Hong Kong Nocturne

Shaw Brothers Studio brought a number of Japanese film professionals to Hong Kong in the 1960s, the most famous being director Inoue Umetsugu. He joined Shaw in 1966, and Hong Kong Nocturne was his first production for the studio. The film follows three sisters who work as stage entertainers, born to a father who exploits their earnings. The sisters thus decides to leave him behind and pursue their own dreams and romances. Cheng Pei-pei plays the most dutiful of the three sisters, who eventually finds love with a music composer, played by Peter Chen Ho, an actor equally skilled in dancing like Cheng.

With a background in dance dating back to her teens, Cheng rarely had the opportunity to showcase her dancing on screen, although her training often informed her swordplay in wuxia films. Hong Kong Nocturne is one of the rare titles in which she could truly display her dance skills. Among the three sisters, played by Cheng alongside Lily Ho and Chin Ping, all of whom were being groomed by Shaw Brothers, she is arguably the most accomplished dancer. Inoue was known for directing splendid musical films. Working with his long-time collaborators in art direction, lighting and music, he creates a Hollywood-style musical extravaganza that makes full use of Shaw Brothers’ studio resources, resulting in a polished and immensely enjoyable musical spectacle.

Date	Time	Venue
23/10/2026 (Fri) #	11:00am	Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

# Post-screening talk with Eric Tsang Siu-wang

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.

Back to Film Screenings