Spring (2K Digitised Version)

Dir/Scr: Lee Sun-fung
Orig Story: Ba Jin’s novel of the same title
Cast: Ng Cho-fan, Cheung Wood-yau, Pak Yin, Yung Siu-yi, Lo Sai-kim
1953 | B&W | DCP | Cantonese | 133min

Union Film was committed to producing quality features that struck a balance between entertainment and education. Its adaptation of the New Culture Movement literary masterpiece, the Turbulent Stream trilogy, not only put the studio on the map but also remains a classic of Hong Kong art-house cinema to this very day. Head of Screenwriting and Direction, Lee Sun-fung, personally helmed the second instalment, Spring. Fully capturing the theme of “Spring Belongs to Us” from Ba Jin’s original novel, it focuses on the younger generation of the Ko family as they face various romantic and marital dilemmas. Their differing choices put them on divergent paths, with the film ending on a scene depicting a vibrant, verdant landscape, marking a stark shift from its predominantly sombre tone. By scrutinising the times through the lens of young love, the work reflects the quandaries and choices faced by young people as old and contemporary ideologies clash amidst the New Culture Movement.

Lee possessed a distinctly cultivated sensibility and was skilled at conveying the emotions of his characters, particularly female ones. Cousin Wai, portrayed by Pak Yin, sings The Death of Daiyu on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, delicately revealing a young girl’s misery resulting from a tortured romance and forced marriage. The music, composed by Cantonese music maestro Loo Kah-chi, serves as the icing on the cake, establishing the film’s elegant and melancholic atmosphere. A box-office hit in both Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland, Spring was honoured with the Films of Excellence Award (1949-55) from the Ministry of Culture of the People’s Republic of China.

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