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Popular films such as Chung Ching's "Songs of the Peach Blossom River", Jeanette Lin Tsui's "Bean-curd Queen" and Lan Di's "The Voice of Love" were produced by Tong Yuejuan (1914-2003), an outstanding filmmaker in Hong Kong's film history. As this year is the centennial of Tong's birth, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA)'s "Morning Matinee", which is being held at 11am on Friday mornings, is presenting from now to July a new series entitled "Tong Yuejuan - The Iron Lady of Chinese Cinema" to pay tribute to her legacy with screenings of her films.
Following the screenings of Tong's productions "Beauty Contest" (1954), "Blood Will Tell" (1955), "Songs of the Peach Blossom River" (1956) and "The Case of the Walking Corpses" (1957) in May, the films to be shown on June 6, 13, 20 and 27 respectively will be "Her Spring Breeze" (1957), "Bean-curd Queen" (1959), "A Challenge of Love" (1960) and "The Voice of Love" (1962). On July 4, 11, 18 and 25, the films to be shown will be "A Shadow Over the Chateau" (1960), "The Serpent and the Lovers" (1961), "The Horrible Night" (1963) and "The Vengeance with the Faithful Dog" (1963).
The singing and dancing film "Her Spring Breeze" was the Hsin Hwa film company's grand colourful musical and is a fun and delightful production. In "Bean-curd Queen", Jeanette Lin Tsui, who was nicknamed "The Students' Sweetheart", gives a career-making performance as the lively "bean-curd queen" with a kind heart and a sassy mouth.
Starring Hsin Hwa's two biggest stars, Chung Ching and Chin Feng, as an odd couple who fall in love, "A Challenge of Love" is a delightful comedy filled with lively musical sequences by Yao Min and Chen Dieyi and a strong dose of youthful energy. After the departure of Chung, Tong discovered Lan Di to take Chung's place as the new musical star in "The Voice of Love", which was shot in Taiwan's Sun Moon Lake and features a picturesque location and lovely traditional village songs.
The screenings in July will feature some of Tong's trials of new film genres. "A Shadow Over the Chateau" is a mystery film for which Tong invited Taiwanese film star Mu Hong to be the leading actress. "The Serpent and the Lovers" is director Ma Xu Weibang's remake of his 1939 film "The Leper Girl" and integrates elements of Thai culture and state-of-the-art Japanese special effects. The creepy drama "The Horrible Night", about a mental institution, is traumatic and has an emotional impact while "The Vengeance with the Faithful Dog" is a story of revenge and assassination.
Tong was very supportive of the HKFA following its establishment and donated various priceless film-related materials. She and her husband, "Movie King" Zhang Shankun, established the Hsin Hwa Company and successfully produced numerous remarkable films. Even during the tumultuous changes in the film world during wartime, Tong never gave up and always had cinema in her mind.
Hsin Hwa Company was established in Shanghai in 1933 with Tong acting as both a high-level executive and its star performer. With Zhang's talent for creating hits, and Tong's outgoing demeanour developing a broad network of top stars and industry professionals, the company quickly found success. Even when Shanghai became an isolated city following the Battle of Shanghai in 1937, Hsin Hwa continued to make films. When Zhang moved to Hong Kong after the war, he formed different companies with various filmmakers. The couple finally established Hsin Hwa (Hong Kong) and braved hardship with the support of prominent stars including Bai Guang, Li Lihua and Wang Yin to produce many successful films.
When Zhang died of a heart attack in 1956, Tong continued to live her late husband's dream by taking over the company operations, producing over 40 films in Hong Kong and Taiwan including works in new film genres. She retired in 1984 at the age of 70.
The "Morning Matinee" series is guest-curated by film researcher Yuen Tsz-ying. All films are in Mandarin with no subtitles.
Tickets priced at $20 are available at URBTIX. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. Credit card bookings can be made at 2111 5999 or on the Internet at www.urbtix.hk.
Detailed programme information can be obtained in the "ProFolio 72" leaflet, which is distributed at all performance venues of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. For enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or 2734 2900 or browse the website at www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/filmprog/english/2011mm/2011mm_film.html.
Ends/Thursday, June 5, 2014
Issued at HKT 14:48
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