Chinese Opera Film Shows

Cantonese Opera Film Fourth Brother Yeung Visits His Mother (1959)

Yeung father and son are ambushed and heavily defeated by the Liao troops at the Golden Sand Beach Congregation.  The treacherous courtier, Poon Yan Mei, refuses to send reinforcements to help.  As a result, Fourth Brother is captured by Princess King Ngo of Liao.  Fifth Brother shaves his head and becomes a Buddhist monk.  The rest of the soldiers die in the battle.  Only Sixth Brother manages to go back home to Tin Bor Fu.  Ngo admires Fourth Brother's bravery and free and easy temperament, she presses him to marry her.  Initially, Fourth Brother wants to die for his country.  But upon thinking that Liao is not yet destroyed and his family has not taken revenge, he can only accept the marriage and wait for an opportunity to arise.  The Yeung matriarch falls ill on hearing the news.  Fourth Brother's wife peddles songs all the way to the Liao Kingdom in search of her husband.  Fourth Brother, although physically in Liao, is mentally in China.  Suddenly hearing songs from central China and once seeing that the singer is the wife he has been missing night and day, he immediately explains the whole story to her.  The couple manages to convince the princess to let Fourth Brother return home to visit his bedridden mother.

Cantonese Opera Film Lui Bo (1961)

Lui Bo is incited to kill Tung Cheuk by Wong Wan who uses the luring beauty of Diu Sim to antagonise the arch-rivals.  Lui flees with Diu from the revenge-seeking aide of the deceased and seizes Xuzhou province from Lau Bei.  In the wake of Yuen Sut's offensive, Lui relieves Lau from his adversity.  Lau vows to pay his dues.  Daunted by his tenuous power, Lau pledges alliance to Cho Cho in the invasion of Xuzhou.  Lui, who fervently chides Lau for his betrayal, is rebuked by Lau for seizing Xuzhou.  Ensnared by Cho's trap, the city of Xuzhou falls and Lui is kept hostage.  Cho, who intends to spare the life of the talented strategist but his decision is disputed by Lau who remains skeptical of Lui's integrity over the killing of Tung.  Diu pleads for leniency on the behalf of Lui when Lui is condemned to be beheaded under the White Gate Tower.  Deliberately held up by Cho and Lau, Diu arrives at the tower too late to reverse destiny and kills herself in sacrifice for love, ascending the heaven with Lui as a pair of fairy immortals.

Cantonese Opera Film Mo Chung Fights the Tiger (1959)

Mo Chung is famous for overwhelming a fierce tiger.  On his visit to his brother Tai-long's, Chung is seduced by his sister-in-law Poon Kam-lin, who in turn is reprimanded by Chung.  Later, Chung returns to find Tai-long dead.  Poon claims that he dies of a sudden illness.  Chung investigates and finds out that Tai-long is in fact killed by Poon and her paramour Saimoon Hing.  To rest his brother's soul, Chung kills the adulterers before turning himself in.

Cantonese Opera Film A Patriot's Sword (1958)*

Wong Mong stages a mutiny.  Before his death, royal Han minister Ng Ying bequeaths to his son Hon his vow to avenge for his dynasty.  However, Wong pacifies Hon by claiming that the late emperor is responsible for his father's death, and wins his trust by betrothing to him his daughter Lan-ying.  When Hon learns the truth from his mother, Lan-ying kills herself to uphold the reputation of her husband.  Hon kills Wong to restitute the Han sovereignty before stepping down.

Peking Opera Film The Unicorn Purse (2008)

On her wedding day, Xue Xiangling, a lady from a wealthy family in Dengzhou, encounters another bride named Zhao Shouzhen from a poor family.  The two bridal sedan chairs, one elaborate and the other shabby, stop at the pavilion to seek shelter from the rain.  Touched by Shouzhen’s obvious plight, Xiangling gifts her a unicorn purse filled with jewels, but forbids her maid from divulging her name to Shouzhen’s father.  When the rain stops, the two parties continue on their separate ways.  Six years later, Dengzhou is afflicted by severe flooding.  Xiangling loses contact with her family members and has to flee to Laizhou.  There, she works as a servant at the household of Lu, a local official.  One day, she is moved to tears when she chances to see a unicorn purse enshrined in a small outbuilding – it was the same purse she previously gave away.  On seeing that, her mistress Lady Lu questions her, whereupon she establishes that Xiangling is indeed the benefactor from those years ago.  It turns out that Lady Lu is, in fact, Shouzhen.  Overjoyed at seeing each other again, Shouzhen assists Xiangling in reuniting with her family.  The two ladies become best of friends and sworn sisters.

