Kattiera Nana I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

BlazeLime Strong and Moving!

Cunninghamolga This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

danthsmith Absolutely marvellous Shaw brothers classic. Definitely strong influence on Kill Bill. I watched the dubbed version which seemed OK. Art direction terrific. The ending is an over the top bloodbath Fantastic

Leofwine_draca Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan is a slow-moving character drama from the Shaw Brothers studio that nonetheless picks up in the second half with a series of murders that are in the grisly Shaw style. The story is set in and around a brothel in which one of the new girls, Ainu, refuses to have her spirit broken and decides to fight back against those who have wronged her. This sounds like one of Shaw's erotic movies although the nudity and sexual content is surprisingly kept to a minimum.Shaw star Yueh Hua plays the role of a visiting detective who takes part in the film's murder mystery sub-plot, but he's very much a minor character here. Lily Ho shines as the sympathetic Ainu, the story's protagonist, but the real star of the show is Betty Pei Ti as the cruel brothel madam. Director Chor Yuen keeps the atmosphere going, although this can be a slog to watch at times. At least it builds up to a fittingly gruesome climax which features some great deaths courtesy of the "yin and yang hands" style, and top melodrama.

Mike Garcia This film is really hard to classify in one genre,many people would say is an erotic film, some would say is a martial films but this film is unique...Lily Ho is amazing as the deadly Nv, a girl who accept her destiny just for change it but for me the real star of the film, the queen of this magnificent film is Betty Pei Ti as the evil mistress, she is able to give to the character all the evilness that she needs but at the same time she gives her some kind of tenderness that makes impossible to hate her..The end of the movie is amazing,but I will not spoil it here...I'm a big fan of the Shaw brothers films and this is one of my favorites, maybe I'm the biggest fan of this movie in the world..If you really want to have a great time, do not hesitate on watch it

clevelander I saw this movie in an English Cinema, in Birmingham, in the mid- 1970's, and was quite bowled over by its startling originality, at least to my eyes as a western viewer. It is far better constructed than most of the Kung Fu type movies that have world popularity, and will appeal to a discerning audience. The intricate plot deals with the fate and adventures of two women, masters of their marshal arts, and sworn to vengeance. The significance of the relationship between the two women grows until it becomes central to the film. That alone was original enough in the 1970's - but amazingly it is still original now.The film has a legendary, classical feel to it, and is absolutely not self-conscious about the role of its female leads. The plot twists and turns down to its tragic denouement, breathtaking in its melodrama and beauty. I don't know enough about this but it felt very rooted in chinese culture , and had the classical structure of a greek or shakespearian tragedy.It is also beautifully filmed, and has many of those chinese fencing scenes the mass public has only really just become familiar with in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. But the latter is really not a patch on the earlier film.There may be many more like this - I don't know - and although it didn't feel formulaic to me, perhaps it might to the chinese audience. So I only gave it eight, rather than the nine that was tempting me.So why is this film so unknown, alone and unrated? That, I think, is the result of the unfortunate terms of its original release. Subtitled chinese movies at the time would appeal only to a specialist audience - (and Enter the Dragon had not yet appeared to change all that ) . But the specialist audience would instantly have been put off by the unfortunate "Confessions" marketing title, which immediately put it into the category of the contemporary naff British comedy series "Confessions of a window cleaner" and the like. Many a time I have tried to recommend this film title to friends only to be looked at incredulously as if - oh dear - how pathetic. Not that they would have found it easy to see it - it can't have enjoyed wide release.Now is the time for re-release.