Poisonous Rose

Set in 1960s Hong Kong, Poisonous Rose follows The Black Widow, an upscale nightclub where Jiang Feng's smoky singing makes her the night's main attraction. When whispers begin that the club is a front for a drug smuggling ring, glamour gives way to suspicion and tension. The narrative traces the relationships tied to the venue, from staff to patrons, as secrets complicate loyalties and romances deepen under threat. Scenes shift between onstage tenderness and offstage danger, with the investigation into the criminal activity providing steady pressure on personal ties, and the music and nightlife gradually revealing how closely performance and peril are linked.

Released in 1966, Poisonous Rose was directed by Pan Lei and stars Julie Yeh Feng as Jiang Feng, with Wang Hsieh and Man Ling in roles. The film blends romance and crime, reflecting Hong Kong studio cinema of the era.

Comprehensive box office records for Poisonous Rose are not readily available, and the film did not establish major commercial milestones internationally. It remains a relatively obscure release, known more to regional audiences and collectors than to mass market archives today.

While not a mainstream classic, Poisonous Rose holds a niche place among fans of 1960s Hong Kong cinema, admired for its club atmosphere and the screen presence of Julie Yeh Feng. Its imagery of nightlife and danger surfaces in retrospectives and private collections, rather than broad popular memory and scholarship.

Contemporary critical coverage is sparse and modern reviews are limited, leaving the film largely unassessed by mainstream critics. The story centers on themes of allure and risk, performance as disguise, and the tension between love interests and criminal activity, balancing romantic melodrama with thriller elements and a nocturnal urban atmosphere.