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How Brigitte Lin became one of Hong Kong’s best known movie stars: 7 of her most memorable film roles

Brigitte Lin in one of her most iconic roles, as a wig-wearing drug trafficker in Wong Kar-wai’s gritty city portrait Chungking Express, from 1994. She would retire from the screen soon afterwards.
Brigitte Lin in one of her most iconic roles, as a wig-wearing drug trafficker in Wong Kar-wai’s gritty city portrait Chungking Express, from 1994. She would retire from the screen soon afterwards.

As beloved Hong Kong movie legend Brigitte Lin celebrates her 65th birthday, we look back on her most memorable roles – from Peking Opera Blues to Dragon Inn, and Swordsman II and Chungking Express

Brigitte Lin, star of classic Hong Kong movies like Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express and Swordsman II alongside Jet Li, is an icon of Chinese cinema. The Taiwanese-born actress shot to fame in the 1970s when she was spotted by a talent scout as a teenager. Although an astounding classic beauty and famous for a number of cheesy romance movies made in Taiwan, Lin resolved to be more than just a pretty face.

In the 1980s she moved her career to Hong Kong where she performed in her most critically acclaimed roles, succeeding in a range of films as varied as Stephen Chow’s comedic Royal Tramp and Wong Kar-wai’s art house wuxia effort, Ashes of Time. Lin’s decision to retire in the mid-90s, at the height of her fame, only served to burnish her legend, leaving her fans always eager for more.

In celebration of her 65th birthday, which falls on November 3, here are seven of her most memorable films.

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Ghost of the Mirror (1974)

Based on a Chinese folk tale, this film tells the story of a scholar who withdraws to a secluded house to study Buddhist scriptures. There, he meets a beautiful spirit (Lin) cursed to tempt hapless men to their doom. The mix of horror and fantasy are beguiling, but it is Lin’s youthful innocence and beauty that stand out most.

Love Under a Rosy Sky (1979)

No list of Brigitte Lin films would be complete without mentioning at least one of her efforts alongside Singaporean star Chin Han. Throughout the 70s the two were often paired together as romantic partners in movies such as Love Forever and The Cloud of Romance . Although none is necessarily critically acclaimed, Love Under a Rosy Sky (1979) is perhaps the best example of their partnership. Here, Lin plays Yin Tsai Chin, a young woman who has loved Chiao Shu Pei (Chin) most of her life. Naturally, the course of true love never does run smooth and life threatens to get in the way of their affections.

Peking Opera Blues (1986)

Considered something of a classic of the budding Hong Kong new wave that emerged in the 1980s, Peking Opera Blues is a typical local gem that genre hops, from romance to drama to comedy and back again, at the drop of a hat. Lin plays one of three leading ladies alongside Sally Yeh and Cherie Chung, who are all looking to navigate the tricky circumstances of China’s chaotic Warlord Era. The film is notable for being one of the earliest occasions when Lin’s wardrobe is noticeably masculine, even if her role is that of a filial, if conflicted, daughter.