More Than Kung Fu

Whenever a film goes through the remake process, I have to ask why. Only nine years had passed since Love Without End charmed audiences in 1961. Why remake a film that’s not even a decade old? Why remake a film forever linked with Linda Lin Dai, Shaw’s biggest, and first tragic, star.

So, why? Nine years may seem like a short time, but the Shaw Brothers of 1961 was still a small, growing studio battling with rival MP & GI for box office supremacy. What better way to charge into a new decade than with a remake that helped launch the studio into the 1960s?

And what better way to solidify a potential new star? Jenny Hu had been working at Shaw since 1966, but he career didn’t really start to move until 1969, when she started in 3 films. By putting her into a high-profile remake of a classic film, perhaps Shaw Brothers hoped to create another super star.

But nothing puts a filmmaker more firmly between a rock and a hard place than remaking a classic. Deviate from the original too much, and the fans will cry foul. Stay too close to the source, and there’s no reason to remake the film.

Director and writer Pan Lei takes the safe route and, with the exception of the colorful sets and short mini-skirts, his version of Love Without End might as well take place in 1961.

That’s not to say the film is bad—the remake is as good as the original, and it’s beautifully made. It just never differentiates itself from its predecessor. And the changes it does make only take the harsh edges off the male lead, Tang Pengnan (Ling Yun). And few films are well served by making their characters less interesting.

If Pan Lei’s Love Without End wasn’t a remake, it would stand out as one of their romantic classics. Instead, it’s simply a high-quality shadow.

Love Without End
Director: Pan Lei
Released: July 18, 1970