Cantonese Opera Film The Impartial and Incorruptible Judge Bao (1967)

On one of his business trips, a merchant called Li Hao meets with bad weather and seeks shelter at a pottery shop for the night. Unbeknownst to Li, the factory owner Ding Wan and his wife are treacherous people who kill patrons for money. Pretending to receive Li warmly, they poison his dinner and then dispose of his naked body in the clay, firing it into a black basin. Ding notices a weirdness about this basin, so he gives it away to their neighbour the poor scholar Chen Qing when he comes to borrow a container. In the dead of night, Chen hears someone calling out his name as the black basin shakes incessantly. Chen realises the basin is emitting the voice of Li´s soul, telling him about his devastating fate and begging him to take the case to Judge Bao. Chen divulges what transpired to Fengying, and they both set out for Kaifeng in search of the Judge. After much difficulty, Judge Bao finally exacts justice for Li´s wrongful death with the summary execution of Ding and his wife.

Date : 12/8/2023

Time : 7:45pm

Venue : Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

Starring : Lam Kar-sing, Ng Kwan-lai, Leung Sing-por, Lan Chi Pak

Director : Ling Wan

Screenwriter : Wong Lei

Colour / 87 mins

Lyrics with Traditional Chinese subtitles

Price : $60

Peking Opera Film The River View Pavilion (1958)

To escape the amorous advances of Yang Jian´s son, widow Tan Ji´er retreats to Qing´an Temple to copy scriptures for the abbess. One day, the abbess´s nephew Bai Shizhong comes to bid his aunt farewell before leaving to take up his new position as governor of Tanzhou. After learning that Bai has lost his wife three years earlier, the abbess matchmakes his nephew with Ji´er as they are both in the same situation. The young people fall for each other and soon tie the knot. However, when Master Yang learns of the marriage, he fabricates false charges in a fit of jealousy to break up the couple. He also intends to kill Bai and take Ji´er by force.
When Ji´er gets wind of Master Yang´s evil plans, she disguises herself as a fisherwoman and gets him drunk at the River View Pavilion on mid-autumn night. She then steals the imperial decree and judicial sword from him. Without these articles of authority, Master Yang is not able to proceed with convicting Bai. On the contrary, Bai turns the tables on Master Yang and imprisons him for impersonating an imperial envoy and molesting civilians. Having dodged the bullet, Bai and Ji´er save the day.

Date : 16/8/2023

Time : 7:30pm

Venue : Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

Starring : Zhang Junqiu, Liu Xuetao, Lu Changfu

Director : Zhou Feng

Original Screenwriter : Guan Hanqing

Colour / 94 mins

Lyrics and dialogue with Simplified Chinese subtitles

Price : $60

Yue Opera Film Mermaid Legend (1959)

Poor scholar Zhang Zhen is betrothed to Mudan, the daughter of the Prime Minister who is a snob. While appearing to allow Zhang to study in a thatched hut by the lake, the Prime Minister is really awaiting a chance to break the engagement. Often lamenting his plight on the lakeshore, Zhang´s good nature and simplicity move the Carp Spirit in the lake. She assumes the physical form of Mudan to meet with Zhang, and they fall in love.
One day, Zhang bumps into the real Mudan and addresses her as “sweetheart”. The Prime Minister seizes the opportunity to reprimand Zhang for being immoral and sends him away. On hearing this, the Carp Spirit appears at the Prime Minister´s residence. Unable to differentiate between the real Mudan and the imposter, the Prime Minister invites Judge Bao to assist. On her part, the Carp Spirit enlists the help of the Turtle Spirit to impersonate the judge. After a series of hints, the real Judge Bao discerns the truth and helps them escape. Chased by the heavenly army, the Carp Spirit confesses her real identity to Zhang, a truth which Zhang appreciates even more. At the crucial moment, the Carp Spirit is confronted with the choice of immortality or life as a human.

Date : 23/8/2023

Time : 7:30pm

Venue : Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

Starring : Xu Yulan, Wang Wenjuan

Director : Ying Yunwei

Screenwriters : Kang De, An E

Colour / 92 mins

Lyrics and dialogue with Simplified Chinese subtitles

Price : $60

Sichuan Opera Film Du Shiniang (1957)

Du Shiniang, the capital´s famed courtesan, and Li Jia, a student at the Imperial College, are in love. After redeeming Shiniang´s freedom from the brothel with money Li borrowed from his friends, the two lovers board a boat bound for Li´s hometown Shaoxing. Trusting wholeheartedly that Li will care for her henceforth, Shiniang quietly gathers all her valuables and life´s savings into a small casket as her dowry. A snow storm forces their boat to moor at Guazhou Ferry. Inside the cabin, Shiniang plays the pipa to relieve Li´s boredom, but he remains restless, worried that his union with a prostitute will cause his family to lose face. Li pours his heart out to salt merchant Sun Fu on meeting him.
Coveting Shiniang´s beauty, Sun entices Li with a thousand pieces of silver to on-sell her to him. When Sun arrives with the money the following day, Shiniang is heartbroken. After berating the two men at the bow of the boat, Shiniang ends her own life by throwing herself and her little chest of treasures into the river.

