The Bund (TVB)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the district in Shanghai after which the series is named, see The Bund. For other meanings, see The Bund (disambiguation).
| The Bund (上海灘) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Drama |
| Starring | Chow Yun-Fat, Ray Lui Leung-Wai |
| Country of origin | Hong Kong |
| Language(s) | Cantonese |
| No. of episodes | 25 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Zhao Zhenqiang |
| Running time | approx. 45 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Television Broadcasts Limited |
| Original run | March 10, 1980 – 1980 |
The Bund (Chinese: 上海灘; pinyin: Shàng Hǎi tān; literal translation. Shanghai Bund) is a classic 1980 TVB action series broadcasted in Hong Kong. The series became a cult classic in Hong Kong culture spawning numerous sequels. The main theme song of the show also became a memorable cantopop hit.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
The series starred Chow Yun-Fat (周潤發) and Ray Lui (呂良偉) as triad members in pre-war Shanghai. They struggled for power and survival in the 1920s Republic of China era. The pair was also caught in a love triangle with female lead Angie Chiu (趙雅芝).
[edit] Cast
- Chow Yun-Fat as Hui Man Keung (許文強)
- Ray Lui as Ting Lik (丁力)
- Angie Chiu as Fung Ching Ching (馮程程)
- Lau Dan as Fung Ging Yiu (馮敬堯)
- Lam Kin-ming (林建明) as Fong Yim Wun(方艷芸)
[edit] Cultural reference
Two scenes have subsequently been replicated and parodied in many movies and TV shows in Hong Kong. The wedding of Lui (丁力) and Chiu's characters (馮程程) was one. The death of Chow's character (許文強) was another. In particular, Chow Yun-Fat was propelled into the limelight and became a household name in Hong Kong.[1] The scene where he was assassinated outside a restaurant is culturally considered one of the all-time greatest scenes in HK television.[1]
[edit] The Bund theme song
The theme song "上海灘", translated from The Bund's "外灘", is well known in Hong Kong. The song was sung in Cantonese, and originally performed by Frances Yip. It was one of the early collaborations composed by Joseph Koo with the lyrics done by Wong Jim.[2]
The 1996 movie Shanghai Grand released some 16 years later also re-used the same song. This version was performed by Andy Lau.[2]
[edit] Sequels & remakes
The show was a phenomenal success throughout Asia and the episodes were subsequently re-edited into two features in 1983.[3] Chow Yun-Fat also increased his popularity due to the series.[3]
In the original, Chow Yun-Fat's character had been killed off. He did not return for the sequels The Bund II, except for a brief flashback cameo appearance. In The Bund III, Lui Leung-Wai continued to play his signature role of Ting Lik.
The original series was also remade in 1996 with 40 episodes with Sunny Chan Kam-hung and Nnadia Chan as Once Upon a Time in Shanghai.
A 1996 movie Shanghai Grand was also released with a similar Shanghai gangster theme, but reduced to 2 hours. It was directed by Poon Man-Kit and produced by Tsui Hark.[1]
