History Film / PekingOperaBlues

* AbusiveParents: Bai Nu’s father, the theater manager, constantly insults her, threatens, and manhandles her. Most of it is {{Bathos}}.

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* AllAbusersAreMale: There is a disturbing number of male sexual predators in the movie, and the only male who is preyed on (by another male) acts very feminine. Kind of justified considering the period this is set in.
* BandOfBrothers: Band of Sisters actually. Even though they come from very different walks of life, Cao Yan, Bai Nui and Sheung Hung bound during their adventure to a degree that even the selfish Sheung Hung risks her life for the others.

* EverybodyWasKungFuFighting: Mostly avoided. Only a few characters know Martial Arts, and those who do tend to use it on stage. On the street a good old pistol is the favoured weapon.

''Peking Opera Blues'' (刀馬旦 ''Dòu Máah Dáan'') is a 1986 film from UsefulNotes/HongKong, directed by Tsui Hark starring Creator/BrigitteLin.

''Peking Opera Blues'' is a 1986 film from UsefulNotes/HongKong, directed by Tsui Hark starring Creator/BrigitteLin.

''Peking Opera Blues'' is a 1986 film from UsefulNotes/HongKong, directed by Tsui Hark.

* WholesomeCrossdresser: The cast of the Peking Opera.

* ItsAllAboutMe: Sheung Hung for most of the movie.

* Gayngst: Averted. General Tsao is pretty comfortable to be attracted to what he believes to be two male performers. Though he only acts on this attraction once he realizes that they are actually female. Commander Lui even goes one step further and plans to marry the star of the opera house, regardless of his actual gender.

* Greed: Pretty much the motivation of all villains in the movie, but also what motivates Sheung Hung. Surprisingly the movie kind of defends her point of view, since it is mostly born out of her wanting to escape poverty.

* GenreMashup: All the main characters seem to star in a different kind of movie, Cao Yan in a spy movie, Bai Nui in a martial arts movie with social commentary and Sheung Hung in a classic Chinese Comedy. As a result the movie switches mood from one scene to another, but it somehow works.

* StealthExpert: Played straight with Cao Yan and Ling, subverted with Sheung Hung who is extremely clumsy and nevertheless manages to sneak around quite a bit.

* EverybodyWasKungFuFighting: Mostly avoided. Only a few characters know Martial Arts, and those who do tend to use it on stage in fake fighting. On the street a good old pistol is the favoured weapon.

* CommieNazis: The military government is suppressive and controlling, but it is never quite clear which if any ideology they follow.

* StealthExpert: Played straight with Cao Yan and Ling, averted with Sheung Hung.

* OfCorpseHesAlive: After the new governor is assassinated by Sheung Hung, the soldiers outside storm in. Trying to hide the death, Pat Neil (Sally Yeh) moves his body around, half covered by sheets, to make it look like the soldiers interrupted the two during intercourse.

Cao Yan goes to the Peking Opera House to meet Ling, a spy. She there becomes entangled with two unusual women with agendas of their own. Bai Niu is the daughter of the opera troupe director; she wishes to perform onstage but Chinese opera is all-male. The other interloper is Hong, a fortune-seeker who has arrived at the opera on the hunt for a stolen box of jewelry.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Yuan Shikai was a real guy who was president of China and very briefly got himself made emperor, before he was toppled from the throne and died soon after.