Traditional Chinese Simplified Chinese Email this article news.gov.hk
HK Film Archive's "Morning Matinee" to feature diverse works in "Four Clown Masters of Cantonese Opera" series (with photos)
************************************************************

     Under the prevailing Six-pillar System in Cantonese opera, the man mo sang (scholar and warrior male lead) and the fa dan (female lead) reign supreme among the various role types, leaving little room for the chou sang (clown) and the mo sang (warrior male) to show their mettle. However, during the heyday of Cantonese opera in the 1920s and '30s, troupes in both Guangdong and Hong Kong were loaded with talent. The four clown masters, namely Liu Hap-wai, Yip Fut-yeuk, Lee Hoi-chuen and Poon Yat On, were big stars with box-office draw and distinct achievements of their own. The Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) "Morning Matinee" series, which is held at 11am on Friday mornings, will present the programme "Four Clown Masters of Cantonese Opera" from October to December to let audiences admire the performers' artistry.

     The films to be shown respectively on October 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 will be "Wealth Gone Like a Dream" (1952), "Three Kingdoms" (aka "The Burning of Chained Barges") (1951), "The Story of Tung Siu-yuen" (1950), "Mo Chung Fights the Tiger" (1959) and "The Lotus's Story" (1959). On November 7, 14, 21 and 28, the films to be shown respectively will be "The Orphan's Adventure" (1961), "The Idiotic Son-in-law" (1961), "Love Follows Fortune" (1959) and "The Sword" (1958). On December 5, 12, 19 and 26, the films to be shown will be "Poetic Genius" (1960), "Blood-stained Hand" (1961), "Holy Snake and Flying Tiger" (1961) and "Presents for Engaged Couple" (1962) respectively.

     The head of the four clown masters, Liu Hap-wai, had a knack for portraying characters on the lower rungs of society and people with all sorts of disabilities, regardless of gender or age. He also wrote scripts and librettos. Within his repertoire were many new plays that exposed social ills and showed sympathy for the struggling masses, and thus he gained a reputation as "The Saint". In Liu's posthumous and only surviving work, "Wealth Gone Like a Dream", he plays a character who chases wealth with all his effort yet eventually loses everything.

     In the 1920s and '30s, Yip Fut-yeuk was revered as one of the "Giants of New Drama" alongside comedians Lam Kwun-shan and Yee Chau-shui during the Cantonese Opera Reform Movements. He played chou sang roles for troupes like Tai Law Tin and Kok Sin Sing, sharing the stage with long-time partners Ma Si-tsang, Sit Kok-sin and Pak Yuk-tong, and was most noted for his court official persona. The sole film of Yip that survives to this day, "Three Kingdoms" (aka "The Burning of Chained Barges"), is an all-colour big-budget historical epic featuring a great many characters, which was a rarity at the time. Yip turns in an impressive performance as Lord Cao Cao of the Kingdom of Wei, who goes from high-flying hero to dejected old man.

     Lee Hoi-chuen, the father of kung fu icon Bruce Lee, was a teahouse waiter in Foshan before starting his career in performing arts. He was apprenticed to divo Siu Sang Yik, who spotted his talent while he was chanting customers' orders at the teahouse. Lee often played down-and-out characters in rags. He mastered storytelling techniques including "Dragon Boat" and "Wooden Fish" with his unique "Rusty Sound" and Foshan accent. In "The Story of Tung Siu-yuen", directed and written by famous playwright Tong Tik-sang, Lee breathed life into his character, the malicious eunuch Fo Yee. In "Mo Chung Fights the Tiger", Lee was in his element portraying the unsightly hunchback brother Tai-long. Starring Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin, "The Lotus's Story" has Lee playing a blind itinerant singer and fortune teller and providing his distinctive "Dragon Boat" tune.

     In "The Orphan's Adventure", Lee plays a tycoon searching for his estranged wife and son while Fung Bo-bo plays an orphan shoeshine boy. The duo come to realise their blood ties eventually and the veteran, alongside the child star, weaves a heart-breaking and heart-warming tale. In "The Idiotic Son-in-law", Yam Kim-fai plays a scholar who tops the official exams and is mandated to marry the Prime Minister's daughter. His childhood sweetheart and her foster father, played by Lee, are determined to look for him. Although Lee does not occupy too much screen time, he steals the show nonetheless as a clown master with his comical ways in portraying a country bumpkin.

     This year marks the 50th anniversary of Poon Yat On's passing. Poon began to play chou sang roles in Sit Kok-sin's Kok Sin Sing troupe. His wife was the renowned fa dan Sheung Hoi Mui, who also performed in the same troupe. They formed the massively popular "Sit-Mui-On Trio". Poon's nuanced gestures and comical but adorable personality have won the hearts of audiences throughout the years. Starring alongside Yam Kim-fai and Fong Yim-fun in "Love Follows Fortune", Poon plays a lewd henpecked husband and adds plenty of funny twists to a feel-good love story. "The Sword", adapted from a Hui opera, is Sun Ma Si-tsang's signature play. In the climactic scene "Bloodshed at the Sutra Chamber", the set piece of a mother reprimanding her son and forcing him to slay his wife makes for a tragedy of epic proportions.

     In "Poetic Genius", Poon acts as a clever and resourceful servant who, together with another servant played by Fung Wong Nui, helps his masters to tie the knot. The fine combination of Poon and Fung sets off a series of funny sequences. In "Blood-stained Hand", Poon cross-dresses as an abusive mother-in-law, bringing to mind a similar role in his signature piece "Why Not Return?", who is desperate for a male descendant but fails to make the son take a concubine. In "Holy Snake and Flying Tiger", Poon plays Emperor Yin, who is infatuated with his vicious concubine Yiu, played by Lee Hong-kum. However, Yiu is colluding with foreigners who lay siege to the country and capture the Emperor. The sequence of "Telling Off Mui the Provincial Magistrate" in "Presents for Engaged Couple" is a great feat by Poon. He has a hilarious battle of wits with Tam Lan-hing, who was hailed as the best fa dan in prewar Hong Kong.

     The "Morning Matinee" series is guest-curated by film researcher Yuen Tsz-ying. Except for "Three Kingdoms" (aka "The Burning of Chained Barges"), which is dubbed in Mandarin, all films are in Cantonese. All films have no subtitles.

     Tickets priced at $20 are now available at URBTIX. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities (and one accompanying minder), 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 "ProFolio 74" leaflets, 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/fp/en_US/web/fpo/programmes/2011mm/film.html.

Ends/Monday, September 29, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:15

NNNN

Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo Photo
Print this page