Their Private Lives

Ko Ming Chung, a wildly popular movie actor is having an illicit affair with similarly popular thespian Ai Ling. Though Ming Chung's wife quietly puts up with this infidelity, so long as he does not try to leave her, Ai Ling's spouse is less forgiving, a middle-aged oaf prone to violence. When the tabloids get wind of the liaison, the two secret lovers find themselves headline news throughout the colony. Ming Chung's wife soon starts to mount a media blitz, painting Ai Ling as a husband-stealing, home-wrecking shrew.

Directed by Yang Chuan, Their Private Lives leans on a strong ensemble — Chow Yun-Fat, Liao Yung Hsiang, Chen Hsi Lien — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about screen titles of 1978.