A Chinese Tall Story
Encyclopedia
A Chinese Tall Story is a 2005
Hong Kong
fantasy
adventure film
, written and directed by Jeffrey Lau
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Tripitaka and his three disciples who are journeying west to acquire Buddhist scriptures. While stopping in Shache City (present day Yarkand), they come under attack by minions of the evil Tree Demon. The demons capture his three disciples.
Tripitaka is then captured by the king of reptiles and placed under the care of the ugly and shunned Meiyan, who falls in love with the monk. Luckily for Tripitaka, an alien princess rescues him, and Meiyan decides to team up with the princess in order to rescue the disciples.
During their stay in the city, the three disciples are captured by evil Tree Spirits. Tripitaka borrows the Golden Pole and tries to find a way to save them. He meets a young lizard imp Meiyan (Chalene Choi) who is more than a visual match for Quasimodo: matted bushy hair, and teeth of any dentist’s nightmare. Meiyan falls in love with Tripitaka at first sight and devotes herself to trailing him. She even sets a love trap to ensnare him. Tripitaka unwittingly falls into the trap and in the process breaks the Heavenly Code.
The region is one full of monsters, strange beings and creatures of unknown origins and among them are the beautiful Princess XiaoShan (Fan Bing-bing) and her army. On a passing journey to Earth her path crosses Tripitaka’s and she vows her aid. Tripitaka decides to leave with the Princess.
Meiyan is heartbroken. She picks a fight with Princess XiaoShan and, although she loses, she finally discovers her own identity as a galactic warrior. She eventually helps the princess in defeating the enemy and rescues Tripitaka and his disciples.
After the battle, Meiyan surrenders to the Temple of Heaven for judgment. Torn between passion and righteousness, Tripitaka rebels against the heaves to rescue the gallows-bound Meiyan. A benevolent Buddha is moved and pardons the two on condition that they embark on a journey to the West to accomplish the Eight-One Tasks to redeem themselves and save the world.
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Hong Kong films of 2005
A list of films produced in Hong Kong in 2005:.-2005:-External links:* * Hong Kong films of 2005 at * at Hong Kong Film Archive...
Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
fantasy
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
adventure film
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
, written and directed by Jeffrey Lau
Jeffrey Lau
Jeffrey Lau Chun-Wai is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, actor and producer. He was born on August 2, 1952. Liu Zhenwei is famous for writing and directing "mo lei tau" comedies...
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Synopsis
It is a twisted story about the monkMonk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
Tripitaka and his three disciples who are journeying west to acquire Buddhist scriptures. While stopping in Shache City (present day Yarkand), they come under attack by minions of the evil Tree Demon. The demons capture his three disciples.
Tripitaka is then captured by the king of reptiles and placed under the care of the ugly and shunned Meiyan, who falls in love with the monk. Luckily for Tripitaka, an alien princess rescues him, and Meiyan decides to team up with the princess in order to rescue the disciples.
Plot
Tang monk Tripitaka (Nicholas Tse) and his three disciples Monkey King Sun WuKong (Bolin Chen), Pig Monk Zhu WuNeng (Kenny Kwan), and Sand Monk Sha WuJing (Steven Cheung) arrive triumphantly to a hero’s welcome in Shache city. Little do they know that ahead of them lays Tripitaka’s most arduous challenge before he achieves deification…and it is a test that he and only he alone can overcome.During their stay in the city, the three disciples are captured by evil Tree Spirits. Tripitaka borrows the Golden Pole and tries to find a way to save them. He meets a young lizard imp Meiyan (Chalene Choi) who is more than a visual match for Quasimodo: matted bushy hair, and teeth of any dentist’s nightmare. Meiyan falls in love with Tripitaka at first sight and devotes herself to trailing him. She even sets a love trap to ensnare him. Tripitaka unwittingly falls into the trap and in the process breaks the Heavenly Code.
The region is one full of monsters, strange beings and creatures of unknown origins and among them are the beautiful Princess XiaoShan (Fan Bing-bing) and her army. On a passing journey to Earth her path crosses Tripitaka’s and she vows her aid. Tripitaka decides to leave with the Princess.
Meiyan is heartbroken. She picks a fight with Princess XiaoShan and, although she loses, she finally discovers her own identity as a galactic warrior. She eventually helps the princess in defeating the enemy and rescues Tripitaka and his disciples.
