During the Sino-Japanese War, Tsui-Ying flees with her father from the Japanese occupation. She meets a young man, Ling-Yun, and falls in love. Yet Tsui-Ying chooses to leave Ling-Yun and marries a traitor who serves the Japanese. Out of heartbreak, Ling-Yun leaves the country to study abroad. In th...(Read more)
During the Sino-Japanese War, Tsui-Ying flees with her father from the Japanese occupation. She meets a young man, Ling-Yun, and falls in love. Yet Tsui-Ying chooses to leave Ling-Yun and marries a traitor who serves the Japanese. Out of heartbreak, Ling-Yun leaves the country to study abroad. In the meantime, “Special Agent 001” leads the sabotage against the Japanese. After Ling-Yun returns to Shanghai, he is surprised to find out his ex-lover has become the wife of his uncle Chao-Chun. A struggle about love and patriotism starts in this family. Special Agent 001 continues the sabotage and the identity of the agent finally reveals.
The first Taiwanese-language spy film produced in Taiwan, The Best Secret Agent is a remake of the 1945 movie of the same name that caused a sensation in Shanghai. Fueled by a dog-eat-dog plot and the changing faces of the “female spy” protagonist, the film has been likened to a Taiwanese version of the 007 movies. The film broke box office records in Taiwan and kick-started the popularity of Taiwanese-language spy movies for years to come.
DVD source:Taiwan Cinema Toolkit, Ministry of Culture, R.O.C.
Chinese title: | 天字第一號 |
Year: | 1964 |
Director: | CHANG Ying |
Duration: | 102min |
Length: | Feature |
Category: | Drama |
Genre: | Drama |
Theme: | History、2020 Program: Live on the Scene: Taiwan’s Martial Law History |
Color: | B & W |
Format: | DVD |
Sound: | Mono |
Language: | Mandarin |
Subtitle: | Mandarin, English |
Producer: | CHANG Ying |
Actors: | PAI Hung, LIU Ching, KO Chun Hsiung |
Screenplay: | TU Yun-Chih |
Excluded for public screenings: | Licensed to all regions except: Taiwan, China (not including Hong Kong, Macau) |
Royalty period: | Jul. 1, 2016 - Jun. 30, 2019 |
Licensing contact: | This license of non-profit screenings has expired on JUN 30, 2019. Regarding conditions for screening, please contact: Taiwan Film and Audivisual Institute |
Festival list: |