Red Maid, the Matchmaker

Red Maid, the Matchmaker 1958

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Production company Taoyuan chose for its inaugural film a comedy and Fong Yim-fun gets to take a break from playing long-suffering roles and showcase her talents in making us laugh! She plays the spritely titled character, brandishing a fresh image. The film is an adaptation of the literary classic Romance of the Western Chamber, in which the Prime Minister's daughter (Law Yim-hing), under siege from rebel soldiers, is rescued by a plan formulated by a poor scholar (Law Kim-long), with whom she is in love. But her mother (Poon Yat On) reneges afterwards on her promise to let the rescuer marry the daughter, and the clever Red Maid steps up as go-between, devising a series of sharp-witted tactics to help the lovers.

1958

The General and the Tyrant

The General and the Tyrant 1961

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Upon becoming Prince Regent, the bellicose Lord Biu of Wu sends commander-general Si Ching-wan to rage wars between the Zhao and Chen Kingdoms. A small state that is long on literary excellence but short on military might, Chen is defenceless against the invading forces. The compassionate general answers the pleading of the Chen princess, Fung-ming, to sign a treaty of peace. In his speech to the lord, Deputy General Lau Mo-yeung accuses Si of treason so as to lay claim to Chen. The lord dispatches the valiant fighter Lui Chen-sing to Chen on an assassination mission, but the assassin is vanquished. Si prevails on Lui of his patriotism. Lord Biu fights Chen. In a dire attempt to redeem Chen, Si surrenders to the Wu camp. Lui pretends to have blinded Si to extricate him. The duo ally with a band of chivalrous fighters to overturn the corrupt regime. Dispossessed of his throne, Biu commits suicide. Si returns to his land to serve as an aide to the young king and marry Fung-ming.

1961

The Golden Cat

The Golden Cat 1961

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Scholar Yuen Man-lung leads a double life as Vigilante Golden Cat. Yuen is separated from his lover Tso Oi-lan by her snobbish father who promises her to Tsui Tai-fei, son of the magistrate and incriminates him as the wanted burglar. Yuen sneaks out of prison and wreaks havoc in Golden Cat's name; the exasperated magistrate has to release him. Before leaving for the imperial exams with the runaway Oi-lan, Yuen stages one final heist for his friend's sake. The officials trail Golden Cat to his house where his nocturnal costume is retrieved. His father is arrested as the criminal. Drawing a plan up her sleeves, Oi-lan's sister Oi-ling whisks the elder out of the execution ground. Despite failing at the exams presided over by corrupt examiners, Yuen saves the emperor on his homecoming journey, and returns triumphant as a duke.

1961

The Stubborn Generations

The Stubborn Generations 1960

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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.

1960

Happy Wedding

Happy Wedding 1959

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During the Warring States Period, Nung-yuk, the Princess of Qin, denounces the mundane world and dreams of marrying an immortal. This extends to her criteria for choosing a husband: excelling in flute playing. Once, she is captivated by the tune 'Three Melodies of Rainbow Dress' and mistakes the qin player Siu Sze for a fairy. Yuk then persuades Sze to sit the national exam for a better future. Sze's music attracts hundred of birds. Yuk returns to the palace pleading with her father Esquire Muk to agree to their marriage. Despite the Empress Dowager's opposition, Yuk leads a secluded life with Siu afar; a noble breed thus living a hard life. The King lets her go, only granting an annual visit. A year later, Yuk and her husband returns for a visit. The Queen still wants to break them up. Later, Jin State sends people to discover the whereabouts of their Princes. Siu is in fact the Prince of Jin. With Muk’s blessings, Siu marries Yuk in Jin, a marriage which brings peace to both states.

1959

The Girl with a Thousand Faces

The Girl with a Thousand Faces 1959

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Gu Lingxiu's dream of becoming an actress is opposed by her grandmother. Her father Zhongqi remains ambivalent. Years ago, Zhongqi was in love with a Peking opera diva Hua Yanhong, but the lovers were separated by the matriarch. Regretful of the mistake, the matriarch discards her prejudice and allows Lingxiu to pursue her career. She also urges Zhongqi to look for Hua.

1959

The Lion's Roar

The Lion's Roar 1959

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Chan Kwai-sheung visits the brothel with So Tung-bo while his wife, Lau Yuk-ngo, is sleeping. As this is the first time Sheung did this, Ngo wants him to suffer and so makes him wear a lamp on his head. During the Lantern Festival, the Emperor has fun with his officials. After a few drinks, Bo says that Ngo has lost the virtues of a woman. Ngo immediately appeals to the Emperor. All the women there, including the Empress, say that Bo should be punished. Bo is unhappy and invites his cousin, Kam Cho, seduce Sheung to make Ngo unhappy. Sheung, a philanderer, schemes to take Cho as his concubine. Ngo finds out and beats him. Bo urges Sheung to divorce Ngo. Ngo is furious and lodges a complaint with the imperial court. The Emperor allows Sheung to have a concubine. Ngo pleads that she would rather drink poison than let Sheung take a concubine. Feeling remorseful, Sheung drinks the poison after his wife. Fortunately, the queen has switched the poison with vinegar. The couple reconciles.

1959

The Magic Cup

The Magic Cup 1961

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The Magic Cup (Part One and Concluding Episode) Having lost her mother, young girl Bobo (Fung Bo-bo) lives with her honest but incapable father until her stepmother and a wizard conspires to kill her. While escaping, she picks up a magic cup. With the help of the powerful genie in the cup, Bobo embarks on a fantastic adventure featuring giants, magic and treasures. The composited special effects in the film are fascinating: the horizontal ancient well, the giant hand controlled by electricity, the grand palace and the incredible mountain ranges embellish an Aladdin-like story. After its first run in cinemas, this film enjoyed popular second runs, matinees and numerous screenings on television, entertaining many generations of Hongkongers.

