In the recent Batman outing, The Dark Knight Rises Michael Caine plays Bruce Wayne’s trusted valet, Alfred Pennyworth. I remember the English actor in the 1969 version of The Italian Job and the 1977 Richard Attenborough's war epic A Bridge Too Far .The latter tells the story of the failure of Operation Market Garden during Second World War and has been touted by the local media as a man's movie as it has an ensemble cast that includes Anthony Hopkins, Dirk Bogarde, Edward Fox, Elliot Gould, Gene Hackman, James Caan, Laurence Olivier, Mazmillian Schell, Hardy Krüger, Sean Connery, Robert Redford, Ryan O' Neal and of course Michael Caine who played the role Lieutenant-Colonel J.O.E. Vandeleur. In the 70s too, I remember there was a wuxia film produced by Shaw Brothers Studio in Hong Kong The 14 Amazons 十四女英豪 (inset) about the female Generals of the Yang Clan. Not surprisingly, the movie has a predominantly female cast which includes Lisa Lu, Ivy Ling Po, Betty Ting Pei, Ou-yang Sha-fei, Lily Ho, Wang Ping, Shu Pei Pei, Tina Chin Fei among others. I can't think of a similar Hollywood movie where female artistes have such strong roles.Have a peep at The 14 Amazons now, won't you?
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