Red Plum Pavilion

Dir/Scr: Wong Tin-lam
Orig Story: Zhou Choujun
Prod Co: Cathay
Co-starring: Lo Ping, Rong Rong, Leung Sing-po, Li Su, Tian Qing
1968 / Colour / D Beta / Mandarin / 94min

Betty Loh Ti was lauded as the "Queen of Tragedy" of Mandarin Cinema. Her untimely death shortly after the film's release gives a particular poignancy to this cinematic rendition of Zhou Chaojun's Ming legend, The Story of Red Plum Blossom, which also inspired Cantonese Opera playwright Tong Tik-sang's last work, Love in the Red Chamber. The narrative decision to deny Li Huiniang the chance of reincarnation through the body of her spitting image, Lu Zhaorong, is a tell-tale that the star-crossed romance is predestined to end on a melancholic note. This screening is part of ‘Archival Gems: Enchanting Shadows'; see here for the synopsis.

Screening courtesy of Cathay Organisation