Aren't the Kids Lovely?

Dir: Doe Ching
Scr: Huang Di (aka Huang Yongyu)
Prod Co: Great Wall
Cast: Shek Hwei, Su Qin, Ping Fan, Kung Chiu-hsia, Michael Lai
1953 | B&W | Digital File | Cantonese (Dubbed) | 96min

Aren’t the Kids Lovely? takes a light-hearted look at the issue of family education, a classic manifestation of Great Wall’s philosophy of integrating edifying messages into entertainment. The film centres on a family where the father works at a newspaper while the wife is inundated with the many chores of housework. The couple is too busy to pay sufficient attention to their children. The eldest daughter is obsessed with luxury, the second son with mechanics, the third daughter with eating, the hot-headed fourth son gets into fights all the time, the fifth son paints graffiti everywhere, the sixth son monkeys around and the youngest daughter an infant requiring much care and attention. With seven distinct personalities, the children are always getting into troubles, one way or the other. Fortunately, with advice from a friend, the parents learn the ways to educate the young ones, tailoring their teaching according to each child’s uniqueness. And the household returns to a state of peace and quiet.
    
The film encourages parents to pay close attention to their children’s health and behaviour, in many ways foreshadowing today’s idea of ‘a license is required for raising a child’. Aren’t the Kids Lovely? may be preachy, but it keeps the tone light and humorous, thanks in part to a superb cast of child actors, most selected from open auditions. Shek Hwei, one of the ‘Three Princesses’ promoted by Great Wall, offers a refreshing performance playing against type as the rebellious eldest daughter. The screenplay was written by renowned Chinese painter Huang Yongyu under the pen name Huang Di. We dedicate this screening to commemorate the first anniversary of his passing.

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