An Ideal Couple (Original Theatrical Version)

Director and Scriptwriter: Collective Collaboration
Cast: Hung Sin Nui, Ma Si-tsang, Sun Chu, Lui Yuk-long, Lam Siu-kwan
Production: Hung Tu Film Co.
1960 | Colour | Cantonese | Chi Subtitles | 117min

An Ideal Couple is a rare example for its time of a Hong Kong Cantonese-opera movie crossing the border to film in Guangzhou. A compilation of four cherished excerpts starring a cast of great opera artists from both Hong Kong and the Mainland, the film is an invaluable record of Cantonese opera as an artform and intangible cultural heritage.

Drowning Seven Armies is one of the finest in the repertoire of Sun Chu, famously crowned ‘living Lord Kwan’. The actor’s wusheng (martial male) performance fuses the artistic essences of northern-style Peking opera and southern-style Cantonese opera, fully embodying the gravitas and authority of the historical figure-cum-deified legend Kwan Yu in a decisive moment of battle. Flour Vat stars three accomplished chousheng (male clown) – Luk Won-fee, Man Kok-fei, and Wong Chung-wong – who give outstanding comedic performances in this delicious satire on the follies of government officials. Snatching an Umbrella is adapted from a yuanqu classic, in which a penniless scholar meets a high-ranking official’s daughter during wartime and falls in love. In the lead roles are Lui Yuk-long and Lam Siu-kwan, who demonstrate their expert skills at turning and manipulating the umbrella. The final piece, Picking Up the Jade Bracelet, stars Ma Si-tsang and Hung Sin Nui, both master artists of opera. Ma cross-dresses as matchmaker Mrs Lau, a waggish matronly figure, and Hung takes on the role of the vivacious young girl Suen Yuk-kau. Their impressive turn in this excerpt is a showcase of their virtuoso talents in singing, performing, and delivering dialogue.

Chinese opera films can serve as effective teaching aids for helping students understand the content and artistic features of dramatic works through visual appreciation. They are especially appropriate for students studying Chinese Literature.

* This film was re-released in 1979, comprising two excerpts in the original plus two other excerpts from Butterfly Beauty (1959). The extant negatives and copies of the two titles are of these later edited versions. The Archive digitised both films and re-edited them to return An Ideal Couple to its original theatrical form to the best of our ability.

The contents of the programme do not represent the views of the presenter. The presenter reserves the right to change the programme should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.