Once Upon a Time

1981 1h 33m CN

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 1

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Carefree days, youth and summertime. It is on a day like that when Hsin-lun meets Wendy and Johnny meets Bessie. Love blossoms. Hsin-lun and Wendy are married but Bessie is jilted by Johnny. After college, Hsin-lun joins a construction company. He is unhappy, what with the company's corrupt ways and a domineering manager. On the point of resigning, he learns of a traffic accident in which Wendy and his brother are injured. Wendy has a miscarriage. The need for money changes Hsin-lun completely. He becomes part of a gang...

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Lau Ga-fong
Song Chang-jiang
Lam Fong
Frank Hsu
Ku Pao-ming
Ko Pa
Tan Ai-chen
Jin Zhang-di

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sylvia Chang
Writers: Sylvia Chang, Hsu Bin-yang
Languages: Cantonese
Countries: Taiwan, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Taiwan, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sylvia Chang, shot by Chow Yip-Hing. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mou-Shan Huang. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lau Ga-fong and Song Chang-jiang and Lam Fong carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0082584 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sylvia Chang directs. Chow Yip-Hing behind the camera. Mou-Shan Huang scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Taiwan, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

145 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: Taiwan, Hong Kong.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Sylvia Chang, shot by Chow Yip-Hing. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mou-Shan Huang. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Lau Ga-fong and Song Chang-jiang and Lam Fong carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0082584 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.