Dir: Lee Tit
Orig Story: Zhang Shouqing
Scr/Librettist: Tong Tik-sang
Prod Co: Hawks
Cast: Yam Kim-fai, Pak Suet-sin, Leung Sing-po, Lan Chi Pak, Luk Fei-hung
1959 / B&W / D Beta / Cantonese / 136min

 

The scholar Yu-chow (Yam Kim-fai) and the courtesan So-chow (Pak Suet-sin) write poems to each other and fall in love despite never having met. So-chow is attached to the court of a treacherous high official who schemes to keep the lovers at bay. Adapted from the Yuan opera  Tale of Red Pear Flower , Tong's script is especially notable as the lovers do not meet until the final scene. Although separation of the lovers and their resilient devotion to each other are recurring elements in the playwright's oeuvres, Tong's subtle and fluid lyrics complemented with the tightly-paced plot twists, make  Butterfly and Red Pear Blossom  one of the best Cantonese opera films ever produced. The film manages to retain the stylisations of Cantonese opera while adapting to the realism of film, leading to a near-perfect marriage of two art forms.