The Princess Falls in Love

Dir: Li Pingqian
Scr: Yu Ken
Prod Co: Great Wall
Cast: Hsia Moon, Ting Sai-chun, Li Tziang, Feng Lin, Tong Wen
1962 | Colour | DCP | Yue Opera | Chi & Eng Subtitles | 114min

Great Wall’s output in the 1960s was diversified, encompassing different genres and subject-matters. One popular endeavour was several Shanghai Yue opera films starring ‘Crown Princess of Great Wall’ Hsia Moon. The Princess Falls in Love, adapted from the classic opera Three Glimpses of the Princess, is the love story of Liu Jinding (Hsia), the warrior who is bestowed the title of Princess for her heroic feats, and Feng Jiajin (Ting Sai-chun), a young man who sneaks into a temple to catch a glimpse of her. They fall in love, but unforeseen problems emerge, forcing them down an eventful path that develops into a romantic, moving tale…
 
Yue opera is often considered ‘the second national opera’, renowned for its elegant, gracious style and lyrical romanticism. It is also celebrated for its tradition of all-women troupes, conferring on it a unique dimension of special beauty. The stately grace of Hsia is a natural fit for roles of classical beauties and here, in her second Yue opera lead, with demand for both drama and action playing a character at once tough and gentle, she puts her versatility in full display. With lissome posture and a flowing gait, her opera skills are also impressive, a scene featuring a ‘water sleeves’ performance a vivid demonstration of her theatrical chops. Her co-star Ting Sai-chun, a Mainland Yue performer distinguished for playing sheng (male) roles, not only embodies the handsome charm of her character but also radiates artistry with superb singing, acting and reciting.
 
Director Li Pingqian brilliantly weaves together the artistic qualities of Yue opera and film with orchestrated mise-en-scène, resulting in a masterpiece of opera cinema. The Princess Falls in Love was screened in Hong Kong in 1962 for 29 consecutive days and was re-released the subsequent year as well as in 1978.
 
The Hong Kong Film Archive’s original copy of the film had faded to red over time. Thanks to Sil-Metropole’s generous donation of the film’s negatives, soundtracks and subtitles, the Archive was able to complete a digital scan of such materials, producing a version of the film as close to its original as possible.

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