Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan

Friday, November 2 - Saturday, November 3, 2018

** Please note the screenings on Fri 11/2 and Sat 11/3 begin at 12:15am, not 11:59pm! **

“If you boil it down to its bare elements, Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan is a simple revenge story. At the same time, it’s something of a revisionist version of the simple revenge story, as the film’s plot plays out far different than any previous Shaw Brothers revenge film (and believe me, there were a lot of those!). The film is also gorgeously well-directed by the one and only Chor Yuen, who is able to construct an artful, rousing melodrama from the base elements of a trashy genre film. It’s something to behold.
“Chor Yuen takes many disparate elements — both trashy and thoughtful — and brings them together for a film unlike anything I’ve seen. It’s part wuxia, part rape/revenge, part prostitution melodrama, part exploitation, part mystery, and part cat-and-mouse thriller, and it does all of these simultaneously and perfectly. It’s a rare film that can successfully bring two genres together, but Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan is an ambitious film that achieves it all, and artfully as well. You may have seen this story in film before, but I doubt you’ve seen it told as succinctly and entertaining as it was in Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan. Highly recommended to anyone interested in world cinema.” (Silver Emulsion)


Screening as part of our Shaw brothers retrospective, Shaw Brothers Spectaculars: Presented in Glorious Shaw-Scope through Dec 29, 2018.

  • Country Hong Kong
  • Year 1972
  • Running Time 86 minutes
  • Director Chor Yuen
  • Writer Kang Chien Chiu

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.