The Joys and Sorrows of Ting Ying

Happy Couples

Dir/Scr: Mok Hong-si
Prod: Wong Cheuk-hon
Prod Co: Lan Kwong
Cast: Ting Ying, Woo Fung, Cheung Yee, Helena Law Lan, Chiang Kuang-chao
1962 | B&W | Digital File | Cantonese | 100min

Also with ‘secret’ in the Chinese title, Mok Hong-si’s Woman’s Affairs (1961) portrays factory girls living in sub-divided flats; the following year, his Happy Couples portrays the new middle class, with three married couples of different ages in a romantic comedy about marriage, while reflecting societal issues. Chow (Woo Fung) and Lee (Ting Ying) are newlyweds; their neighbours Wu (Cheung Yee) and his wife (Helena Law Lan) have been married for seven years, while Wu’s boss Chun (Chiang Kuang-chao) and his wife (Tam Lan-hing) have been married for over a decade. Wu recommends Mrs Chow to be Chun’s secretary. To keep her job, Mrs Chow hides the fact that she is married, arousing the annoyance and suspicion of Chow. Meanwhile, Wu has been cheating on his wife, and even has a child with the other woman. Mok Hong-si shows off his expertise in comedies of error, to bring out the importance of mutual trust between husband and wife. The casting of the film is also significant: pairing Mandarin film comedian Chiang Kuang-chao with the expert ‘fierce wife’ Tam Lan-hing to create a chemistry of riotous laughter.

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