Featuring one of the most uniquely colourful married couples in the history of Hong Kong cinema, Bitter Phoenix, Sorrowful Oriole is a delightful genre-blender, mixing touches of comedy, crime story, Cantonese opera and more. The film is obviously inspired by the Hollywood classic The Thin Man (1934), with Cantonese opera star Ma Si-tsang Tsang playing a master detective and singer Cheung Yuet-yee playing his wife, rollicking in witty banter, flirty insults and delicious wisecracks. It also stays close to home despite its leaning towards the West. With a Chinese title identical to a famous opera, the film takes a dramatic plot twist, taking Ma away from his upscale environ to a beggar's haven, giving him a chance to perform a cherished tune from the original. The mix of plots and styles in Bitter Phoenix, Sorrowful Oriole may be at times awkward, but the very awkwardness is a testament to Hong Kong cinema's longstanding penchant to boldly negotiate between the traditional and the modern.

Guest Commentator: Sam Ho
# To follow with seminar. See "Seminar"

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