First Film Organisation

Predecessor companies (1952–1966)

First Film Organisation was the third production company founded by Wong Cheuk-hon, building on infrastructure and talent relationships from two predecessors. Liberty Film Co. (自由影業公司, 1952–1958) produced Mandarin-language films and established Wong as the first Hong Kong filmmaker to shoot in Taiwan.^[1] Lan Kwong Film Company (嶺光影業公司, 1959–1966) produced 53 Cantonese titles and pioneered Hong Kong–Korean co-productions, including The Flaming Mountain (火焰山, 1962), the first Hong Kong Cantonese film shot in Eastmancolor widescreen.^[4]

These earlier ventures established distribution relationships across Southeast Asia, a talent pipeline including stars Helen Li Mei, Jeanette Lin Tsui, and Alan Tang, and production experience in Taiwan that First Film would inherit.^[1]

Founding and early years (1967–1970)

When King Hu's Dragon Inn (1967) ignited Taiwan's wuxia craze at Union Film, Wong recognized the commercial opportunity and established First Film Organisation in 1967, permanently relocating his production base to Taiwan.^[1] The company was registered in Hong Kong to access colonial-era banking infrastructure and established Southeast Asian distribution channels, while production occurred primarily in Taiwan, where costs were lower and the Kuomintang government actively courted filmmakers.^[5]

Wong himself wrote and directed the company's inaugural production, Crazy Swordsman (大瘋俠, 1968), which helped establish the wuxia film trend in Taiwan.^[1] The early output was prolific and almost exclusively wuxia and action films.

Peak years (1971–1979)

The 1970s represented First Film's commercial zenith. By 1971, Wong began recruiting major stars to elevate the company's profile. Jimmy Wang Yu—"the biggest star of Asian martial arts cinema until Bruce Lee"—became a cornerstone talent, driven partly to Taiwan-based work by a legal injunction from Shaw Brothers' Run Run Shaw.^[6] Chen Sing, known for commanding villain roles, joined alongside Polly Shang-kuan Ling-feng, whom Wong reportedly secured with a HK$100,000 deposit after her Union Film contract expired in September 1971.^[1] Japanese martial artist Yasuaki Kurata rounded out the stable.^[1]

A 1977 survey by critic Tony Rayns published in Sino-Cinema identified First Film and Goldig as "the most enterprising" independent companies in Taiwan.^[7] The company's vertically integrated business model encompassed production, distribution, and exhibition, with Wong purchasing the Kuotu Theatre (國都戲院) and Huasheng Theatre (華聲戲院) in Taipei, and eventually building the Huasheng cinema chain across six cities in the United States and Canada.^[1]

Transition period (1980–1989)

The decade after 1979 proved existential for Taiwan's commercial film industry. Hong Kong's New Wave (featuring directors such as Tsui Hark, Ann Hui, and Alex Cheung) rendered traditional martial arts films dated, while Taiwan's own New Cinema movement, launched with In Our Time (1982), redirected critical and audience attention toward realistic, literary filmmaking.^[5] Home video proliferation undercut theater-dependent studios. For First Film, built primarily on wuxia and kung fu, this transformation was devastating.

Wong adapted through three strategies. First, he established Han Hua Film Co. (漢華影業社) in 1981 specifically to distribute Western (Hollywood) films in Taiwan—a pragmatic pivot leveraging his cinema circuit for imported content rather than struggling domestic production.^[1]

Second, he shifted the production company's identity entirely, pivoting from martial arts to historical prestige filmmaking. The Story of Dr Sun Yat Sen (國父傳, 1986), directed by longtime collaborator Ting Shan-hsi, assembled an unprecedented ensemble of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars—reportedly the most Hong Kong actors ever gathered in a Taiwanese production.^[1] The cast included Alex Man as Huang Xing, Derek Yee as Lu Hao-dong, Kara Wai as revolutionary Qiu Jin, Deanie Ip, Lau Kar-leung, Moon Lee, Chin Siu-ho, and many others, each paid a modest HK$5,000–10,000 honorarium plus airfare.^[1] The film grossed NT$46 million in Taiwan and received theatrical releases in Italy, France, and Spain.^[1] As a patriotic biopic about the ROC founder, it aligned with Taiwan's government-supported cultural agenda.

