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"Colourful Youth" (1966), the only "contemporary" film starring Connie Chan Po-chu and Josephine Siao Fong-fong, was a huge hit on its first release and re-releases in the 1960s. As part of its 10th anniversary celebration activities, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) will screen the restored song-and-dance classic at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre next month.
HKFA's "Restored Treasures - Colourful Youth", will be screened at 7.30pm on February 28 at the Grand Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The film is in Cantonese, with English and Chinese subtitles.
There will be a meet-the-audience session before the screening with some of the stars of "Colourful Youth" present to share their memories of making the film.
After the HKFA received the negatives from Chi Luen Film Company Ltd, "Colourful Youth" was restored using digital improvement of image and audio quality, including colour adjustment and sound clarity. The HKFA conservation team performed the initial damage repair while the final phase was completed at the L'Immagine Ritrovata film restoration laboratory in Italy.
Connie Chan and Josephine Siao, unequivocally the most popular teen idols in the history of Cantonese cinema, had already established their iconic status with the films "You Do Me Wrong" (1966) and "Romance of a Teenage Girl" (1966) respectively. Shot in Eastmancolour and with a cast starring Connie Chan, Josephine Siao, Woo Fung, Nancy Sit Kar-yin, Stephen Chan Chu-kwong, Cheng Kwan-min and Felicia Wong Ai-ming, "Colourful Youth" is a prime example of Cantonese cinema's concerted efforts in the mid-1960s to enhance its youth appeal.
Choreographed song-and-dance numbers punctuate the story, performed by young men and women in the trendiest fashions of the time. Yet the film, directed by Yu Ho (aka Chan Wan), remains true to traditional Chinese values, affirming Confucian virtues while also celebrating a modern, western lifestyle.
Tickets at $40 are available at all URBTIX outlets. Half-price concessionary tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. Credit card bookings can be made on 2111 5999, or on the Internet at www.urbtix.hk.
Detailed programme information can be found in the "ProFolio 56" leaflet, distributed at all performing venues of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. For enquiries, please call 2739 2139/2734 2900 or browse the websites: www.filmarchive.gov.hk or www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp.
Ends/Friday, January 28, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:32
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