General Kwan Escorts His Sisters-in-Law on a Thousand Mile Journey (2K Digitised Version)

Dirs: Joseph Sunn Jue, Moon Kwan Man-ching
Orig Story: Luo Guanzhong
Scr: Moon Kwan Man-ching
Prod Co: Lixing
Cast: Kwan Tak-hing, Lai Yee, Fung Wong Nui, Leung Sing-por, Cheung Sing-fei
1957 | Colour | DCP | Cantonese | 111min

Inspired by Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the film depicts how Guan Yu (Kwan Tak-hing) escorts Liu Bei’s (Cheung Sing-fei) two wives (Lai Yee, Fung Wong Nui) to their husband in Hebei. They experience numerous hardships on the road, from being robbed of all their supplies to encountering poisonous snakes. They finally arrive at their destination, but Guan’s sworn brother, Zhang Fei (Leung Sing-por), mistakenly believes that Guan has surrendered to Cao Cao…

The extensive use of location shooting in the first part of the film gives way to studio sets as the three characters arrive in Hebei. At this point, the film records the actors’ impressive technical performances in the style of a stage documentary. Aside from Leung in a rare showcase of his traditional Cantonese opera techniques, Kwan gives a masterclass in the role of Lord Guan, especially through his postures, movements, and walking styles. His eyes remain half-closed throughout most of his performance, but then switch to a fierce, open-eyed glare in fight scenes, as highlighted through the use of close-ups.

The screening features a newly digitised version of the film from the Archive’s collection. A rare film viewing opportunity not to be missed!

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.