Third, Wong's son Wong Hoi (黃海) established Golden Flare Films Co., Ltd. (金韻電影有限公司) in the late 1980s, effectively succeeding First Film Organisation as the active production entity.^[11]

Taiwan's lifting of martial law on 15 July 1987 further transformed the industry by enabling cross-strait cultural exchange and allowing previously censored material, opening new co-production possibilities with mainland China while intensifying foreign competition in Taiwan's market.^[5]

Final years (1990–2004)

By the 1990s, the Wong family's corporate structure had settled into a clear hierarchy: First Film Organisation served as the legacy umbrella and presenter; Golden Flare Films handled active production under Wong Hoi; and First Distributors (HK) Ltd. managed distribution and the growing film library.^[12]

This arrangement produced the company's final—and arguably finest—film. Red Rose White Rose (紅玫瑰白玫瑰, 1994), directed by Stanley Kwan, adapted Eileen Chang's 1944 novella with Joan Chen, Veronica Yip, and Winston Chao, cinematography by Christopher Doyle, and a budget of approximately $3 million.^[12] Variety's credit line revealed the family enterprise at work: "A First Distributors/Warner Asia release of a First Organization (Hong Kong)/Golden Entertainment (Taiwan) presentation of a Golden Flare Films Co. production. Produced by Hoi Wong [Wong Hoi]. Executive producer, C.H. Wong [Wong Cheuk-hon]."^[12] The film was shot in Shanghai studios—itself a testament to the post-martial-law era's cross-strait openness.

Red Rose White Rose won five awards at the 31st Golden Horse Awards: Best Actress (Joan Chen), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score.^[13] It screened in competition at the 45th Berlin International Film Festival and was hailed by Variety as Kwan's "most emotionally resonant and deeply realized work since Rouge."^[12][14]

Wong Cheuk-hon received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural 30th Golden Horse Awards ceremony in 1993, recognizing his contributions through First Film and its predecessors.^[15] He published his memoir 《電影人生：黃卓漢回憶錄》 (A Life in Movies) in 1994, which has since become a primary source for the company's history.^[1]

Wong died in Hong Kong on 8 October 2004 at age 85, and First Film Organisation was dissolved.^[1] The bulk of the film library was donated to the Hong Kong Film Archive—over 200 films plus more than 10,000 items of production materials.^[16] The distribution arm, First Distributors (HK) Ltd., continues operations under Wong Hoi.

Founding era (1967–1970)

Peak era: Martial arts films (1971–1979)

Peak era: King Hu collaborations (1979)

Peak era: Romantic dramas and other genres (1971–1979)

Transition era productions (1980–1989)

Final era productions (1990–1994)

Western cult cinema

Master of the Flying Guillotine grew its following through bootleg VHS copies, grindhouse screenings, and television syndication programs like "Kung Fu Theatre" (USA Network) and "Black Belt Theater" (WPIX).^[2] Quentin Tarantino has called it "one of my favorite movies of all time," and his Kill Bill (2003) bears its influence throughout: the Shaw Brothers logo opens both volumes, Go Go Yubari's weapon echoes the flying guillotine device, and the track "Super 16" by Neu!—originally used without permission in Wang Yu's film—was licensed for the House of Blue Leaves sequence.^[9]

The film's international tournament format—fighters from different countries with distinct styles—is recognized as a conceptual prototype for the tournament structures in fighting video games. Capcom designer Akira Nishitani acknowledged martial arts films as influences on Street Fighter II (1991), and Dhalsim's design—an Indian yoga practitioner who extends his limbs to attack—bears striking resemblance to the Indian yogi fighter in the film.^[19]

Hip-hop culture

The Wu-Tang Clan has prominently sampled and referenced First Film productions. The track "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit" samples dialogue from Master of the Flying Guillotine: "Fatal flying guillotine chops off your fuckin' head!"^[20] RZA launched the 36 Cinema streaming platform in May 2020, screening classic kung fu films with live commentary.^[21]

