Dir: Chu Kea
Orig Story: Shen Fu
Scr: Lo Yu-kei
Librettist: Tong Tik-sang
Prod Co: Lap Tat
Cast: Yam Kim-fai, Pak Suet-sin, Lan Chi Pak, Yam Bing-yee, Josephine Siao Fong-fong
1960 / B&W / D Beta / Cantonese / 114min

 

Sam-pak (Yam Kim-fai) and his wife Wan (Pak Suet-sin) share a passion for literature. The young man's indifference to officialdom draws strong rebukes from his father and stepmother, who eventually kick them out of the house. The couple, known for their benevolence, are saved from abject poverty by two friends who return the favour when they need it most. A screen adaptation of Shen Fu's autobiography  Six Records of a Floating Life ,  Madam Wan  is a tragedy typical of the Cantonese melodrama of the day. It however features a happy ending, as opposed to the original, in the same manner as with most Chinese operas. The farewell tune the couple sing to their children is modelled on  Moonlit Night by the Spring River , revered by some as one of the top ten Chinese classical music pieces.