Date : 30/8/2023

Time : 7:30pm

Venue : Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

Starring : Liao Jingqiu, Yuan Yukun, Zhou Qihe

Director : Xu Ke

Adapted Screenwriter : Xu Wenyao

Colour / 91 mins

Lyrics and dialogue with Traditional Chinese subtitles

Price : $60

Cantonese Opera Film Mirror of Revenge (1966)

On the way back to their hometown, Tang Sheng and his servant Akang chance upon an out-of-town orphan girl Bai Suzhen at an old temple. Tang falls for Suzhen right away, so he brings her home and marries her. Instigated by others, Tang’s mother suspects that her daughter-in-law is a demon. Later Tang leaves home for the border to save his father. His mother commissions a Taoist priest to carry out an exorcism. Upon his return, Tang discovers with dismay that his wife has disappeared and searches for her everywhere. He persuades Judge Bao, whose jurisdiction spans the human realm and the netherworld, to assist. By means of a magic pillow, Judge Bao and Tang travel to the netherworld to enquire at the Mirror of Revenge. As it turns out, Tang’s lecherous uncle is so taken with Suzhen that he devises a ruse to trick Tang’s mother into banishing Suzhen, and then abducts her in collusion with the Taoist priest. Fortunately, Suzhen is saved just in time by her husband and Judge Bao. The couple return home and live happily ever after.

Date : 2/9/2023

Time : 7:45pm

Venue : Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

Starring : Lam Kar-sing, Ng Kwan-lai, Leung Sing-por, Lan Chi Pak

Director : Ling Wan

Screenwriter : Fung Yat-wai

Colour / 93 mins

Lyrics with Traditional Chinese subtitles

Price : $60

Huaibei Bangzi Opera Film Kou Zhun with His Boots (1962)

During the Northern Song period, patriotic Marshal Yang Yanjing is framed by treacherous official Wang Qinrou who fabricates an imperial decree to execute Yanjing by poison. One of Yanjing´s close friends saves him by sacrificing himself and taking the toxic wine on his behalf. The Yang family then spreads false news that Yanjing has died from illness and arranges a fake funeral. Meanwhile, the Liao army launches attacks at the border, so the disturbing news of Yanjing´s untimely death worries The Eighth Prince and Minister Kou Zhun deeply. They both attend the funeral to convey their condolences to the bereaved family.
At the funeral, Kou notices that Yanjing´s son is not sad, and that Princess Chai, Yanjing´s widow, wears a red dress under her mourning attire. Moreover, he overhears Dowager She petitioning The Eighth Prince for permission to relocate the family to Hedong. Suspicions aroused, Kou shadows Princess Chai to investigate quietly. While rushing around in the night, Princess Chai takes a fall. Close behind her, Kou is shocked and falls too, knocking off his headgear and boots in the process. Not wanting the Princess to discover him, Kou carries his boots on his back and scrambles to keep up. When Yanjing´s sham demise comes to light, Kou arranges for the Marshal to meet with the Prince.

Date : 6/9/2023

Time : 7:30pm

Venue : Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

Starring : Gu Xixuan, Zhang Fulan, Zheng Lianxin, Chen Bingqin, Zheng Lilong, Yang Liangyu

Directors : Guo Yun, Qiao Zhiliang

Screenplay Arrangers: Xu Jianhua, Wan Yizhou

B&W / 69 mins

Lyrics with Simplified Chinese subtitles

Price : $60

Cantonese Opera Film The Story of Muk Kwai-ying, Part One (1959)

To beat the Liao army´s Heavenly Gate Formation, Song general Yang Zongbao leads his men, including Jiao Zan and Meng Liang, to Muke Fort to ask for the loan of the Dragon Vanquishing Wood. Mu Guiying, leader at the fort, falls in love with the young general at first sight, and proposes to him. As Zongbao´s aim is to obtain the Dragon Vanquishing Wood, he agrees to marry her. However, fraternising on the battlefield violates military regulations, and Zongbao´s outraged father Marshal Yang wants to have his son beheaded in punishment for his action. Fortunately, Zongbao is saved in the nick of time by Guiying who defeats the Marshal in a duel. Finally, the animosity is cleared up. Everyone collaborates in battle after the wedding to trounce the enemy, winning a complete victory with the help of the Magical Dragon. Guiying also bears a son, Yang Wenguang, who grows up to become a famous general of the Northern Song Dynasty.

Date : 9/9/2023

Time : 7:45pm

Venue : Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

Starring : Yam Kim-fai, Yu Lai-zhen, Leung Sing-por, Poon Yat On

Director : Wong Hok-sing

Screenwriter : Lee Siu-Wan

Colour / 97 mins

Lyrics with Traditional Chinese subtitles

Price : $60

Cantonese Opera Film Search in Wintry Day (1960)

Although penniless, scholar Fang Shucheng is both upright in character and talented. Wang Xiuqing loves him and invites him to join her family after they marry. On the day of the wedding, Xiuqing´s father passes away unexpectedly. His dying wish is for his two daughters to share his estate equally. However, the older sister Xiulan and her husband plan to appropriate the entire inheritance. On the one hand, they dupe Xiuqing into relinquishing control over all business matters. On the other, they mock Shucheng for being good for nothing but only studying at home every day. In a fit of anger, Shucheng leaves for the capital to take the imperial exams. Then Xiulan deliberately makes things tough at home for Xiuqing and her father-in-law, forcing them to leave. The two, reduced to begging in the streets and singing for a meagre living, have no idea that Shucheng has, in the meantime, passed his final exams and is working as an imperial censor. The silver Shucheng has been sending home is all embezzled by Xiulan. One day, when Xiuqing and her father-in-law are singing outside the Censor´s office, they finally reunite with Shucheng. The three of them return to their hometown in glory, and severely reprimand Xiulan and her husband. The greedy couple mend their ways, and the whole family live in harmony thereafter.

Date : 16/9/2023

Time : 7:45pm

Venue : Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

Starring : Law Kim-long, Tang Bik-wan, Fung Wong-nui, Lan Chi Pak, So Siu-tong

Director : Chu Kea

Screenwriter : So Yung

B&W / 112 mins

Lyrics with Traditional Chinese subtitles

Price : $60