Picture of a Nymph: Deluxe Limited Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1988
Director: Wu Ma
Writers: Wu Ma, Chan Ka-Cheong
Cast: Yuen Biao, Joey Wong, Wu Ma, Elizabeth Lee, Lawrence Ng, Yuen Wah

Release Date: February 23rd, 2026 (UK), March 10th, 2026 (USA)
Approximate Running Time: 97 Minutes 58 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 12 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £25.00 (UK), $49.95 (USA)

"Set in ancient China, the story follows a gentle scholar whose chance encounter with a mysterious young woman leads to a love that transcends the boundaries of life and death. But when he unwittingly releases a vengeful demon from centuries of imprisonment, the spirit of his beloved becomes the demon’s only hope for regaining power. To protect her, the scholar paints her likeness, allowing her to hide within the portrait—but his devotion soon draws the wrath of dark forces." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Brand new 2K restoration from the original negative."

Picture of a Nymph comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray. 

Disc Size: 28.4 GB

Feature: 26.6 GB

The source used for this transfer is in excellent shape. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, and compression is solid.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialogue always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced and robust when it should.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an image gallery with music from the film playing in the background (stills/posters), a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Hong Kong cinema expert Frank Djeng, an audio commentary with Hong Kong cinema expert David West, reversible cover art, an art card (limited to this edition), an O-card and rigid slipcase (limited to this edition), and a 40-page perfect-bound book (limited to this edition) with cast & crew information, an essay titled More Ghosts and Gremlins, Less Golden Harvest written by Paul Bramhall, and an essay titled Ghosts, Scholars, and Spirits: The Legacy Behind Picture of a Nymph written by Fraser Elliott.

Summary:

Wu Ma directed Picture of a Nymph. Notable films he’s directed or co-directed include The Water Margin, All Men Are Brothers, From China with Death, Along Comes a Tiger, The Heroes, The Dead and the Deadly, Picture of a Nymph, and Just Heroes. Besides directing, he was also a prolific actor, appearing in over 300 films.

A Taoist monk and his disciple protect a scholar from two ghosts, one that gravely wants to harm him and the other who is in love with him.

Released first in Taiwan, five months after A Chinese Ghost Story, Picture of a Nymph has many similarities to that film. Beyond their similarities when it comes to premise, both of these films have Joey Wang (My Heart Is That Eternal Rose) and Wu Ma (Righting Wrongs) in lead roles essentially portraying the same type of character. That said, where these two films overlap, there is one significant area where they differ tone-wise. Where A Chinese Ghost Story is a horror film with fantasy elements, Picture of a Nymph is a fantasy film with ample amounts of lighthearted humor.

The opening setup does an excellent job drawing you in, and the narrative is very effective in building momentum to a love-conquers-all finale. Another strength of the narrative is how well it balances moments of exposition and action set pieces. Also, when it comes to pacing while things move briskly, that is not to say that key moments are not given an ample amount of time to resonate.

Yuen Biao (On the Run) and Lawrence Ng (Sex and Zen) are the two most consequential actors, despite having no connection to A Chinese Ghost Story. While Lawrence Ng's character, the scholar, is technically the protagonist, Yuen Biao's character, the Taoist monk's disciple, constantly overshadows him. Joey Wang is enchanting in the role of the ghost who falls in love with the scholar, and Wu Ma’s character, the Taoist monk, is the source of the majority of the comic relief.

Not surprisingly, the action set pieces do not disappoint; they are filled with inventiveness and impressive stunt work, especially when it comes to moments with Yuen Biao. The biggest and most impressive action set piece is a finale that takes place in hell, and characters are in a time crunch to leave before the doorway out closes. As mentioned before, humor plays a large role in the story that unfolds, and a long-running gag is how the Taoist disciple pretends to be a mute while around the scholar. The lack of words provides for some interesting exchanges between these two characters. Ultimately, despite its familiarity, Picture of a Nymph is a highly entertaining film that succeeds because of the performance of its four leads.

Picture of a Nymph gets a first-rate release from 88 Films that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer