Lau Yeung-Chi

Cold Nights features great performances by both Pak Yin as a tough minded “new woman”, Shusheng, and Ng Cho-fan as her weak husband, Wang Wenxuan, whose spirits have been crushed by the Sino-Japanese war.

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.

Ko Suk-ying is saddened over her arranged marriage as manipulated by her father Hak-ming. Ko Kok-sun's Cousin Chow Wai's spends the Mid-Autumn Festival before her marriage with the Kos. She has been in love with Sun. Sun finds out about her love for him when she is about to be married off, he is too weak to oppose to Wai's betrothal to another man. Sun's son, Hoi-sun, falls ill. Fearing the displeasure of his elders, Sun dares not consult a western doctor. Meanwhile, another dispute arises among members of the family over the ancestral land. When accused of being incompetent in his management, Sun takes the blame silently. Wai dies of grief while Hoi-sun becomes a victim of mistreatment. Sun is devastated at this double blow. Hak-ming instructs Sun to arrange for Ying's wedding. Knowing the kind of man Ying's fiancee is, Sun is reluctant. Not wanting to follow in Wai's footsteps, Ying fights for her own rights, and backed by an enlightened Sun, she leaves for a new start.