21st-century influence

The wuxia tradition exemplified by First Film productions continues to influence contemporary cinema. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) explicitly drew on the genre, with director Destin Daniel Cretton citing Hong Kong martial arts films as influences, and choreography by Brad Allan of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team.^[22]

Into the Badlands (AMC, 2015–2019), starring Daniel Wu, explicitly referenced Shaw Brothers and King Hu traditions, with fight coordinator Master Dee Dee Ku (The Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).^[23]

Lin Jing-jie's documentary The King of Wuxia (大俠胡金銓, 2022), a 221-minute tribute to King Hu featuring interviews with John Woo, Tsui Hark, and Ann Hui, brought renewed attention to the Wong-Hu collaboration.^[24]

Hong Kong Film Archive retrospective (2024)

In 2024, the Hong Kong Film Archive mounted a major retrospective, "Morning Matinee—Wong Cheuk-hon's Cinema Dream Life" (影畫早晨——黃卓漢的影夢人生), screening 16 selected films in 2K digital restorations across six thematic sections.^[25] The retrospective represented the most comprehensive public presentation of First Film's catalogue since the company's dissolution.

Restoration status

The original negatives of Legend of the Mountain were stored at the Hong Kong Film Archive by First Film Organisation until 2016, when they were authorized for 4K digital restoration by the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute.^[26] The restoration premiered at the Venice Film Festival's Classics section and was subsequently released by Kino Lorber (US) and Eureka Masters of Cinema (UK).^[10]

Raining in the Mountain received a 2K restoration in 2018, also by TFAI, released by Eureka in 2020 and Film Movement in the US.^[18]

Master of the Flying Guillotine remains without a proper HD Blu-ray release due to damaged source materials and unresolved music licensing issues with the Krautrock soundtrack, making it one of the most sought-after restorations in cult cinema.^[2]

Corporate divisions

Distribution and library

First Distributors (HK) Ltd. (香港第一發行有限公司), founded in 1976, holds sole copyright to over 200 Chinese-language titles produced between 1950 and 1995 by Liberty Film, Lan Kwong, First Film Organisation, and Golden Flare Films.^[1] Key library titles include Master of the Flying Guillotine, Legend of the Mountain, the Shocking Asia series, and Red Rose White Rose.

Remarkably, the company remains active as of 2025, managed by Wong Hoi from offices at Unit 9-D, Hollywood Centre, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong.^[1] First Distributors attends major international film markets including Berlin EFM, Hong Kong FILMART, and Cannes Marché du Film annually, and has expanded into acquiring foreign-language films (including recent French titles) for the Hong Kong market.^[1]

Exhibition circuit

Wong's Huasheng cinema chain (華聲院線) operated in six cities across the United States and Canada during the 1970s and 1980s, specializing in Mandarin-language films.^[1] The specific six cities remain unconfirmed, though the broader Chinese-language cinema circuit of that era concentrated in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, and Vancouver, with additional theaters in Houston, Chicago, or other major Chinatown cities. Between 50 and 100 Chinese movie theaters operated across North America during this period; Wong's chain was one of several major operators alongside Frank Lee Sr.'s network and Shaw Brothers-linked Golden Films International.^[5] The Huasheng chain declined with the VHS revolution in the late 1980s and had ceased operations by the 2000s.

In Taiwan, Wong owned the Kuotu Cinema (國都戲院) and Huasheng Cinema (華聲戲院) in Taipei.^[1]

Leadership

• Wong Cheuk-hon (黃卓漢, 1920–2004) – Founder, chairman, producer, occasional director; established predecessor companies Liberty Film and Lan Kwong; Golden Horse Lifetime Achievement Award (1993)^[15]
• Wong Hoi (黃海) – Son of Wong Cheuk-hon; founder of Golden Flare Films (c. 1987); current managing director of First Distributors (HK) Ltd.^[12]

Directors

Contract performers

Golden Horse Awards

International recognition

• Raining in the Mountain (1979): Hong Kong submission for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film^[1]
• Red Rose White Rose (1994): In competition, 45th Berlin International Film Festival^[14]
• Legend of the Mountain (2018): Venice Film Festival Classics section (4K restoration premiere)^[10]