Chor Lau-heung (1979 TV series)

Chor Lau-heung

Cover art of one of the three Hong Kong VCD box sets, displaying Adam Cheng, Angie Chiu (left), and Liza Wang (below)
Genre Wuxia
Written by Gu Long (original story)
Wong Jing
Wu Sa
Ng Ho
Directed by Wong Tin-lam
Lee Siu-tuen
Lee Yiu-man
Wong Kin-fan
Yau Ka-hung
Lam Kuen
Starring Adam Cheng
Angie Chiu
Liza Wang
Opening theme Chor Lau-heung (楚留香) performed by Adam Cheng
Composer(s) Joseph Koo
Country of origin Hong Kong
Original language(s) Cantonese
No. of episodes 65
Production
Producer(s) Wong Tin-lam
Running time 40 minutes per episode
Release
Original network TVB
CTV
Original release September 3, 1979 (Hong Kong)
April 18, 1982 (Taiwan)
Chronology
Followed by Chor Lau-heung (1985 TV series)
Chor Lau-heung
Chinese 楚留香

Chor Lau-heung is a Hong Kong television series adapted from Chu Liuxiang Chuanqi of Gu Long's Chu Liuxiang novel series. Adam Cheng starred as the titular protagonist, Chor Lau-heung (Cantonese for "Chu Liuxiang"). The series was first broadcast on TVB on September 3, 1979.

The 65 episodes long series was divided into four parts: The Legend of Mo-fa (無花傳奇), The Great Desert (大沙漠), Legend of the Divine Palace (神宮傳奇) and The Final Battle (最後一戰).

Cast

Note: Some of the characters' names are in Cantonese romanisation.

Controversy with RTV's It Takes a Thief

In 1979 around the time TVB released Chor Lau-heung, another Hong Kong television station RTV produced a similar television series titled It Takes a Thief. TVB and RTV became involved in copyright lawsuits against each other because of similarities between Chor Lau-heung and It Takes a Thief. TVB won the lawsuits and eventually RTV had to change the Chinese title of It Takes a Thief from 盜帥留香 to 俠盜風流, and the names of characters in the television series. It Takes a Thief started airing on 1 September 1979, two days earlier than TVB's Chor Lau-heung.

Reception

The series received good reviews from viewers in Taiwan after the first two episodes were first aired on CTV as part of the Golden Bell Awards screenings. Following that, CTV acquired rights from Hong Kong's TVB to broadcast the entire series in Taiwan, starting on April 18, 1982, under a Mandarin voice dub.

Music

Chor lau heung (楚留香) is an album by Hong Kong actor and singer Adam Cheng. It was released by Crown Records in 1979. The titular song and "Hatred of Lau Heung" (留香恨) are heard in the television series. The titular song was picked by RTHK as one of the Top Ten Gold Songs of 1979.[1] In this album, lyricist Cheng Kwok-Kong (鄭國江) is credited as Kong Yu (江羽).

Side A
  1. "Chor Lau Heung" (楚留香) – 3:18
    Main theme song of this series.
    Composed by Joseph Koo; lyrics by Tang Wai-Hung (鄧偉雄) and Jim Wong (黃霑)
  2. "Oh Gal" – 3:03; lyrics by Cheng Kwok-Kong (鄭國江)
    Originally sung in Japanese by Kenji Sawada
  3. "Hatred of Lau Heung" (留香恨 "lau heung han") – 3:48
    Sub-theme song of this series
    Composed by Joseph Koo; lyrics by Tang Wai-Hung
  4. "Nan hing nan dai" (難兄難弟) – 2:48
    Main theme song of the 1979 TVB television series, Nan hing nan dai (難兄難弟)
    Composed by Joseph Koo; lyrics by Cheng Kwok-Kong
  5. "Don't Ask a Hero" (不要問好漢 "bat yiu man hou heon") – 3:39
    Main theme song of the 1979 RTHK radio series, Yiu wan (妖魂)
    Composed by Joseph Koo; lyrics by Jim Wong
  6. "Gip hau ching" (劫後情) – 3:16
    Lyrics by Chan Lai-Wan (陳麗雲)
Side B
  1. "San lung Ng Fu Jeung" (神龍五虎將) – 2:55
    Main theme song of the 1979 TVB television series San lung Ng Fu Jeung (神龍五虎將)
    Composed by Joseph Koo; lyrics by Peter Lai (黎彼得)
  2. "Ji yau yuen mei yau fan" (只有緣未有份) – 3:35
    Composed by Joseph Koo; lyrics by Lo Kwok-Jim (盧國沾)
  3. "My Green Home Resembles a Willow Tree" (楊柳像我家一般青綠 "Yeung lau jeung ngo ka yat boon ching yuen") – 4:16
    Lyrics by Lo Kwok-Jim; Cantonese rendition of "Ii nichi tabidachi" (いい日旅立ち) by Momoe Yamaguchi
  4. "King sam yat siu jung" (傾心一笑中) – 3:00
    Lyrics by Cheng Kwok-Kong
  5. "Koo mung chung wan" (故夢重溫) – 2:43
    Lyrics by Cheng Kwok-Kong
  6. "Chor Lau Heung (instrumental)" (楚留香音樂) – 3:02

References

  1. ↑ 第二屆 (1979) (2nd Annual Top Ten Gold Songs Awards), RTHK

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, March 18, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.