Les Belles

Les Belles

Dir/Scr: Doe Ching
Prod Co: Shaw Brothers
Cast: Linda Lin Dai, Peter Chen Ho, Fanny Fan Lai, Mak Kay, Kao Pao-shu
1961 | Colour | DCP | Mandarin | Chi & Eng Subtitles | 113min

Absolutely no money or resources were spared in this musical romance captured in glorious Shawscope in which Doe Ching and his cast unleashed their talents in a visual spectacle. The number one box office hit features Linda Lin Dai who, after eight months of rigorous training in dance, dazzles with her elaborate dance routines from the Can-can and the Mambo performed with sheer verve and energy to the Chinese flower-drum dance, Japanese Sakura dance and traditional Thai dance for the gods in later scenes with grace and poise. The film offers a pastiche of aesthetics and highlights Lin's radiance and joyful spirit that proved worthy of her third Best Actress award in the Asia-Pacific Film Festival. Lin and Peter Chen Ho are the leading star and the impresario of a musical theatre troupe involved in a love-hate relationship as they engage in constant squabbling but develop an amorous relationship through a series of anonymous billets-doux. All's well that ends well and their problems melt away on the dance floor. This visual spectacle is also breathtaking for Doe Ching's use of the Shawscope to impressive effect.

©Licensed by Celestial Pictures Limited. All rights reserved.


Date Time Venue
17/2/2023 (Fri) [Full House] 11:00am Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

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