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Chor Yuen was a trendsetter in the local film industry in the 1950s. He was still active in the 1970s and '80s, dabbling in different genres, including erotic film, reintroducing the Cantonese dialect to Hong Kong cinema and adapting the famous novels of Gu Long.
Following the launch of the first part of the programme on Chor Yuen with his films from the 1950s and '60s, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) will go on to present the second part, "Still in Transition: The Cinema of Chor Yuen", from June 17 to July 29.
Eight of his works from the 1970s and '80s will be shown at the Cinema of the Film Archive, including "Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan", "The House of 72 Tenants" and "Killer Clans".
As a part of the retrospective, a seminar entitled "The Many Faces of Chor Yuen" will be held on June 24 (Saturday) at 2.30pm with Mr Sam Ho and Mr Thomas Shin as the speakers. The seminar, conducted in Cantonese, will be held at the Cinema of the HKFA. Admission is free.
The Film Archive has also published the "Oral History Series 3: Director Chor Yuen" in Chinese and English editions, which includes the director's recollection of his days from Kong Ngee to Shaws, plus reviews and his complete filmography.
"Cold Blade" (1970) was Chor Yuen's first martial arts film with a style that would later become associated with adaptations of Gu Long's novels. As the restored print of this film is incomplete, a 10-minute segment will be without sound.
Chor Yuen successfully mixed romantic expressionism with dazzling action choreography in "Killer Clans"(1976). It was his first adaptation of a Gu Long novel, with which he launched the martial arts genre onto a new path and changed the face of the Hong Kong cinema. In the same year, he came up with another adaptation, "The Magic Blade" (1976). Chor Yuen's Gu Long flamboyant adaptations quickly became routine.
"Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan" (1972) was the paradigm of erotic film. The story of a beautiful and mysterious courtesan offers a deliciously warped take on sex, desire and violence in the context of love, power and commerce. The film was penned by Chiu Kang-chien.
Chor Yuen also dabbled in different genres in the 1970s and '80s. In his remake of Guangdong film "The House of 72 Tenants" in 1973, he insisted on Cantonese, believing that the dialect better expressed the frustrations felt by the ordinary citizens about the social problems at that time. The film unexpectedly became a big hit, reintroducing Cantonese to Hong Kong cinema.
Late in his directing career, Chor Yuen collaborated with Stephen Chow, catching the future supernova on his rise. Chor Yuen's craftsmanship, Stephen Chor's humour, and the '80s-style comedy intertwined in "Sleazy Dizzy" (1990).
Other films include "The Lizard" (1972) and "The Diary of a Big Man" (1988). Both are creative remakes of his early works.
"The House of 72 Tenants", "The Diary of a Big Man" and "Sleazy Dizzy" are in Cantonese, while the others are in Mandarin. All films will have Chinese and English subtitles.
Tickets priced at $30 are available at all URBTIX outlets. Half-price concessionary tickets are available for senior citizens, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients
For programme information, please call 2739 2139 or 2734 2900 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/fp. Reservations can be made by phone on 2734 9009 or on the Internet at www.urbtix.hk.
Ends/Thursday, May 25, 2006
Issued at HKT 19:56
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