Ambitious Kung Fu Girl (1981)

With a great Gu Long story turned into a script that's genuinely very funny, this parody wu xia feels almost like a Stephen Chiau film. The excellent fight choreography is just icing on the cake!

Michelle Mei Suet plays the spoilt daughter of the richest man in the land, who dreams of marrying the great hero Qin Ge - and certainly not the unfamous young swordsman she's betrothed to (Yuen Tak). She runs away to find her idol, but quickly gets caught in a web of intrigue whose unravelling contains all the twists you'd expect from Gu Long, but delivered in a much more satirical manner than any other adaptation from this era that I can think of.

The action is quite progressive, featuring lots of wires and some imaginative choreography. What really stands out is the humour though, being quite smart and subtle compared to most of the kung fu comedies of the day. The film is highly entertaining from start to end. A minor revelation in fact!