Morning Matinee──Cinematic Dreams of Wong Cheuk-hon

Wong Cheuk-hon (1920-2004) is a well-known Hong Kong film producer and distributor. He established numerous film companies between the 1950s and 1990s, including Liberty Film Co., Lan Kwong Film Company and First Film Organisation Limited. During the decades, he produced over 200 films and distributed over 1,000 films, many of which are well-known classics that have witnessed and endured the test of time.

In the 1950s, Wong became the manager of China Theatre, and at the same time began to dabble in film distribution. In 1952, he established Liberty Film Co. to produce mainly Mandarin films. In 1959, Wong established Lan Kwong Film Company, which made quite a few Cantonese comedies that were relatable to all social classes, including such classics as Three Love Affairs (aka Factory Queen, 1963) and The Diary of a Husband (1964).

Wong had a knack for discovering new talent. He set up actor training classes and groomed new stars such as Jeanette Lin Tsui and Ting Ying, as well as Alan Tang, who starred in The Student Prince (1964). In addition, he led the trends in films, pioneering co-productions with Korea, resulting in films such as The Flaming Mountain (aka The Blazing Volcano, 1962), The International Secret Agents (1967) and The Brave Tanks (1968).

In the 1970s and 1980s, Wong operated cinemas in North America, showing Chinese-language films, exposing foreigners to Chinese cinema. During that time, he was actively involved in making such well-known works as Ghost of the Mirror (1974) and Fantasies Behind the Pearly Curtain (1975). With Wong’s support, King Hu succeeded in making Legend of the Mountain (1979). In 1993, Wong received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 30th Golden Horse Awards.

This programme has selected 16 films (some of which are in 2K digital format), divided into six categories: ‘Lan Kwong Comedies’, ‘The Joys and Sorrows of Ting Ying’, ‘Pioneering Collaborations’, ‘Discovering New Stars’, ‘Selection from First Films’ and ‘Distribution Classics’, so the audience may better explore Wong Cheuk-hon’s ‘Cinematic Dreams’.

Courtesy of First Distributors (HK) Limited

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.