Directing
The sophistication of 1950s Hong Kong cinema is vividly illustrated in this film of limited budget and resources. Cantonese opera star Sun Ma Si-tsang plays a country boy who looks exactly like Sun Ma and is asked by a rich girl to impersonate the star, to help her stage an opera. The self-reflexive humour generated by the absurd situation not only provides delicious parody of celebrity culture but also comments subtly on class inequality and the perils of urbanisation. Sun Ma, who also appears as himself in a stage performance, is complemented beautifully by the brilliant comedian Yee Chau-shui as his sidekick and Hung Sin Nui, another opera superstar, as the spoiled and precocious rich girl.
HK historical drama.
Wan Cho-sin has two daughters. The elder sister Wai-man is genteel and graceful, and the younger sister Wai-ping, taken under the tutelage of Lady Knight Silver Fox, is extrovert, outgoing and gregarious. The drug kingpin Chung Chi-wang has his eyes set on Wai-man but the girl is in love with Ma Kim-leung. Ko Tin-yam, who fearlessly wields his journalistic pen against the gangster, joins forces with his girlfriend Wai-ping to beat off Kong Yau-ming and the thugs dispatched by Chung. The encounter, leads to Kong's recognition of Wai-ping as his flesh and blood entrusted to Cho-sin's care years ago. Wai-ping pleads with her father to turn over a new leaf but fails to save him from Chung's murderous hand. Wai-man and Ma ingratiate themselves with the gangster, who uses the duo to elude the police while transferring drugs to a secluded villa. Wai-ping tips off the authorities about the traffickers' whereabouts and cracks down on the drug ring.
Wong Boon-kap has recently returned from his studies abroad. Following the orders of his father Tai-ming, Boon-kap goes undercover as a mechanic apprentice in the father's factory to spy on their staff while keeping an eye out for talents. The boot-licking the factory manager Fung Hon-wing and his secretary Cheung Pat-fu respectively enlist their goddaughter Lam Hap-ping and niece Cheung Yuk-lin to join the ranks of the female workers to unveil the identity of the young boss. Ho Chui-wan lands a job at the factory through Lam's connection. Ho's disapproval of the practice of fawning and sycophancy rampant in the factory gains Boon-kap's respect which develops into romance. Tai-ming shatters the heated rumour that the young and promising Hung Yuet-keung is the young boss by announcing the wedding of his son, Boon-kap, to Ho to the huge disappointment of Fung and Cheung.
Small rice shop proprietor old Plough is still unmarried despite being in his fifties. When he marries a Thai bride for just ten thousand-odd dollars, he discovers that his wife was pregnant prior to coming to Hong Kong.
