Directed and written by Han Hsiang Li, this is the steamier side of Shaw Brothers. Yes, it’s not all punches, kicks and blood. This is an anthology about a brothel, telling the story of Da-Qin (Yu Feng) and her battles against owner Miss Ho (Lily Ho, playing the opposite of her role in Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan). Despite being sold into sexual submission, she remains defiant. Then, the story moves on to a young emperor having his first time in the brothel before meeting a soldier who wants the house of ill repute’s most gorgeous woman and finds himself possessed by the emperor, while the object of his desire was saving herself for the very same leader. It’s a musical, it has ghosts and yes, none of these anthology chapters really add up.

In the middle of all the whippings and nudity, Jackie Chan shows up in the last story as a waiter.

I kind of like the audacity of this movie in that it wants to be a history lesson and then fills the screen with wall to wall depravity. Well done, Shaw Brothers. You aren’t that far away from your Italian exploitation filmmaking cousins after all.

The 88 Films blu ray of this movie has art by Yu-Ming Huang, as well as the option of displaying the original Hong Kong poster art. You can buy it from MVD.