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"Angels over the Rainbow - Cathay 80th Anniversary Celebration", organised by the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, will feature films by the versatile actress Grace Chang in Focus II in February and March. Speaker Shirley Wu will host the seminar "With Love to Grace" in Cantonese on February 21 at 3.15pm at the HKFA's Cinema with free admission.
Grace Chang proved herself a versatile actress in the films of Motion Picture & General Investment Co Ltd (MP & GI, later known as Cathay), playing roles ranging from the blithe Mambo Girl to the witty Miss Dream Car and the sassy Wild Rose. "Mambo Girl" (1957), the epitome of the youth musical film, centred on memorable dance sequences and established Chang as a premium star of the Mandarin musical's golden years. The scenes bring out MP & GI's exquisite urban touch, with directing, cinematography and art direction reaching the studio's high standards.
"Air Hostess" (1959) was MP & GI's first colour film and featured Grace Chang, Roy Chiao and Julie Yeh Feng. The travelogue to exotic Southeast Asia depicts air hostesses' love lives and work, accompanied by bustling scenes and glamorous dances. A few enchanting tunes remain popular even today.
Co-starring alongside Chang Yang in an impish couple, Chang charms with her cheekiness and zingy vibe in "Our Dream Car" (1959). After winning the Miss Dream Car pageant, her fame foments quarrels among the couple. The panoramic view from the heart of the City of Victoria to Queen's Pier in the late 1950s shows the metropolis in the making and captures a scene that emits a vibrant, chic and unmistakably middle-class aura.
"The Wild, Wild Rose" (1960) is an Eastern "Carmen" custom-written for Chang by Nellie Chin Yu. The film deploys black-and-white photography, evocative music and stylish lighting and sets to fully capture the nightlife atmosphere. Chang shines in her role as a sultry temptress with a heart of gold, and sings several songs that have become classics.
The two-part "Sun, Moon and Star" was adapted from Xu Su's enormously popular novel of the same title. Set in the turbulent times of World War II, "Sun, Moon and Star (Part 1)" (1961) depicts romance involving a weak-minded man (Chang Yang) and his three lovers: a cousin (Grace Chang), the pure "Moon"; a village girl (Lucilla You Min), the delicate "Star"; and a student (Julie Yeh Feng), the radiant "Sun".
The love rectangle of the quixotic man and the three beautiful women continues in "Sun, Moon and Star (Part 2)" (1961), in which characters suffer devastating losses of lustre. The actresses complement each other with their distinct characters and Chang's musical talents shine in the scene of military dance.
All films are in Mandarin and have no subtitles.
Tickets priced at $40 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or 2734 2900 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp/en_US/web/fpo/programmes/2016cathay/film.html.
Ends/Thursday, January 21, 2016
Issued at HKT 11:04
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