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Presented by the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and guest curated by the Cantonese Cinema Study Association, "The Writer/Director in Focus" will feature 18 films directed or scripted by Mok Hong-si in its third instalment from May to July, following on from the success of earlier screening programmes of the same title. Two seminars with free admission, namely "Mok Hong-si, the Scriptwriter" and "The Art of Mok Hong-si's Comedies", will be held on June 9 and 26 at 4pm at the HKFA Cinema with speakers Shu Kei and Eric Tsang respectively.
Born in 1908, Mok Hong-si began his filmmaking career in the 1930s as a screenwriter and made his directorial debut in 1939. A dab hand at screenwriting and fluent in English, Mok was able to borrow concepts freely from Western films, and his works were often self-scripted and directed. With 137 directorial works and best remembered for his comedies, Mok grasped an impeccable pacing of film, well-deployed casts and a delicate balance between downright farce and broad comedy.
Adapted from an original story by Lo Duen and Kuk Lau, "Driver No. 7" (1958) depicts the earthly world of a group of bus drivers, in which Mok added an unexpected twist of a love triangle with wit and humour. "False Alarm" (1962) directed by Mok features the comedic conflict between fat comedians Leung Sing-po and Liu Enjia in their Cantonese and Mandarin dialogue and behavioural differences, while mistaken identities in "A Sorrowful Millionaire" (1963) are created by Patricia Lam Fung in her dual role as identical twin sisters.
Another distinguished feature of Mok's comedies is the exceptional richness of sub-plots and side characters, which allows the supporting actors to deliver glowing performances, making the films colourful and vibrant. Standout roles include Mak Bing-wing conniving to inherit a fortune in "Young Mother" (1954); Yee Chau-shui and Ko Lo-chuen playing a San Francisco-based Chinese and a villager respectively in "Village Girl" (1955), in which arrangements for their children's marriage turns into a farce; Leung Sing-po's graceful yet humorous performance as a fraudster in a race against Yam Kim-fai to woo a beautiful lady in "Best Fortune" (1957); and Lok Kung playing a satirical old man in "Madame Kam" (1963), a far cry from the benevolent elderly figure he commonly portrayed. In "Landlady and Tenant" (1966), Mok skilfully balanced the main story and sub-plot, and created memorable impressions of the numerous supporting characters by giving each of them a distinct personality despite their brief appearances.
Two leading actresses, Fong Yim-fun and Ting Ying, who found fame in the 1950s and the 1960s respectively, established long-term working relationships with Mok. Under his direction, Fong proved herself a talented comedienne and singer in "Pleasure Daughter" (1956). Mok also created diverse images for Ting in various films, including the nightclub owner's daughter in "The Elevator Murder Case" (1960), the campus belle with a singing talent in "The Student Prince" (1964) and the Robin Hood-like heroine in "Golden Butterfly, the Lady Thief" (1965), grooming her to become one of the most popular and prevalent actresses at the time.
Mok's immensely successful series often feature contemporary young women, such as the grass-roots heroine with a multi-faceted persona in "Bus Money Wiped out the Evils" (1966) of "The Girl in the Bus" series. His other works, including "Three Females" (1960), "Lover's Quarrels" (1963), "Three Love Affairs" (1963), "Our Daughter-in-law" (1964) and "A Talented Lady" (1968), also explore the occupations, marriage and gender roles of women, and reveal his sharp observations of urban changes in which the social status of males and females were gradually displaced under the influence of Western culture in the 1960s.
All of the films are in Cantonese without subtitles.
Tickets priced at $45 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/2016mhs3/index.html.
Ends/Thursday, April 14, 2016
Issued at HKT 14:50
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