Lan Qing
Johnnie To's directorial debut. This period martial arts mystery stars Damian Lau Chung-yan as Lu Tien-chun, an imprisoned swordsman, accused of killing three men. Lu probably would have already been executed for his crimes but is kept alive because he knows the whereabouts of some hidden gold, a secret the ruthless, one-eyed warden Hsiung Chien repeatedly tries to torture out of him. Escaping with the help of a fellow inmate (Lau Kong), Lu encounters maiden Yu Pei-pei (played by a very young Cherie Chung Chor-hung) who is travelling to pick up her father's ashes in Stone Town. When she sees a wanted poster featuring Lu, Pei-pei realizes that he was the man responsible for her father's murder. Lu gives the girl a chance to take revenge and, when she hesitates, he relates his recollections of what really happened on the night of the man's death. The true location of the gold remains a mystery to Lu and one of the three actual thieves appears to still be alive.
Famous dancer and film actress Fong Nan (Mao Mei) desires both a career and a family after marrying an eminent doctor (Kwan Shan), who, however, wants her to be a stay-at-home wife. They are on the brink of divorce when he finds out she secretly rehearses for her dance and movie…Taking inspirations from Hollywood musical films, the movie is beautifully directed and meticulously produced by Yuen Yang-an and his Sun Sun Film Enterprises. While most films at the time usually depict how grassroots people rise above adversity, this one tells the story of a famed actress who thrives for success and never gives up on her artistic ambition. This reflects that women's liberation and employment was a dominating theme in left-wing movies. The finale was shot in Eastman colour negative film, which was rare before mid-60s given the limited technical resources in Hong Kong film industry, and thus a valuable record in the city's cinematic history.
Girls in Transformation is about an experiment conducted by assistant professor at the Shi Liangde University to demonstrate her "non-hereditary human theory," in transforming rural girls into modern women.
A wedding musician fails to wed his own love: Little Trumpet is raring to marry his childhood sweetheart, but a series of setbacks has prevented them from getting their way. Criticism against social formalities becomes all the more forceful with the clever use of contrast and irony, not to mention the realist and comedic touch a la Zhu Shilin. Of special mention is the famous teahouse scene where dynamic, melodic camerawork creates a hilarity that continues to amaze to this day. A genuine masterpiece with every single detail, down to the minor props, forming an integral part of a whole. Today, young couples are struggling nonetheless to get a roof over their heads, a testimony to the fact that poverty still reigns beneath the facade of harmony and stability after all these years.
