Films adapted from traditional Cantonese opera had always been popular with the audience in the 1950s. The genre burst into a trend in 1956 in which more than 50 opera films were produced (over 1/4 of the annual output). The Lychee’s Tale , based on a folk tale circulated in the Fujian and Chaozhou regions and the Chaozhou opera Chen San and Fifth Madam , continued the trend. Fourteen expert musicians play the music for the film, with lyrics written by Ng Yat-siu, one of the top librettists at the time. Even more important is that it stars Pak Suet-sin, the most renowned and admired female opera star, also lead of the Sin Fung Ming Troupe, in a supporting role that reminds one of Hung Neung, the maid of Romance in the West Chamber, who pulls the strings between her young mistress and the scholar who secretly adores her. The film obviously has a stringent budget, but Chan Ki-yui’s set design remains to be economical, respectable and effective.

31/8

(Fri)

7:30pm

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

23/9

(Sun)

9:00pm

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive