LCSD to present “Film Shows Featuring the Works of Tam Lan-hing” programme in October

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present the programme "Film Shows Featuring the Works of Tam Lan-hing" in October, inviting audiences to revisit three of the comedienne's films, namely "Fatso Married Skinny" (1956), "My Kingdom for a Husband" (1957) and "The Stubborn Generations" (1960).
 
     Tam Lan-hing started to learn acting at a very young age under the guidance of her elder sister. She began her career as the "huadan" (female lead) in an all-female troupe, and balanced a career in both films and Cantonese operas in the mid-1930s. Tam later took on the role of supportive female comic relief, and acted in over 100 films in her career, with most being comedies, which became her lasting legacy in the Hong Kong film world.
 
     Details of the film shows are as follows:
 
"Fatso Married Skinny"
Date: October 13 (Wednesday)
Synopsis: Lai-ying (Cheng Bik-ying) is a wealthy socialite. Tired of her lifestyle, she sends her secretary Kiu (Tam Lan-hing) to stand in for her at a social function. Spoiled 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. Chung's father is unhappy about this mismatch. Typically cast for feisty roles, Tam here plays a marriage-hungry woman in this film and her flirtatious manner is hilarious.
 
"My Kingdom for a Husband"
Date: October 20 (Wednesday)
Synopsis: A graceful and elegant musician (Cheung Ying) falls in love at first sight with the Queen of the Snow Nation (Law Yim-hing). This comedy also adds another love storyline featuring Jack (Leung Sing-po) and Lulu (Tam Lan-hing), who are the two lovers' respective personal attendants. Amid the European sets, the characters express their love by singing romantic Cantonese opera tunes. This film, directed by Tso Kea, is a remake based on an Ernst Lubitsch musical, and inventively blends Cantonese opera singing with Western-style aristocratic comedy. It started a trend of offbeat Western-style Cantonese opera films.
 
"The Stubborn Generations"
Date: October 21 (Thursday)
Synopsis: Fat Kau (Leung Sing-por) and his wife (Ma Siu-ying) wish to have an ill-tempered granddaughter-in-law as they are not on the best of terms with their feisty and stubborn daughter-in-law Tang (Tam Lan-hing). To their disappointment, their grandson Kim-kwong (Yam Kim-fai) has married Yu-chu (Law Yim-hing), who is meek and understanding. Kau and his wife then trick 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 above-mentioned three films are in Cantonese, and will be screened at the Cinema of the Hong Kong Film Archive at 7.30pm. Tickets priced at $45 per screening are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/chinese_opera/programs_1207.html.