Yam Kim-Fai

A film about a mysterious murder

Fat Kau (Leung Sing-por) and his wife (Ma Siu-ying) are not on the best terms with their fierce daughter-in-law Tang (Tam Lan-hing). It is their secret wish that their grandson Kim-kwong (Yam Kim-fai) would marry an ill-tempered woman—it would be, Kau and Lee think, poetic justice for Tang to have a taste of her own medicine. But to their disappointment, the granddaughter-in-law Yu-chu (Law Yim-hing) turns out to be meek and understanding. Kau and his wife therefore tricks Yu-chu into starting a quarrel with Tang. Rich in intricate details of everyday life, the film depicts a witty battle between vivid characters, and is a comedic portrayal of the relationship between mother and daughter-in-law through three generations.

A Chinese screen opera

Written by the great librettist Tong Tik-sang, and featuring Lee Tit's elegant direction and superb performances from Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin, "Butterfly and Red Pear Blossom" brings Cantonese opera to cinematic life. The film features two lovers who have never met in person but whose poetry over three years has subtly declared their unyielding love. Yam's minimalist acting style enables her to convey dynamic passion as well as step about the stage with ease and accomplish the image of a resolute, yet gentle, scholar. Pak meanwhile defies a prime minister with pride and dignity.

An adaptation of Tong Tik-sang's now-legendary Cantonese Opera piece, the film features divas Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin (left with Yam), who play the story's lead lovers, and Lan Chi Pak, the sinister official who tries to break up the relationship. Leung Sing-po plays the pair's friend as well as the mysterious 'man in yellow' who exposes plans to separate the couple.

Impoverished scholar Leung (Yam Kim-fai) became a widower and his in-laws give him 30 taels of silver to find a new wife. He gives the money away to help an old man, a kindness witnessed by the young woman To (Fong Yim-fun), who is impressed and smitten. Needing to introduce his ‘new wife' to the in-laws, Leung seeks help from his cousin (Tam Sin-hung), whose husband Wong (Poon Yat On) had just bought To as maid, lusting after her. The cousin loans the maid to pose as Leung's wife but the jealous Wong poses as their servant to keep watch, creating hilarious havoc that fails to hinder the love developing between the scholar and the maid.

The Head of Southern Stone Village, Lee Ba-hung bullies others with his power. Yet he has no knowledge that his niece Lee Chun-hong is actually the Black Heroine who confronts him. It turns out that Chun-hong's father is fearful that Ba-hung would bully the mother and daughter of Chun-hong, hence he has disguised Chun-hong with woman attires. Chun-hong's identity is unveiled when she devotes herself to helping the refugees of a disaster by distributing food and emergency supplies. Ba-hung would like to murder Chung-hong by hanging, yet it ends in him being killed by his followers.

Reporter Yu Mong-yuen is recovering from a leg injury in his fiancee Man-wah's apartment. Bored, he looks out the rear window and observes the life of the neighbouring building. Among the tenants are a sugar-daddy and his mistress, a middle-aged man wants to marry a young girl, but she is in love with his son. Finally, she hatches a plot and makes the man agree to her marrying his son ; a sly fortune-teller ; a lively gym, a rich widow quarrels with the trainer of a gymnasium because his dog has bitten her cat ; and an opera school, a woman signs, leaning on the balcony, and a man tries to strangle her. In fact they are rehearsing an opera…… One evening, Wah is on the night shift, and Yuen watches the opera troupe rehearse to the end. Under the influence of drugs, Yu mistakenly believes that a divorced man has murdered a taxi dancer. He alerts the police, but the whole thing is nothing more than a misunderstanding.

Reporter Yu Mong-yuen is recovering from a leg injury in his fiancee Man-wah's apartment. Bored, he looks out the rear window and observes the life of the neighbouring building. Among the tenants are a sugar-daddy and his mistress, a middle-aged man wants to marry a young girl, but she is in love with his son. Finally, she hatches a plot and makes the man agree to her marrying his son ; a sly fortune-teller ; a lively gym, a rich widow quarrels with the trainer of a gymnasium because his dog has bitten her cat ; and an opera school, a woman signs, leaning on the balcony, and a man tries to strangle her. In fact they are rehearsing an opera…… One evening, Wah is on the night shift, and Yuen watches the opera troupe rehearse to the end. Under the influence of drugs, Yu mistakenly believes that a divorced man has murdered a taxi dancer. He alerts the police, but the whole thing is nothing more than a misunderstanding.

Chinese Opera comedy from Hong Kong directed by Fung Chi-Kong.

Chinese Opera from Hong Kong directed by Lau Fong.

Comedy from Hong Kong directed by Fung Chi-Kong.