Shanghai Blues

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1:41

Shanghai Blues

2025

1h 43m

Comedy

Musical

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8 Reviews

65%

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

In 1937 after The Second Sino-Japanese War breaks out a soldier and a young woman have an awkward meet cute in darkness under a bridge as they seek refuge during a bomb raid. Although they can't see each other's faces they promise to meet again after the dust settles. Ten years later the soldier, now a burgeoning songwriter and tuba-player in a marching band, is back in town desperately searching for his would-be soulmate. As fate would have it they end up living in the same building unbeknownst to each other. Through a series of mishaps he mistakes her new ingénue roommate for his love interest and wacky love triangle hijinks ensue. Consummate auteur Tsui Hark almost singlehandedly reinvented Hong Kong cinema in the 80's and 90's with uber-kinetic genre opuses, amping up cinematic spectacle whether with special effects or sheer unbridled energy. This Hong Kong styled homage to the screwball comedies of yesteryear features black belt level slapstick and delightfully droll romcom shenanigans. With striking mise en scene and inspired production design Shanghai Blues is, "...luscious, loving and a lot of fun...one of Tsui Hark's most enjoyable works" - Richard James Havis, South China Morning Post.

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Glenn Kenny

New York Times

Jun 23

With “Blues,” Tsui found a slapstick comedy register that he would continue to refine and expand over his career, one that would inform even the more serious period epics he would make in the future.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Feb 5

4/5

It’s impossible not to be carried along by the delirious rush of silliness in this knockabout screwball comedy from 1984.

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Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

Aug 22

Mostly it’s a melee of intricately worked-out slapstick, which the performers gamely plunge into almost non-stop. The level of frantic energy sustained can be a little exhausting. Still, it’s fun.

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Joshua Polanski

There Were No Gods Left

Jun 30

Shanghai Blues will always be a brilliant romantic comedy.

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Lee Jutton

Film Inquiry

Jun 26

Shanghai Blues is a vibrant mix of slapstick, sweetness, and song that has been beautifully restored in 4K for its 40th anniversary.

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

Jun 21

3.5/4

A silly, lovable screwball comedy. (It even pays homage to Howard Hawks's 'Bringing Up Baby.')

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DanTheMan 2

Nov 21

Tsui Hark's love letter to the classic screwball comedy and giddy genre mash-ups of Classical Hollywood, it's impossible not to be carried along by Shanghai Blues' delirious rush of silliness and delightfully vibrant mix of slapstick, sweetness, and song. Pure magic from beginning to end. As always with this tireless filmmaker, the pace never lets up, and the screen is constantly awhirl with colourful movement. Thanks to the persistent abuse of the starburst filter and soft focus at every opportunity, the cartoonish slapstick is balanced with carefully crafted set pieces and a sincere wistfulness beneath a youthful touch of punkish anarchism. The screenplay shamelessly deploys fate to manipulate events into a pleasing narrative, while the actors deliver their lines in a manner reminiscent of American pre-code cinema. The trio of likeable leads does a marvellous job guiding us through the insanity, heightened to the point of satire, that ensues throughout Shanghai Blues. Meticulously crafted and saturated in vivid colour, this is a world where even the most lofty dreams can come true.

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Judy B

Jun 29

Attempts at humor all come off as dumb, silly, unsuccessful slapstick that makes this drag & not justify the ticket cost or time invested to see it.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Jun 20

Funny in 1 hour and 43 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In Chinese and English versions with English subtitles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Esra Y

Feb 9

Once you get adjusted to how silly it is, movie turns out to be delightful.

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s r

@ScottR 09/23/2018

The kind of farce that is so bad it is almost good.

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08/31/2018

THE BARE FACTS HERE SEEM BIZARRE. tHIS IS A 1930's style screwball COMEDY AGAINST THE BCKGROUND OF THE FALL OF CHINA TO THE COMMUNISTS. FILMED IN HONG KONG, IT IS ALSO ON OBJECT LESSON FOR AMERICANS ON HOW MUCH AMERICAN FILMS ARE ADMIRED AROUND THE WORLD. ITS STYLE OF COMEDY IS ENTIRELY DERIVATIVE, USING EVERY CLICHE OF 1930'S Hollywood screwball COMEDIES YOU CAN IMAGINE. iTS SLAVISH IMITATIon IS WHAT IS SO CHARMING ABOUT IT. iTS ALSO A LOVE STORY, as most screwball comedies are.

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Hark Tsui

Director

Kenny Bee

Tung Kwok-Man

Sylvia Chang

Shu-Shu

Sally Yeh

Stool

Raymond To

Screenwriter

Koon-Chung Chan

Screenwriter

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Shanghai Blues: Trailer 1

1:41

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Synopsis

In 1937 after The Second Sino-Japanese War breaks out a soldier and a young woman have an awkward meet cute in darkness under a bridge as they seek refuge during a bomb raid. Although they can't see each other's faces they promise to meet again after the dust settles. Ten years later the soldier, now a burgeoning songwriter and tuba-player in a marching band, is back in town desperately searching for his would-be soulmate. As fate would have it they end up living in the same building unbeknownst to each other. Through a series of mishaps he mistakes her new ingénue roommate for his love interest and wacky love triangle hijinks ensue. Consummate auteur Tsui Hark almost singlehandedly reinvented Hong Kong cinema in the 80's and 90's with uber-kinetic genre opuses, amping up cinematic spectacle whether with special effects or sheer unbridled energy. This Hong Kong styled homage to the screwball comedies of yesteryear features black belt level slapstick and delightfully droll romcom shenanigans. With striking mise en scene and inspired production design Shanghai Blues is, "...luscious, loving and a lot of fun...one of Tsui Hark's most enjoyable works" - Richard James Havis, South China Morning Post.

Director: Hark Tsui
Producer: Hark Tsui
Screenwriter: Raymond To, Koon-Chung Chan, Cheuk-Hon Szeto
Distributor: Film Movement
Production Co: Film Workshop
Genre: Comedy, Musical
Original Language: Chinese
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 20, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 27, 2026
Box Office (Gross USA): $8.7K
Runtime: 1h 43m

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