Film Archive exhibition features comic duos to showcase evolution of Hong Kong comedies (with photos)

     Many Hong Kong comedians team up on-screen, with the contrasts in their distinctive characters and appearances arousing much amusement. The exhibition "1 Plus 1 Equals More Than 2: Comedy Duos of Hong Kong Cinema", organised by the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, is being held from today (July 27) to October 1 at the Exhibition Hall of the HKFA. The exhibition features four comic pairings from different eras to showcase the gradual changes in Hong Kong comedies and society as well.

     The four highlighted on-screen pairs are Sun Ma Si-tsang and Tang Kei-chen in the 1950s, the "two fools" who would do anything for a buck; the Cantonese-speaking Leung Sing-por and the Mandarin-speaking Liu Enjia in the '60s, the hefty quarrelsome rivals; Michael Hui and Ricky Hui in the '70s and '80s, the mean boss and the bumbling employee; and Stephen Chow and Ng Man-tat in the '90s, the well-known figures of "mo lei tau", the Hong Kong style of nonsensical humour.

     Four scene zones simulating real sets in which the four pairs were shot for their popular comedies have been set up in the venue, namely the barber shop operated by the "two fools" in "Two Fools Catch the Murderer" (1959), the tailor store of the two hefty rivals in "The Greatest Civil War on Earth" (1961), the revamped local barbecue roast-duck restaurant in "Chicken and Duck Talk" (1988) and the corner store that is also the headquarters of an ancient form of kung fu in "Love on Delivery" (1994).

     In addition, the exhibition displays two 3D installations which project film clips highlighting the images, singing, pantomime and scripts of the four pairs. A photo-taking zone with cartoon images of the four pairs allows visitors to have fun in the venue.

     To complement the exhibition, two seminars in Cantonese will be held by the HKFA at its Cinema. The first, entitled "Hong Kong Comedies and Social Changes, 1977-1997", will be held at 2pm on July 28, with scriptwriter Lam Chiu-wing as the speaker. Another seminar, entitled "A Man/Society in Trouble in Hong Kong Comedies", will be held at 2pm on August 26 and will be hosted by film scholar Dr Yau Ching.

     Admission to the exhibition and the seminars is free. For details, please call 2739 2139 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/HKFA/en_US/web/hkfa/programmesandexhibitions/highlights/highlights51.html.