Tam Lan-Hing
Centring on the legend of the four ancient Chinese heroines, the film was a novelty for audiences at the time, as the singing performance was in Cantonese and used huangmei operatic rhythms—a popular trend in the 1960s, yet it retained traditional flavours by using operatic luogu percussion in the battle scenes. ‘Movie-fan princess' Connie Chan Po-chu not only sings Cantonese song and huangmei tone solos in the film, she also wows the audience by taking up the doumadanrole for the first time as the Tang dynasty female general Fan Lei-fa, showing off her superb operatic martial skills, together with Shum Chi-wah, inherited from Peking opera master Fen Ju Hua. Yu Kai's weaponry prowess and renowned female comedian Tam Lan-hing cross-dressing as a male general are also brilliant in this gem.
Lee Kei-hau is happily married with a son. His wife Wong Tai-chu, who has been complaining of discomfort lately, goes to see a doctor where her friend Wong Mau works as an assistant. Wong mixes up her report with that of a cancer patient. Believing her days are numbered, Tai-chu discusses with her mother to choose a second wife for Lee and finds the nurse So Lin-yung, Mau's girlfriend. Mau feels obligated to adhere to her request to hire So as family nurse. Lee urges his wife to make regular exercise a habit to improve her health but when his advice falls on deaf ears, he spurs her to action by dating the nurse. Infuriated by his wife's unexpected exhilaration, Lee accuses her of having an affair with Mau. Tai-chu retaliates by displaying great affection towards a man, her girlfriend Judy in disguise. Lee chases after the beau relentlessly and is told the truth by Judy. Mau's blunder is patched up with a smile, for his lover So, and for the reconciled couple Tai-chu and Lee.
Fat Kau (Leung Sing-por) and his wife (Ma Siu-ying) are not on the best terms with their fierce daughter-in-law Tang (Tam Lan-hing). It is their secret wish that their grandson Kim-kwong (Yam Kim-fai) would marry an ill-tempered woman—it would be, Kau and Lee think, poetic justice for Tang to have a taste of her own medicine. But to their disappointment, the granddaughter-in-law Yu-chu (Law Yim-hing) turns out to be meek and understanding. Kau and his wife therefore tricks Yu-chu into starting a quarrel with Tang. Rich in intricate details of everyday life, the film depicts a witty battle between vivid characters, and is a comedic portrayal of the relationship between mother and daughter-in-law through three generations.
The film is adapted from Chinese classic comic series Mr Wong, with Tang Bik-wan joining hands with the magnificent Sun Ma Si-tsang and Tam Lan-hing to give a dazzling performance. Wong (Sun Ma Si-tsang) passes off as the company's manager to pursue the beauty Hui (Tang Bik-wan) behind his fearsome wife's (Tam Lan-hing) back. Unbeknown to him, Hui is actually the fiancée of his nephew (Sima Wah-lung), to whom he has refused to lend money. Scenes in which Hui plays pranks on him and tricks him into providing funds for her are spiced up by the lively acting of Sun Ma as a wife-fearing perv and Tang as a sassy girl with a sharp tongue. The film ends with Wong making excuses to meet Hui at a hotel but getting caught by his feisty wife. Whilst both are acclaimed comedians in their own right, brassy Tam and composed Tang together pull Sun Ma's leg in an unmissable classic slapstick.
Mr Wong falls head over heels for Lan, a beautiful waitress. He bugs her constantly to ask for her hand, and even goes as far as lying about his wife being dead and secretly planing to marry his wife off to a friend. Lan decides to play a prank on him to teach him a lesson.
Mr Wong leaves the countryside and goes to the city with his wife and daughter to inherit a great fortune from his late uncle, unaware that a bunch of criminals are planning to honeytrap him.
Lai-ying (Cheng Bik-ying) is a wealthy socialite who travels globally. Tired of her lifestyle, she sends her secretary Kiu (Tam Lan-hing) to stand in for her in a social function in Hong Kong. Local rich playboy Chung (Sun Ma Si-tsang) is forced by his father (Lee Hoi-chuen) to court the fake Lai-ying in order to save the family from financial distress. But Chung is in love with the real Lai-ying, who pretends to be a poor girl from a working class background. Naturally, the father is unhappy about this mismatch. Typically cast for feisty roles, Tam Lan-hing here plays a marriage-hungry woman, eager to be seduced who knows flirtatiousness can be so hilarious!
The film is divided into seven episodes, each episode directed by a different director. The film was selected as one of the top hundred Chinese films by film historian Du Yunzhi (HKFA).
