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"Angels over the Rainbow - Cathay 80th Anniversary Celebration", organised by the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, will feature films directed by Tang Huang in Focus III in March and April. Tang (1916-1976) began his career making newsreels and documentaries and joined Motion Picture & General Investment Co Ltd (MP & GI, later known as Cathay) as a contract director in 1958, proving himself a dab hand at suspense and romantic comedy.
"Her Tender Heart" (1959) follows a young woman (Wang Lai) who abandons her husband and daughter to elope with her lover in pursuit of her dream life, but finds herself tortured by remorse. Wang embraces her role as a mother with a mixture of profound subtlety and delicate refrain. Lucilla You Min, who plays her adorable daughter in the film, won Best Actress at the 6th Asian Film Festival.
"Cinderella and Her Little Angels" (1959) tells of orphan girl Danying (Linda Lin Dai) modelling in a showcase of fashions by tailor Lin Fu (Peter Chen Ho), despite objections from the head of the orphanage. The stark contrast between her puritanical upbringing and the opulent fashion world reflects the collision of the old and new Hong Kong in the 1950s, and the diverging expectations of the two generations. Lin shines in her role as an innocent yet glamorous modern woman involved in both worlds.
The romantic comedy "Sister Long Legs" (1960) features Julie Yeh Feng and Jeanette Lin Tsui as sisters, with the former as a statuesque beauty and the latter a young and passionate sweetheart. Director Tang fluently lays out their contrasting personalities and gives the film a well-paced rhythm. The vivid outdoor scenes also evoke nostalgia of old Hong Kong.
"Devotion" (1960) follows two girls from poor backgrounds whose vastly different fates are sealed by their life choices. Kitty Ting Hao plays the dual roles of the mother and her daughter, first as a timid housemaid who died of sorrow, and later as a strong-minded nightclub singer struggling to thrive in adversity. From the age-old story of upper-class snob versus the poor to the refreshing portrayal of the daughter, director Tang skilfully paves the way for the two contrasting halves to unfold.
Featuring Helen Li Mei, Kitty Ting Hao and Wang Lai as flatmates and best friends with distinct personalities, "Between Tears and Laughter" (1960) depicts their dramatic love lives, while Peter Dunn adds an extra spark of warmth and affection as a sentimental child. An exquisite account of youthful love with heavy petit-bourgeois leanings, the film chimes nicely with Doe Ching's "Our Sister Hedy" (1957).
"Beauty Parade" (1961) tells of a young farm girl (Kitty Ting Hao) whose athletic success has come at the sacrifice of her grades at school, prompting her to leave the sports world under her father's pressure. Tang Huang's tactful mise-en-scène exhibits Ting's sweet and lively persona at its charming best, and brings out the refreshing youthful spirit of the school campus.
"Devotion" is dubbed into Cantonese while the rest are in Mandarin. None of the films have subtitles.
Tickets priced at $40 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone credit card bookings please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or 2734 2900 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en_US/web/fpo/programmes/2016cathay/film.html .
Ends/Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Issued at HKT 15:01
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