Yee Chau-Sui

The film commences with Ching (Tang Bik-wan) lamenting over her bleak life through singing: her mother died early and her stepmother (Lam Mui-mui) is wicked. The song precedes her appearance in the house while the cinematography helps to tug at the emotional heartstrings. Because of her debt-ridden father, Ching is forced by the stepmother to marry an old invalid. To prevent the marriage, Ching's lover Ho (Chan Kam-tong) raises money by agreeing to marry his own cousin (Fung Wong Nui). Ching's life is doomed, yet, when the stepmother absconds with the money. With all her hopes dashed to the ground, Ching decides to opt out of marriage for life. However, witnessing her 'self-combed' sworn sisters being bullied even to the point of committing suicide further devastates her. This tragic heroine comes to life through Tang's masterful performance both as a singer and an actor. The climatic and tear-jerking scene of Ching dying is definitely a highlight of the film.

Comedy from Hong Kong directed by Chiang Wai-Kwong.

Comedy from Hong Kong directed by Chow Sze-Luk.

This rare gem features the extraordinary stellar cast of two comedy giants on the same screen and the two Ma's (Ma Si-tsang and Sun Ma Si-tsang) performing together. Leung Sing-por as the wealth-feigning Au and Ma Si-tsang as penny pincher Ma already set the stage for laughter. Ma Si-tsang dons a hilarious moustache and adds panache to the character whenever he complacently twists his moustache, making his greediness almost lovable. The film features a zany plot 'twist' when the two Ma's, as father and son, try to attend a charity gala by having Sun Ma Si-tsang teach Ma Si-tsang to sing ‘Yu Hap-wan Expresses His Inner Feelings', one of the elder Ma's most popular repertoire. Ma Si-tsang gives a commanding seven-minute solo performance that captures the heart of the audience now and forever.

Yee Chau-shui is one of the best comedians in Hong Kong cinema and he first played the Tramp character in the 1939 film Song Girl White Peony, a remake (or ripoff) of Chaplin's City Lights (1931). Flower Girl is a remake of that remake, transposing the story from Great Depression America to postwar Hong Kong, where devastating poverty is compounded by an egregious wealth gap between sectors. Yee's Tramp is an inspired blend of Chaplin's slapstick gags and the Cantonese opera chou san (the clown) shtick, exemplified by his performance of the song Fantasy of Riches, in which he likely improvises lyrics to generate laughter. Leung Sing-po co-stars, in one of many pairings that feature two of Hong Kong's best comic personalities.

Comedy from Hong Kong directed by Chiang Wai-Kwong.

Musical comedy from Hong Kong directed by Chiang Wai-Kwong.

Comedy from Hong Kong directed by Cho Kei.

Comedy from Hong Kong directed by Yeung Kung-Leung.

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.

Drama from Hong Kong directed by Ng Wui.

Martial Arts film from Hong Kong directed by Yeung Kung-Leung

When both sides of the family move in with a married couple, chaos reigns.

A biographical film

Mok Ming moves into Po Tak-yan’s old mansion. Po's mistress, the songstress Tsi Law-heung, has died in it. Her spirit haunts the mansion as she is unburied. Mok sees her ghost and notes that she resembles his late wife Kit-ching. Mok dreams that his wife has possessed Tsi's body in return. Mok asks Uncle Tak to take him to the coffin. Tsi resurrects as Kit-ching. Mok accepts that his wife has returned from death, but he is suspicious. He brings her to a nightclub, where they chance upon Po and his mistress, Chan Mei-chu. Po is suspicious. Mok explained that his wife has returned through Tsi's body. Two reporters are there and the news is reported in the papers. To resolve his suspicions, Po goes to the old mansion. He meets Mok, his “wife,” and Uncle Tak. The wife denies that she is Tsi. Po retrieves a pistol and goes to confront the woman. Mok intervenes. In the struggle, Po falls down the railing to his death, but Tsi is shot. Now it is time for her to tell Mok of her past.

Hotelier Pak Kam-lung meets Cheung Yuk-neong on a ship travelling to Hong Kong. In Hong kong, Kam-lung searches for Yuk-neong's whereabouts and throws a costume party to lure Yuk-neong. He finally meets Yuk-neong again but she is cool towards Kam-lung. In order to get close to Yuk-neong, Kam-lung disguises himself as a hotel attendant. Meanwhile, the gentleman-thief Yu Yat-chi is attracted by Yuk-neong's diamond brooch. Yat-chi poses as a banker to get close to Yuk-neong. He lures Yuk-neung to his hideout by falsely claiming that her father is hurt in hospital. Yuk-neung is kept prisoner in an attempt to force her father to hand over the diamond brooch. Kam-lung puts on a female disguise to penetrate the hideout to save Yuk-neong. His disguise is seen through by Yat-chi, but fortunately, the police is alerted in time. The bandits are arrested. Finally, Kam-lung and Yuk-neong are married.

The Birth of Mankind, released in 1946, is the first movie featuring Bruce Lee, at age six, in a role.

A remake (or ripoff) of Chaplin's City Lights

Hong Kong drama.

A rural employee leaves his wife and mother to seek work in the city.

The film is divided into seven episodes, each episode directed by a different director. The film was selected as one of the top hundred Chinese films by film historian Du Yunzhi (HKFA).

Hong Kong romance.

Hong Kong war film.

Hong Kong war film.