Profiles of Pleasure (1988) is a 1988 Hong Kong Comedy/Drama| Prostitution (film) by Golden Harvest productions directed by Tony Au, Starring Rosamund Kwan, Nina Li (actress), Adam Cheng, Carina Lau, Paul Chun, Pauline Wong, Lawrence Cheng,Alfred Cheung, Wong Jing.

After Director Li Han Hsiang* returned to HK in 1971, it seemed that every type of Brothel from the old days was rediscovered and brought to the cinema screen. From Beijing to Shanghai, from Tianjin to Canton, the prostitutes in HK were considered to be the most desirable. To many of the HK directors, prostitution was considered to be part of the "glorious" past of this colony and worthy of praise long before the era of Suzie Wong.

Stanley Kwan's Rouge (1987) was a typical example of glorifying this oldest profession in the world, and the director of this film, Tony Au, was attempting to follow in his footsteps by creating a luxurious paradise for dandies and other lustful bastards and indulging in even more debaucheries.

Compared to Rouge though, it is far less dramatic and ravishing.

Overall, it is just a soap opera.

If you are not a moralist or a feminist, you can at least watch it for the simple pleasures it offers.

After all, it is quite enjoyable to see many very lovely ladies walking about, adorned in fancy clothing and doing all they can to catch some man’s attention.

Though there is no real plot, you won't get bored, as everything is thrown into a giant pot and served in the form of potpourri.

There are many ladies competing for sugar daddies and occasionally trying to kill themselves in dramatic fashion after being abandoned.

This film, that takes place in the 1930’s, also presents a feminist movement that wants to shut the brothels down.

Besides the lovely visuals, there are many songs and Cantonese operas to hear and watch.

But if you're asking for a solid plot and a sense of refined taste, this is definitely not your cup of tea and you may even find it annoying.

Before the Big Ban on prostitution, West Hong Kong is famous for its houses of pleasure.

The most infamous of them all is Floral Ode House.

Among its girls are Yen Hung, who becomes a widow regularly; aristocratic Chien Chien; Cherry Fun, who manages to lose the nickname; and a bevy of beauties.

The madam who is on good terms with the police chief claims the best business this side of virtue.

Then there comes from England Cheng Li-Peng, commissioned to ban prostitution.

He is engaged to Lily, the police chief's daughter.

But his parents had arranged a wife for him when he was an infant.

They have lost trace of each other.

Cheng Li-Peng starts his investigation, which lead him to Yen Hung's and Chien Chien's bedrooms.

He is surprised to find himself in love with all three girls.

And one of them turns out to be his missing fiancee!

The story starts with the British government’s plan to ban prostitution in Shek Tong Tsui (Tong Sai), Hong Kong.

Adam Cheng, a commissioner educated in London, is sent to investigate this issue.

After arriving with his westernized fiancée, Carina Lau, he goes to Tong Sai to have a 'thorough investigation’ and ends up being personally involved with two of the courtesans, Nina Li and Rosamund Kwan.

This is the story of how an anti-prostitution commissioner gets pulled into the world of high-class brothels and the fascinating creatures within.

The story ends when brothels were turned into cabarets**, and Adam finally has to resolve his relationships with three of the most beautiful ladies in the world. " Men are teapots and women are cups, one single teapot is usually matched with a couple of cups " was his philosophy of life.

Basically, the entire film is sheer nonsense, however, some people (mainly guys) could easily find watching this nonsense amusing.

Three of the most beautiful Hong Kong actresses of the eighties are brought together on the same screen.

Carina's performance did not persuade some fans that she came from London with a university degree.

Besides, I don't think Chinese in the thirties were likely to be so open-minded about having sex before marriage (it appears that Adam is intimate with Carina in the film).

On the other hand, all the 'prostitutes' in this film have very distinct personalities.

Rosamund Kwan does a brilliant job portraying a sophisticated prostitute from Shanghai, who is confident, fashionable, witty and not without a sense of humor.

Nina Li also shines as she plays a corny yet voluptuous local Cantonese girl whose beauty tends towards the gaudy side. In fact, her role is probably the most dramatic one - as she discovers that she was engaged to Adam prior to her birth. As it is, she has already been married four times, but she had jinxed all four of them to death (actually, we shouldn't be that superstitious, it is hinted that these “poor” guys died from exhaustion after making love with her all day long!). Nevertheless, countless dandies continue to “fearlessly” pursue her. Most people find the scene in which she shampoos herself and converses with Adam Cheng particularly sensual. Other scenes such as Nina Li dancing on a table, Rosamund drinking tens of glasses of Champagne to save face, Nina Li teasing poor dead Alfred Cheung (who was yet another victim of her prowess in bed) was also a pleasure to watch.

Pauline Wong's performance as the owner of the brothel was also exceptionally fine and Adam Cheng, besides being handsome, has successfully depicted the personality of a dandy.

Compared with these actors, those in the late 1990’s are merely good-looking statues and dolls.

We know it is strange but their appearance and performance simply doesn’t shine, not to say radiate.

As director Tony Au was once an art director, he has always tried his best in designing the set for his works.

One major attraction of this film besides the attractive women are the sets and costumes, however, they are not authentic if we compare them with photographs of the thirties.

Besides, for me, the production design was a bit too gaudy.

The songs and extracts from Cantonese Operas, composed and rewritten by Dr. Law Wing-Fai, professor of the HK Academy of Performing Arts and sung by Kam Kwok Wai, a celebrated Cantonese Opera star, were pleasures to hear.

^{[1][2][3][4][1][6][7][8][9][10]}