1961

The Happy Reunion

The Happy Reunion 1962

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Yu Kwok-Kei cannot pay his debts and disguises himself as Ma Ka-Wai, his cousin Yu Lan-Fun's fiancee. He tries to kill Lan-Fun. A fisherman saves Fun. She believes that Ka-Wai was the attacker, but she can't understand why. After Fun has been missing, her family puts an announcement in the paper. Meanwhile, Chan Lan-Fong, who just comes to Hong Kong, looks like Fun and is brought to Yu's home. Fong's habits are totally different from Fun's, and she cannot recognise the family, who thinks Fun has amnesia. Fun knows that her family has mistaken somebody else for her, so she goes back home secretly and teaches Fong her habits and customs. Fong does what Fun tells her, and the family thinks that she has recovered. Kwok-Kei has a guilty conscience, so he disguises as Ka-Wai again, intending to kill Fun/Fong. But he fails and got arrested. Everybody learns that Kwok-Kei wanted to kill Fun. Moreover, Fun's mother discovers that Fong is Fun's lost twin sister and the family is reunited.

1962

Adventure of a Blind Kid

Adventure of a Blind Kid 1967

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The blind Yip Man-chiu was abandoned at birth. Following the death of his foster parents, the boy is sold by his uncle Ah Sam to a blind Taoist priest, an abusive man. Running away from home, Yip is hit by a car and sent to a school for the blind by the social security workers. His talents impress the musician Siu Kwong and wins him a place in a music school for the blind. There he is joined by fellow students Lung Kwok-kei, a runaway child with an abusive stepmother, Chow Kuen, an abandoned child found on a train, and Cheung Kin-ching, an avid music lover sent to the school by her loving well-to-do father. The four children blossom into accomplished musicians under the tutelage of Siu and his wife and together with the less fortunate others, form an orchestra which earns a reputation for excellence.

1967

Madame Rose

Madame Rose 1964

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In high society there is a Madam Rose. Shum Chung-kei meets her and is enthralled. They begin dating. Kei knows very little about Rose. When Rose was little, her father Fok Wing-sum was betrayed by his business partner Shum Hung, who made him lose all his money. Hung was put in jail. Years later, when the Sino-Japanese war broke out, Hung reappeared as a spy. He arrested Sum. Although Sum escaped later, Hung caught his wife, who died later. Madam Rose wants to find Hung's offspring to take revenge. When she confirms that Kei is Hung's son, she approaches him. They are getting married. Kei invites his father to the wedding. Rose and Sum are anxious. However, Hung is alert and comes quietly. He discovers who Rose is and her motives. Rose and Sum go to Hung and they fight. Hung is guilty. He tries to jump off a cliff. Sum saves him. The enmity disappears. Kei and Rose stay together.

1964

The Mysterious Heroine

The Mysterious Heroine 1962

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Fok Tats scheme to raid a convoy of government reserve is intercepted by 'Ghost Knight'. Chau Ping, an accomplice of a corrupt official, declares wars on Fok whom he believes has ties with the mysterious raider. A meeting was convened by Ghost Knight to settle the dispute. Tat's son Sze-chuen learnt that his maid Ma Yuk-lan is the daughter of a general of the ousted Ming court who has donned the mask of a knight-errant to protect the son of the Ming minister Sze Ho-fat, Sze-chuen himself. Back in Deadly Valley, an impostor of Ghost Knight was caught. Slashing at the father, Sze-chuen is disheartened to learn that the faker, Ma's mother, has been transferred to the enemy camp in a feigned surrender orchestrated by Sze while an uprising is gathering momentum funded with money robbed from the corrupt official. Ma teams up with the father and son to storm the Chau Fortress and rescue Ma's mother. The couple champions the restoration of the old empire with Sze's seal.

1962

The Random Harvest

The Random Harvest 1960

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On his way to Lin'an, Lee Tsi-wan survives an attempt on his life by an employee but loses his memory. Maid Siu Yuet-mui of the Sek family comes to the help of the distressed. Lady Sek marries Siu to Lee to vanquish her husband's licentious interest in the maid. The loving couple raises a daughter Siu-fa. A few years later, Wan is hit on the head away at work and regains his memory. The homesick traveller returns to his native home, leaving behind Siu and daughter. The mother and daughter look for the missing man but he hasn't the faintest idea who they are. Apprehended by the incident, Siu plunges into depression. One day, Lee passes by the stone house where the couple used to live in and recalls past episodes of his marriage. The family is happily reunited.

1960

A Respectable Tutor

A Respectable Tutor 1959

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The Prime Minister's daughter, Kong Yeuk-mui, is attracted by the private tutor, Chow Yuk-pui. However, the Prime Minister despises Pui's lowly background and banishes him. Kong disowns her father, hoping to marry Pui when he achieves honours in the imperial exam. Meanwhile, Mui's brother Tak-chu prepares for the exam under Pui's tutorship. Pui and Chu, take the money Mui gives them and head for the capital. Unfortunately, Pui has himself fallen ill. Considering that the examination day is approaching, he gives all the travel expenses to Chu and urges him to set off. Mui resides at Loquat Alley, longing for Pui's honourable return. One day, she comes across a beggar, when she recognises it is Pui, her heart breaks. Chu who has newly been appointed Top Scholar, arrives and tells her sister the whole story. Nevertheless, Pui's sister is chosen to be the imperial concubine. Benefiting from this bond, Pui becomes the Royal Brother and works as the court secretary and weds Mui.

1959