Film Archive’s “Chor Yuen – Master of His Time” to review Chor Yuen’s masterpieces (with photos)
To commemorate the first anniversary of the passing of renowned director and actor Chor Yuen, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), in its first collaboration with the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild (HKFDG), will launch a screening programme entitled "Chor Yuen – Master of His Time" and select 13 of Chor's emblematic works for screening at the HKFA Cinema from February to March, enabling audiences to review his classics.
Chor (1934 – 2022) was born Cheung Po-kin. He joined Kong Ngee Motion Picture Production Company in 1957 where he learned directing from Chun Kim and directed his first movie in 1959. He had directed over 120 films throughout his life, and participated in various movies and television dramas as an actor. With his sterling contribution to the industry, Chor was awarded the Professional Achievement Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 17th (1998) and the 37th (2018) Hong Kong Film Awards respectively.
The films directed by Chor addressed diversified themes with a wide variety of topics and a distinctive style. He directed a number of melodramas and romance stories, including "Rose in Tears" (1963) which is a love story of youngsters; "Winter Love" (1968), a movie filled with European cinematic styles; "The Violet Girl" (1966) which focuses on amnesia and an analysis of human psychology; and the outrageously funny love comedy "The Pregnant Maiden" (1968).
Many of his works also reflected the situation of society and familial relationships of the time. "The Natural Son" (1959) and "The Great Devotion" (1960) both focus on family, with the former exploring the relationship between family and blood ties, while the latter depicts the tough life endured by the ordinary people in Hong Kong in the early 1960s. "The Diary of a Husband" (1964) features the life of white collar workers and small urban families. "Black Rose" (1965) tells the story of a heroic outlaw who robs the rich to help the poor, reflecting how individuals' strength can change the environment. "The House of 72 Tenants" (1973) is a widely acclaimed situation comedy which lays out the social problems of the time.
Chor also created the uniquely romantic and elegant "Chor's style" of cinematography in the martial arts movies that he directed. The cinematic aesthetics that emerged from his first wuxia film, "Cold Blade" (1970), was furthered in the "Duel for Gold" (1971), a movie exploring the dark side of humanity. "Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan" (1972), a poignant and romantic story, is a rare wuxia film with female protagonists front and centre. "Killer Clans" (1976) triggered a wave of adapting Gu Long's novels into movies, making martial arts films one of the mainstream movie genres.
All screenings will be complemented by post-screening talks. Members of the HKFDG, including Mabel Cheung, Kearen Pang, Stanley Kwan, Wong Chun, Philip Yung, Shu Kei, Joe Ma, Lawrence Cheng, Ann Hui, Teddy Robin, Wong Jing and Kenneth Bi, will be the speakers, while Manfred Wong, Sam Ho and Joyce Yang will be the moderators. The talks will be conducted in Cantonese and admission is free.
"Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan", "Cold Blade", "Duel for Gold" and "Killer Clans" are in Mandarin while the others are in Cantonese. "Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan", "The House of 72 Tenants", "Duel for Gold" and "Killer Clans" have Chinese subtitles, "Cold Blade" and "The Pregnant Maiden" have Chinese and English subtitles, while the others are without subtitles.
Tickets priced at $45 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme details, please visit www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en_US/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-cy.html or call 2739 2139.
To safeguard public health, all persons entering indoor venues under the management of the LCSD must wear their own masks.
