Tenth Madam To Sinks Her Treasure Chest in Anger

Dir: Wong Tin-lam
Orig Story: Feng Menglong
Scr: Fung Yat-wai
Prod Co: Yunfeng
Co-starring: Pak Suet-sin, Sun Ma Si-tsang, Lee Bo-ying, Lam Mui-mui, Lee Pang-fei
1956 / B&W / D Beta / Cantonese / 110min

Pak Suet-sin takes on the legendary role of Madam To in this gut-wrenching tale of love and sacrifice. Aspiring scholar Lee Kap (Sun Ma Si-tsang) falls in love with To – a famous courtesan – and manages to buy her way out of her predicament, after being disowned by his father for their relationship, by scraping together enough money from friends, including Lau Yu-chun (Yam Kim-fai). But when Kap decides eventually to sell To off for money so that he could return home to his wealthy family, the heartbroken To reveals a shocking truth before ending her own life. Even though Yam is relegated to a supporting role here, she gives a memorable performance as the supportive friend whose kindness and care for To strikes an intriguing contrast against Kap's heartlessness.