After the battle, Meiyan surrenders to the Temple of Heaven for judgment. Torn between passion and righteousness, Tripitaka rebels against the heaves to rescue the gallows-bound Meiyan. A benevolent Buddha is moved and pardons the two on condition that they embark on a journey to the West to accomplish the Eight-One Tasks to redeem themselves and save the world.
Cast
- Nicholas TseNicholas TseNicholas Tse is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter, actor and musician, and son of actor Patrick Tse. He is a member of the Emperor Entertainment Group...
as TripitakaXuanzang (fictional character)The fictional character Xuanzang is a central character of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.For most of the novel he is known as Táng-sānzàng, the title Sānzàng referring to his mission to seek the Sānzàngjīng, the "Three Collections of Scriptures"... - Charlene ChoiCharlene ChoiCharlene Choi is a Hong Kong based actress and singer. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Gillian Chung.-Biography:...
as Yue Meiyan - Fan Bingbing as Princess Xiaoshan
- Bolin ChenBolin ChenBolin Chen also known as Berlin Chen was born 27 August 1983. He is a Taiwanese-born model, actor and singer.He began his career as a model in his late teenage years. At the age of 19, he had his first head role in the Taiwanese movie Blue Gate Crossing . In 2004, he started filming movies in...
as Monkey KingSun WukongSun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices... - Kenny KwanKenny KwanKenny Kwan Chi-Bun is a Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor, under the music label Emperor Entertainment Group. He was born in the Philippines, but grew up in Hong Kong....
as Pig MonkZhu BajieZhu Bajie, also named Zhu Wuneng, is one of the three helpers of Xuanzang in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. He is called "Pigsy" or "Pig" in many English versions of the story.... - Steven Cheung as Sand MonkSha WujingShā Wùjìng is one of the three disciples of Xuánzàng in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, although versions of his character predate the Ming novel. In the novels, his background is the least developed of the pilgrims and he contributes the least to their efforts...
- Isabella LeongIsabella LeongIsabella Leong Lok-Sze is a Hong Kong-based actress and former singer.- Career :Her father was a descendant of a prominent Macanese family of Portuguese-English heritage, and her mother is Chinese...
as Red ChildRed BoyRed Boy was a character featured in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Red Boy was also known as the Boy Sage King , and had been the son of Princess Iron Fan and the Bull Demon King, a former sworn brother of Sun Wukong... - Patrick TamPatrick Tam Yiu ManPatrick Tam Yiu Man is a Hong Kong actor and singer.-Films:*A Land without Boundaries *The Detective 2 *I Love Hong Kong *Just Another Pandora's Box *Here Comes Fortune...
- Yuen WahYuen WahYuen Wah is a Hong Kong based Chinese action film actor, action choreographer, stuntman and martial artist who has appeared in over 160 films and over 20 television series.-Early life:...
as Turtle - Kenny BeeKenny BeeChung Chun-to , better known as Kenny Bee, is a Hong Kong singer, musician and actor. He is well-known as a member of the Hong Kong English pop and cantopop band the Wynners, and as a solo artist who has been active in the Hong Kong entertainment industry for nearly three decades.-Career:Bee made...
- Joe Phua
- Tats LauTats LauTats Lau Yee-Tat is a songwriter, musician and comedy actor in Hong Kong.- Music career :During the 1980s, Tats Lau was active in Hong Kong's independent music scene...
Soundtrack
All compositions by Joe HisaishiJoe Hisaishi
, known professionally as , is a composer and director known for over 100 film scores and solo albums dating back to 1981.While possessing a stylistically distinct sound, Hisaishi's music has been known to explore and incorporate different genres, including minimalist, experimental electronic,...
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- "Sacred Love"
- "Prologue - Triumphant Entrance"
- "Dogfight Over Shache"
- "Words Are Lethal"
- "Rout Of The Four Heavenly Knights"
- "Lover's Gambit"
- "Longing for You"
- "Yours Truly, Tripitaka"
- "The Conspiracy"
- "Capitulation"
- "Twirling Snow"
- "Alien Invasion"
- "I Can Fly!"
- "Help Is on the Way"
- "Annihilation Of The Tree Spirit"
- "The Princess's Secret"
- "Storming of the Celestial Court"
- "I Know"
- "Divine Manifestation"
- "A Journey West"