), tasked with remaking a 1963 film adapted from a Shanghainese play, insisted on staging his own version in Cantonese, convinced it would best connect with his audience. His instinct was right: this comedic Hong Kong miniature, featuring a cast of beloved TVB actors, became the highest-grossing film of 1973, outpacing even Bruce Lee’s Enter The Dragon, with a tale of community building and everyday solidarity. Remembered today for its trove of star cameos, expert set-bound mise-en-scène and influence on Stephen Chow’s 2004 Kung Fu Hustle, The House of 72 Tenants, proved to be a landmark film for Shaw Brothers Studio, helping change the course of Hong Kong cinema by reintroducing Cantonese to its Mandarin-dominated market.
directed by: Chor Yuen
starring: Yueh Hua, Tin Ching, Ching Li, Hu Chin, Lydia Shum Tin-Ha, Chor Yuen, Hoh Sau-San, Lau Yat-Fan, Ku Feng, Cheng Kang-Yeh, Lee Sau-Kei, Ching Miao, Leung Tin, Helena Law Lan, Nam Hung, Danny Lee Sau-Yin, Ou-Yang Sha-Fei, Chen Kuan-Tai, Lau Dan, Chan Mei-Hua, Wong Ching-Ho, Karen Yip Leng-Chi, Shih Szu, Liu Wu-Chi, Lee Ho, Wang Kuang-Yu, Do Ping, Adam Cheng Siu-Chow, Yeung Chak-Lam, Ricky Hui Koon-Ying, Wang Chung, Liu Hui-Ling, Chan Shen, Pang Pang, Helen Ko Ti-Hua, Kong Ling, Lam Fung, Tsung Hua, Lily Ho Li-Li, Cheng Kang, Sai Gwa-Pau, Betty Pei Ti, Luk Chin, Yau Chi-Wan, Law Hon, Yue Ming, Ku Chiu-Chin
1973 / 102 min / 2.35:1 / Cantonese DTS-HD MA 2.0
Additional info:
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Region A Blu-ray
- High-Definition presentation
- Archival interview with Chor Yuen (10 minutes)
- Archival interview with Hong Kong film historian and critic Po Fung (12 minutes)
- New appreciation from director Alex Cheung (Man on the Brink) (8 minutes)
- Selected scenes commentary by film critic Philip Ho Ar Nam (19 minutes)
- New Writing by Hong Kong Film Historian Linda Poon, translated into English
- New English subtitles
