The Orphan (film)


The Orphan is a 1960 Hong Kong drama film directed by Lee Sun-Fung and starring a then eighteen-year-old Bruce Lee. The film is based on the novel of the same Chinese title by Au-yeung Tin. The Orphan was filmed in the early months of 1959 and was the last film that Lee made in Hong Kong during his teenager years before leaving to the United States in 1959. The film was ranked number 52 of the Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures at the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards.

Plot

During the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, Ho See-kei lost his wife Lan and his daughter while also being separated from his son To and his maid Sister Five. After the war, Ho became the headmaster of an orphanage and foils orphan Sam's plan to rob rich man, Cheung Kat-cheung, and widow Yiu So-fung. Ho persuades Sam to rehabilitate and returns the things that he had stolen. Ho invites Fung to teach at the orphanage while also successfully persuades Sam to enter school.
One night, Sam misses his family and quietly leaves to see the Cheung family's maid Sister Five. Fung mistakenly thought he was joining the gang and scolds him. Sam was displeased at Fung and plays a trick on her, which leads to punishment from Ho. Triad leader Kwo-kong Lung takes the chance to threaten Sam to kidnap Cheung's son Sing. Ho goes to Cheung's house to understand the situation and discovers that Sister Five was his maid before the war, while also discovers that Sam is his son. Sam fails to save Sing and got his ear cut off by Lung. He then struggles to return to the orphanage where he acquaints with his father Ho and he repents and leads to police to rescue Sing.

Cast