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King Hu's directorial debut!

Did you watch Striking Rescue? Any good?

THE STORY OF SUE SAN (1964, dir. King Hu) – 3/5 Context and Lineage Before he became one of the architects of modern Wuxia cinema, King Hu arrived at Shaw Brothers in 1958 through the backing of director Li Han-Hsiang. He didn’t walk into directing, he earned his place by doing design work, physical labor, and filling small acting roles, including a part in The Kingdom and the Beauty (1959). He also served as assistant director on the classic Huangmei opera The Love Eterne (1963), gaining firsthand experience in the craft and mechanics of studio filmmaking. When Li Han-Hsiang left Shaw to start his own production company in Taiwan, Hu stayed behind and was given a shot at directing. The result was The Story of Sue San (1964), a Huangmei opera adapted from a well-known folktale, and the starting point of a career that would soon upend the look and feel of Chinese period cinema. The story itself was drawn from a classic Ming-era folktale about a courtesan wrongfully accused of murder and the scholar who fights to clear her name. First solidified in print by writer Feng Menglong, the tale became a staple of Chinese opera and stage drama, moral, familiar, and ready-made for film adaptation. In this version, Sue San, a courtesan of notable beauty and grace, falls in love with a young scholar and marries him. But fate quickly separates them, sending each down increasingly tragic paths, hers marked by injustice and exploitation, his by failure and eventual redemption. The dramatic arc stays rooted in the folktale’s emphasis on virtue, loyalty, and moral reckoning, all of which make it ideal material for a genre that thrives on emotional stakes. The star he observed while assisting on The Love Eterne that he was now directing was Betty Loh Ti, already a major name at Shaw Brothers by 1964. Originally signed to Great Wall as a teenager, she moved to Shaw in 1958 and quickly rose to fame with roles in The Magic Touch and The Enchanting Shadow, the latter based on a short story by Pu Songling. (Yes, the same story A Chinese Ghost Story was based on. So if your gateway into Chinese cinema was Tsui Hark and Joey Wong in gauzy fog, latex monsters and a swordsman rapping, now’s the time to rewind and do your homework. The similarities are more than just structural.) That film earned Betty Loh Ti international praise at Cannes and the title, status of “classic beauty.” Her performance as Zhu Yingtai in The Love Eterne became her signature, immortal role, and the Golden Horse Award were kind to both maker and performers as Betty won Best Actress rgar tear. Though her career continued after leaving Shaw Brothers, and she even formed her own company with her brother Kelly Lai Chen, tragedy would follow not long after as Loh Ti died of a barbiturate overdose in 1968, at 31. The Story of Sue San marks a brief but notable overlap between two talents, one just beginning his directorial ascent, the other already etched into the industry’s star system. Execution and Balance Li Han-Hsiang was the figure most associated with turning Huangmei opera into cinematic prestige, and his influence still lingers here as King Hu steps behind the camera for the first time. Hu hadn’t yet formed the stylized, dynamic identity that would define his later films, and The Story of Sue San doesn’t attempt to reinvent the form. That said, he isn’t phoning it in. Even if he was reluctant to make a Huangmei opera, as reports suggest, he commits to the material with clarity and purpose. The production benefits from strong craft across the board, Shaw Brothers’ set design and art direction ensure a visually polished experience, and Hu leans into those strengths. Seasonal shifts give the studio team opportunities to show off, snow-covered streets, elegant interiors, water features, and co-cinematographer Nishimoto Tadashi’s smooth camera work, especially during the banquet sequence, brings a calm visual rhythm that suits the genre. Hu’s restraint with music is notable. There are rather huge of 10–15 minutes or more without any singing numbers, although there didn’t seem to be a set rule, but the genre often leaned toward something akin to wall-to-wall musical dialogue. Instead, King Hu spaces out the numbers and uses them as emotional beats rather than constant accompaniment. A choral narrator fills in occasional plot or mood beats, but it’s unobtrusive. The dramatic arc, marriage, separation, hardship, injustice, unfolds in familiar but well-handled fashion. Even when events move a bit quickly, Hu hits every beat cleanly, including a late, emotionally charged courtroom scene where Betty Loh Ti gets her most powerful song. The moment works because the character hasn’t been heard, and the audience is meant to listen with fresh ears. It’s a classic setup, but delivered with restraint and sincerity. Hu may not have reshaped this genre, but he knew exactly how to respect it.

Thank you so much for taking the time.  I haven't rewatched Raining... but my first viewing many years ago was probably a bit underwhelming but it helps knowing more of his style, career-trajectory so revisit will be interesting.