Summary: For those that don't know, the obscenity and morality laws in Hong Kong dictate and define the level of nudity that public movies can show, and then label them according to their category to let the public know what to expect. The mildest of these being category (or "Cat") one, similar to a General Audience (G) rating in the US, with the most daring being a Cat three, or the equivalent of a strong US Restricted (R) rating. At no time was pornography ever actually legal in Hong Kong; clear frontal shots of genitalia were also taboo even under British rule. Hence, HK directors of erotic films, aka "Cat 3" became extremely creative with action that simulated sex. In addition to the usual bump or grind of gyrating hips, they used rigid phallic shaped shadows, or block the viewer from seeing anything with flowerpots, furniture, or body parts, along with enough fake moans and groans that would do a hooker proud. Which is why Trilogy Of Lust is so amazing. The producers of this film apparently saw little need to hide any action as this is outright porn. Clear and graphic displays of erections, coitus, and fellatio are on screen and not just one of those cheap if you blink you'll miss it shots. Aside from the actual porn, the various actions of the, er... actresses, was fairly erotic in it's own right. In one scene, the main star thinks of sex and she begins to fondle an eel (lucky eel); in another, after watching you may never think of eggs in quite the same way again. I suspect that this movie was produced only for foreign market distribution as the copy that I saw was over-dubbed in German. Story of a lonely fish farmer who's mother takes pity on; she goes and buys him a woman from China. A bedroom novice, the woman doesn't really attract him as he's used to going with experienced pros. Over time, he attempts to teach her the finer points of human conjugation, even hiring a hooker to perform with him while she sat and took written notes. Once a prude, she discovers a young and handsome gardener who unlocks her passion and desires. Their adultery discovered by the fish monger and his mother, the young lovers kill them and go on the run. Knowing that they will be caught and put to death, they don traditional Chinese wedding clothes, have one more bout of wild sex before throwing themselves off a cliff and dying as man and wife. In terms of film making, the story is so-so; in terms of porn, the action is so-so; but in terms of being produced in HK as a Cat3 title, it's historic as well as illegal. I know that the title's language is listed as "Cantonese" but to date, I've never once found a copy with Cantonese audio. Audio is German Note: If anyone finds a copy actually in Chinese audio, please let us know.
3 Reviews
Don´t expect anything great!
DJ Inferno30 July 2002
The story of this film is about a sensitive poor girl which gets sold to a moronic fish dealer who wants to do some perverse sexual practices with her. However, she falls in love with a young gardener boy and both start having a passionate sex affair. After this guy kills the fish dealer and his mother they have to flee from the police, what finally leads to their suicides...
The video label which distributes the first part of "Trilogy of Lust" here in Germany advertised it as "one of the most scandalous films of the 1990s". Now I am a huge fan of Asian cinema and after lots of culty or gruesome stuff like "The Audition", "Men behind the Sun", the Takeshi Kitano films etc. I had high expectations before I watched this. However, the result was a little disappointment, because "Xue lian" is nothing but a normal hardcore porn where the main actress constantly has sex with the same man. Some featured stuff is quite obscure and the climaxes are a scene where a woman get stimulated by an egg, a tame bondage sequence and a faked anal fist f*ck. The rest is business as usual! Personally, I prefer a film like "Tokyo Decadence" to this one, because TD is more stylish, better acted and has a much more developed plot... I will watch part two and three of the "Trilogy of Lust"-series soon, hope they will deliver more than the mediocre original does!
The video label which distributes the first part of "Trilogy of Lust" here in Germany advertised it as "one of the most scandalous films of the 1990s". Now I am a huge fan of Asian cinema and after lots of culty or gruesome stuff like "The Audition", "Men behind the Sun", the Takeshi Kitano films etc. I had high expectations before I watched this. However, the result was a little disappointment, because "Xue lian" is nothing but a normal hardcore porn where the main actress constantly has sex with the same man. Some featured stuff is quite obscure and the climaxes are a scene where a woman get stimulated by an egg, a tame bondage sequence and a faked anal fist f*ck. The rest is business as usual! Personally, I prefer a film like "Tokyo Decadence" to this one, because TD is more stylish, better acted and has a much more developed plot... I will watch part two and three of the "Trilogy of Lust"-series soon, hope they will deliver more than the mediocre original does!
Politically charged and excellent.
alexferdman-9860218 September 2018
Yes, you have to pay attention when you watch this excellent flick. Porno parts supposedly dominate but its only supposedly because these flashes of past give real meaning to all events. Yes, past is gone but never forgotten. The weak point of movie is music but what do I know. When I tried to find part # 3 in Hong Kong I had learned nobody heard of this movie--too bad.
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