Return on a Snowy Night

Dir: Chow Sze-luk
Orig Story: Tong Tik-sang
Scr: Lo Yu-kei
Prod Co: J. K. Willy
Cast: Fong Yim-fun, Ng Cho-fan, Cheung Wood-yau, Ma Siu-ying, Ng Tung
1957 / B&W / D Beta / Cantonese / 91min

Director Chow Sze-luk updated Tong's period drama as a cautionary tale for freedom of love and marriage set in the warlord-ridden Early Republic era. Orphaned girl Chung-fong (Fong Yim-fun) owes a debt of gratitude to warlord Suk-leung (Ng Cho-fan) for the recovery of her eyesight and pays it by marriage. On the wedding night, Meng-yu (Cheung Wood-yau), the warlord's cousin, drops by and finds to his horror that the bride is his long-lost sweetheart separated by war…Injecting her role as a seemingly fragile soul with a strong inner strength, Fong Yim-fun captivated the audience with her mesmerising nasal, velvety tone and proved a match for the consummate professional, Ng Cho-fan, their flirtatious tension on-screen established and fuelled by Chow's striking series of dolly shots capturing Chung-fong's arrival at the warlord's mansion.