Happy Wedding

Dir: Lung To
Orig Story/Music/Scr: Tong Tik-sang
Prod Co: Tao Yuen
Cast: Yam Kim-fai, Pak Suet-sin, Leung Sing-po, Hui Ying-sau, Yam Bing-yee
1959 / B&W / D Beta / Cantonese / 110min

In this folktale set in the Warring States period, the union of love between a prince in distress (Yam Kim-fai) and a spoilt princess (Pak Suet-sin) symbolises the sealing of alliances between two states. The inclusion of mythical elements (the prince's riding on a dragon along the winds and winning the impressed princess's hand in marriage) adds a hint of magic to an otherwise realistic narrative. Lung To ingeniously applied operatic techniques to the construction of the filmic narrative as the camera follows the progress of action outdoors with fluidity and gracefulness, while the ending flashback is masterfully executed in freeze-frame shots and special effects. The pairing of Yam, who shredded her usual screen-persona as an upright scholar for a slick, canny prince in distress, and Pak's sassy portrayal of the mischievous princess, sends sparks flying in this all-time classic in the Yam–Pak repertoire.