There are so many versions of "A Chinese Ghost Story", why is only Wang Zuxian's version called a classic?
Wang Zuxian's version of "A Chinese Ghost Story" has become a classic not just because of Wang Zuxian. Personally, I feel that Wang Zuxian's role can only be ranked third.
The first credit belongs to Cheng Siu-tung, one of the pioneers of the new era of Hong Kong martial arts. Together with Tsui Hark, he created the most fascinating martial arts arena in Hong Kong films. Although "A Chinese Ghost Story" is a ghost film or fantasy film, it has the soul of a martial arts film. The fighting and chivalrous spirit in it are not behind any orthodox martial arts film.
The second credit belongs to Ruan Jizhi. You may not be familiar with this name. Ruan Kai-chi is a well-known screenwriter in Hong Kong. He has written scripts for more than 60 Hong Kong movies. The more famous ones include "Drunken Master 2", "Once Upon a Time in the Sky", "A Chinese Ghost Story", "Fighting Back to School 2" and so on.
In 1987, "A Chinese Ghost Story" won the Golden Horse Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and this honor naturally belonged to Ruan Jizhi.
Of course the third place is Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong. This version of "A Chinese Ghost Story" is the pinnacle of oriental fantasy films. Personally, I think it is no less than the "Lord of the Rings" series of movies.
What is something that belongs to Chinese tradition? The Scholar and the Female Ghost is actually a tradition. "A Chinese Ghost Story" itself is adapted from the "Nie Xiaoqian" chapter in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio".
Leslie Cheung’s temperament and appearance perfectly fit the setting of a scholar, while Joey Wong’s stunning beauty completely fits the setting of a female ghost. The fit between the actor and the character made the movie more than half a success. Needless to say, Yu Shaoqun's version of Ning Caichen is incomparable. Liu Yifei's version of Nie Xiaoqian is very beautiful, but lacks a sense of immortality and resentment.
From the ratings of Liu Yifei, Yu Shaoqun, and Louis Koo's version of "A Chinese Ghost Story", we can see how much the audience recognizes Cheng Xiaodong's version. The Douban rating of Liu Yifei's version is only 5.3 points, while the Douban rating of Leslie Cheung and Wang Zuxian's version is as high as 8.6 point.
The old version of "A Chinese Ghost Story" not only had an excellent script, strong director, and well-matched actors, but its magnificent soundtrack was also a major factor in its success.