House of the Lute (1979)

Ah Shek (Simon Yam) arrives at the Lui mansion in the New Territories. Aged 19, and with a sick father, Shek is there to become the house-boy for the half-paralysed Mr Lui (Kwan Hoi-shan). The old man is a land owner confined to his house and garden playing his lute and living with his nubile young second wife (Lok Bec-kay). Mrs Lui's sexual urges are pent up, and with the new blood around the house she's found a most willing outlet. One morning she opens her gown and grants Shek an eyeful. It's a red rag to a bull and soon they're at it, anywhere. The relationship builds and Mrs Lui proposes a "honeymoon" to the city.

The two hit the town for a spending spree before returning to the country seclusion. Mr Lui knows something's up and tensions build between him and his new helper. But Shek's no simple country boy, and his malicious side reveals as he takes drastic measures to make Mrs Lui his forever.

An adults-only entry to Hong Kong's new-wave film movement, House of the Lute is elegant and engaging. The classy production is accompanied at all times by sounds of a lute - a dynamic instrument adding audio punctuation marks and exclamation points throughout the course of the story. A television set features prominently in the second half and adds interest. Aside from providing the advertising spiel for the famed Darkie toothpaste brand, the TV also brings additional issues to the screen. It appears no coincidence that a forced sex scene between Shek and a less-than-willing Mrs Lui plays against a news report of Hong Kong's rising social ills, notably rape and murder. Later, a local farmer brushes aside books and smashes away antique pottery to better view the TV - akin to how Hong Kong has bulldozed heritage in its hurtling drive for urban modernity. House of the Lute lends itself well to retrospective viewing.

Credits:

Written and directed by Lau Shing-hon
Music by John Thompson
Starring Simon Yam Tat-wah, Lok Bec-kay, Kwai Hoi-shan and Chan Lup-pun