The House of 72 Tenants

Upon its release in 1973, House of the 72 Tenants was so popular that it broke the box office records set by the films of legendary screen icon, Bruce Lee. Consequently, this big screen adaptation of a stage play is credited with changing the negative perception towards Cantonese language films, and thus becoming a landmark film in Hong Kong cinema history. It has even been said (rightly or not) that without this film, Stephen Chow would not have a career. Modern fans more familiar with Kung Fu Hustle than any Shaw Bros film will immediately recognize Pig Sty Alley’s predecessor in House of the 72 Tenants, as we find a cast of several dozen people crowded together in a crappy tenement slum. The place is ruled with an iron fist by its strict landlady, Pak Ku (Hu Chin), who along with her sleazy husband Chow Bing-Ken (Tien Ching), tries to exploit their tenants in whatever way they see fit. Full of satirical comedy and exaggerated humor, House of the 72 Tenants can be described as basically a celebration of the common man (and woman). The movie unfolds in a series of vaudeville-like bits, as an endless parade of characters march in and out of the narrative. –eyestrane.com