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The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants The House of 72 Tenants

Artwork by Celestial Pictures

KANI-041

The House of 72 Tenants

Chor Yuen, 1973
Hong Kong, 98min

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. 



Bonus features

  • High-Definition presentatio
  • Archival interview with Chor Yuen
  • Archival interview with Hong Kong film historian and critic Po Fung
  • New appreciation from director Alex Cheung (Man on the Brink)
  • Selected scenes commentary by film critic Philip Ho Ar Nam
  • New Writing by Hong Kong Film Historian Linda Poon, translated into English
  • New English Subtitles

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. 



Bonus features