JOHN WOO BIOGRAPHY

JOHN WOO
Real name: Wu Yu-sen
Cantonese name: Ng Yu-sum
Date of Birth (location): 1946, Guangzhou (=Canton) Guangdong Province, China (Mainland)

After the martial arts films he made something competely different: a Cantonese opera film, Princess Chang Ping (1975), which was quite a good succees as well. It was a faithful remake of Tradegy of the Emperors Daughter, directed by Tso Kein in 1959. This movie is Woo's favourite of his very early works.

In 1977 he made his first of his many comedies, Money Grazy, that came a huge success. This box office hit really established him in Hong Kong. He became known as a comedy director. In the sma year was released his second comedy Follow the Star, which was Woo's tribute to classic masters of silent comedies; Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

After that he had a change to direct martial arts action film Last Hurrah For Chivalry (1978) which is traditional swordsplayactionmovie, a genre called wuxia in China. John tried to refresh wuxia genre, though, make some Woo style on it. There is many elements, which can be seen in his films many times after this one; friends and brothers and their loyalties to each other. 

Now Woo made more comedies again, in 1978 he directed first episode out of three to Hello Late Homecomers (other directors were Louis Sit and T.C. Laui), which was based on tv serie. The next one, From Rags to Riches (1979), is Woos favourite of his comedies. It's about the lottery winner who have 6 months to live, so he hires a hitman to kill himself, but them gets second thoughts and decides to live instead. After that he made a horrorcomedy To Hell With The Devil (1981).

In 1981 Woo made Laughing times, his first film for Cinema City, it was Cinema City's first film. Woo directed this under a pseudonym while still under contract with Golden Harvest. This comedy starring Dean Shek was a tribute to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

Unfortenately for Woo, from now this moment on, studio only wanted him to continue making comedies and nothing but comedies. Woo recal this period as "one of the worst of my life". Plain Jane to the Rescue (1982) is one of these comedies which Woo was ordered to make. It is a sequel to "Lum Ah Chun", a comedy about a woman who gets into a lot of mishaps

Sunset Warriors (1983/1987) was Woo's first 'bloodshed' styled film.It was originally shot in 1983, but Woo didn't like the final result. It left on shelft. Many years later - after A Better Tomorrow succeee - it was 'found' again and after re-editing it was released in 1987 retitled as Heroes Shed No Tears. In this Eastern Condors-style film a group of Chinese commandos goes into the jungle, kidnaps a drug kingpin, and fights its way out. A bloody drug-war in jungle.

The studion owners called him too old fashioned and sent him to Taiwan for a two years where he only managed to direct two films -The Time You Need a Friend (1984) and Run Tiger Run (1985). Woo really don't feel any sympathies for these comedies.