It was a Cold Winter Night is widely and deservedly recognized as one of the best Hong Kong films of all time. The tale of a man's struggle to balance between love for his wife and loyalty to his mother is on one level a deeply touching personal story and, on another, a distillation of the modern Chinese man's burden, torn between the weight of traditions, the eformation of values resulting from the epochal May Fourth Movement, the devastation of war and the upheavals of changing times. Adapted from a novel by the influential writer Ba Jin, the film finds the great Lee Sun-fung at the height of his artistry, penning a sublimely-observed script and directing with delicate touches and profound but subtle animations of complex emotions. Complemented in turn by the superb performances of stars Ng Cho-fan, Pak Yin and Wong Man-lei, this is the art and craft of Cantonese cinema at their best.

8/10

(Sat)

7:30pm *

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

* Post-screening talk with Li Cheuk-to