Ping Opera Film Qin Xianglian (1955)

The story takes place during the Northern Song period.  Qin Xianglian, a commoner, has married a scholar Chen Shimei.  Shimei has gone to the capital to take the national civil examination, but for three years Xianglian has heard no word from him.  Their hometown is struck with drought for years. When Shimei’s father and mother died from famine, Xianglian goes to the capital with her two children to find him.  On arrival, she discovers that Shimei has not only come top in the civil examination but also become the consort of the emperor’s sister, the Princess Royal.  The unscrupulous Shimei has made up his mind that he should not admit to having a wife and children as he gathers that if he recognizes them as such, he would lose his high status, the fine life and the beautiful princess.  With the help of the prime minister, Xianglian goes to Shimei’s birthday banquet to sing a pitiful narrative about her misfortune, with her own accompaniment.  The prime minister also gives her his folding fan as a token of his official status, at the same time instructing her to go to Kaifeng to file her case.  Shimei is desperate.  In order to keep the good life he has, he commissions Han Qi, a captain of his retainer army, to go after Xianglian and their children to kill them with his broadsword.  When the loyal and righteous Han learns the truth, he releases the three of them before he kills himself in the temple.  It triggers off the fury in Xianglian’s heart, and she waylays Judge Bao’s sedan chair on the road, cries foul and begs for justice be done.  At the court in Kaifeng, Xianglian confronts Shimei for his lies, yet Shimei has no qualms because he is the Princess’s Consort.  He even makes up excuses and accuses Xianglian of false accusations.  The Princess and the Empress Dowager also arrive in a hurry to stop the court proceedings.  The judicious Judge Bao is not to be deterred in face of the powers-that-be, and beheads Shimei on counts of violating all the Constant Virtues.

Yu Opera Film Hua Mulan (1956)

The story takes place during the Northern and Southern Dynasties.  Tension at the border escalates following invasions by the foreign forces.  Hua Mulan’s father is conscripted to join the army.  Worried that her aged father is too frail and her brother is too young, Mulan decides to impersonate her younger brother Muli and enlists in the military in her father’s place.  After bidding her parents farewell, Mulan fights at the frontier for twelve years.  One day, when on patrol, Mulan discovers the enemy’s plot to mount a sneak attack.  She designs a counter-attack plan for the marshal to capture the barbarian chief, thereby restoring peace at the border and ending the war.  As reward, the court makes Mulan a minister.  The marshal and his generals arrive at the Hua residence bearing gifts, and ask for General Hua Muli.  The marshal is utterly amazed when Mulan appears as her womanly self to meet the visitors.  After hearing her account of how she joined the army, the marshal praises Mulan as a worthy heroine.

Yue Opera Film Trials of Love  (1958)

Famous courtesan Jiao Guiying meets destitute scholar Wang Kui at the Temple of the Sea God.  Falling for his looks and talents, Guiying takes Wang Kui back to the brothel.  She marries him and uses her savings to support his studies.  Two years later, Wang Kui comes top in the national civil examination in the capital.  Hankering after wealth and power, he marries into the Prime Minister’s family, and sends some money and a divorce letter to Guiying.  Heartbroken, Guiying rushes to the Temple and cries her heart out to the Sea God about Wang Kui’s heartless infidelity before hanging herself.  The Sea God sympathises with her distress, so he sent an underworld judge and a minor demon to accompany the ghost of Guiying to go and find Wang Kui for a confrontation before judgement.  Pretending that she is still alive, Guiying attempts to test her husband’s love.  However, Wang Kui is so adamant about being rid of Guiying that he draws his sword to kill her.  No longer able to bear Wang Kui’s betrayal, Guiying captures him alive with the help of the judge and the demon to take him to hell.

Source and information provided by Hong Kong Film Archive and China Film Archive.

*Courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. CHAN Kam-yuen.

Chinese Opera Film Shows

DATE

VENUE

PRICE

13.07.2022 (Wed)
19:30

27.07.2022 (Wed)
19:30

28.07.2022 (Thu)
19:30

01.08.2022 (Mon)
19:30

21.09.2022 (Wed)
19:30

28.09.2022 (Wed)
19:30

12.10.2022 (Wed)
19:30

26.10.2022 (Wed)
19:30

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

60

BUY NOW

DATE

13.07.2022 (Wed)
19:30

27.07.2022 (Wed)
19:30

28.07.2022 (Thu)
19:30

01.08.2022 (Mon)
19:30

21.09.2022 (Wed)
19:30

28.09.2022 (Wed)
19:30

12.10.2022 (Wed)
19:30

26.10.2022 (Wed)
19:30

VENUE

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

PRICE

60

BUY NOW

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