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Lin Cho-cho and Lai Cheuk-cheuk were two pioneering actresses in Hong Kong cinema, yet they could not be more different from each other. Lin was quiet and gentle, while Lai was sociable and bold. To commemorate the two actresses, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present "Lady Pioneers of the Silver Screen - In Celebration of the 110th Birth Anniversaries of Lin Cho-cho and Lai Cheuk-cheuk" from May to July, featuring 16 of their films in the Morning Matinee series held at 11am on Fridays.
The HKFA Cinema will show "Song of a Kind Mother" (1937), "Spring Comes and Winter Goes" (1950), "Step-mother" (1951), "Loving Father, Faithful Son" (1954) and "Brothers" (1956) on May 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 respectively. On June 5, 12, 19 and 26, the films to be shown are "The Girl Next Door" (1957), "The Tender Age" (1957), "The Love Thief" (1958) and "The Broken Hearts" (1959). The films to be shown on July 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 are "Fortitude of Life" (1963), "Midnight Werewolf" (1963), "The Witchery, Kongtau" (1965), "The Gilded Cage" (1968) and "When We Were Young, Episode 1, 4, 5" (1977).
In addition, "The Sunshine of Mother" (1933) and "Song of China" (1935) will be shown on May 9 at 1.15pm and 3.15pm respectively. To complement the screenings, a seminar entitled "Lady Pioneers of Hong Kong Cinema" will be held at 4.45pm in the HKFA Cinema on the same day. Mr Lai Shek and Dr Lo Wai-luk will be the speakers at the seminar, which will be conducted in Cantonese. Admission is free.
Starring in a series of family-themed films, Lin Cho-cho consolidated her "kind-mother" image. The wife of Lai Man-wai, a pioneer of Hong Kong cinema, Lin retired from acting and became a full-time mother after her husband's passing. Regrettably, many of her films have gone missing over time. Lai Cheuk-cheuk was Lai Man-wai's niece. She started acting in Hong Kong films and television dramas after World War II and continued until the early 1980s, with works spanning several decades.
Co-starring Lin Cho-cho and Lai Cheuk-cheuk, "Song of a Kind Mother" is a family melodrama directed by Zhu Shilin and Lo Ming-yau. Despite being a caring mother, Lin is abandoned by her sons in her old age, left a hunchback and in rags. In the role of the mother from youthful days to frail old age, she gives a heart-breaking performance, while Lai Cheuk-cheuk is convincingly despicable in her small role as the eldest son's pretty and mean wife. "Song of China" is a classic silent film directed by Lo Ming-yau and Fei Mu, about how virtues and wisdom are passed from one generation to another. Lai plays a vain and materialistic daughter-in-law but her acting is much subtler and more sophisticated than in "Song of a Kind Mother", while Lin's compassionate performance as a loving mother amplifies the scorn that her ungrateful children deserve.
"Spring Comes and Winter Goes" follows a local tycoon with a jealous wife and five concubines, but none of them has given him a child. Lai Cheuk-cheuk plays the bullying wife, using every expression on her face to reflect the darkness in her heart. "Step-mother" is a melodrama about three young people whose lives are destroyed by their selfish parents, with Lai deliciously wicked as the titular stepmother. As a vain and greedy matriarch from a rich family in "The Tender Age", Lai relishes her villainous persona. She brings about her own downfall, while also destroying the lives of four damsels, because of her vanity. Hailing from a wealthy family in real life, Lai gives off a domineering aura in her role as an intimidating and imperious mother in "The Gilded Cage", impressing the audience with her truly spotlight-stealing performance. In "The Love Thief", Lai plays a well-networked and righteous courtesan who puts no shame on girls making an honest living with their charm and beauty, delivering a powerful message that may have been a little ahead of its time.
Lai Cheuk-cheuk was a versatile actress who played an enormous range of roles. Although known for her feisty, ferocious and villainous characters, Lai also acted well as a dutiful wife and old grandma. "The Sunshine of Mother" is one of Lai's early works, in which she shines with an emotional performance that truly showcases her versatility from stern mother to enamoured lover with her former husband. In "Loving Father, Faithful Son", she plays an elderly doctor's wife and a kind mother whose unconditional love for her sons teaches them the lessons they need to learn, making a dignified performance that gives the film a strong moral centre. In "Brothers", Lai plays a hardworking farmer hit by a catastrophic drought, who loves and cares equally for her biological son and her stepson. In "Fortitude of Life", Lai steals the show in her small role as a mother who displays immense courage in sacrificing her life to protect her daughter from invading Japanese soldiers.
"The Girl Next Door" is the story of one family: the father is a drunk, the mother loves mahjong, the younger son needs to study, and the grandmother needs to be cared for. Lai is delightfully adorable as a witty grandmother of noble birth who finally learns cook to ease the family's burden laid on her granddaughter. The television series "When We Were Young" shows Hong Kong in the 1970s through the eyes of two young siblings living under the care of their uncle and grandmother. Despite her minor role, Lai lends a welcome presence as the wise and caring grandmother. In "The Broken Hearts", Lai plays a stubborn and unreasonable mother-in-law who demands to take her baby grandson from her daughter-in-law (Law Yim-hing). The two seasoned actresses' pivotal face-off scene is a highlight of the film.
Acting in different movie genres, Lai Cheuk-cheuk never limited herself. Co-starring with Lui Kay, Nam Hung and Helena Law Lan in "The Witchery, Kongtau", Lai gives a spirited and memorable performance as the sorcerer, taking audiences on an eerie trip into the world of the paranormal. In "Midnight Werewolf", she plays a mute and crippled old lady. With her fierce eye movements, her make-up and limited body gestures, Lai delivers a stunningly creepy performance as the deeply evil family matriarch in utter silence.
"Song of a Kind Mother" and "Spring Comes and Winter Goes" are in Mandarin; the other films are in Cantonese. "The Sunshine of Mother" and "Song of China" are silent films; the former has Chinese intertitles and live music accompaniment, while the latter has Chinese and English intertitles. The other 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 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. For enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or 2734 2900. Detailed programme information can be found in "ProFolio 77" distributed at all performing venues of the LCSD, or by browsing the website: www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en_US/web/fpo/programmes/2011mm/film.html.
Ends/Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:30
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