Triennial Mourning on the Bridge
Scr/Orig Story: Tong Tik-sang
Librettist: Tong Tik-sang, Law Bo-sang
Prod Co: Daming
Cast: Yam Kim-fai, Pak Suet-sin, Leung Sing-po, Yu Ming, Yam Bing-yee
1959 / B&W / D Beta / Cantonese / 108min
Yiu-cho (Leung Sing-po) and Tse-cho (Yam Kim-fai) are two brothers who fall in love with the same woman (Pak Suet-sin). In observance with feudal virtues, Tse-cho concedes to his elder sibling despite being the true love of his soon-to-be sister-in-law. On the wedding night, the bride confesses to Yiu-cho that his younger brother is the one she really loves. Yiu-cho decides to make the ultimate sacrifice by enlisting in the army. Melodramatic as it may sound with all its overtones of tragic misunderstanding, gallantry, sacrifice, and melancholic romance, Tong's skilful rendering of his own play results in an interesting psychological interplay among the characters. The love triangle at its core is unusual for Cantonese opera films. The personal, even obsessive, quest of Pak's character for romantic and emotional fulfilment is another element rarely seen in such works.