Red Plum Pavilion

Dir/Scr: Wong Tin-lam
Orig Story: Zhou Choujun
Prod Co: Cathay
Cast: Betty Loh Ti, Lo Ping, Rong Rong, Leung Sing-po, Li Su, Chao Lei
1968 / Colour / D Beta / Mandarin / 95min

Cathay produced its fair share of huangmei diao films in the 1950s and 1960s to capitalise on the genre's huge popularity. Adapted from the Ming Dynasty novel The Story of Red Plum Blossom, this is the studio's last huangmei diao work, and arguably its best. Director Wong Tin-lam, ever the consummate professional with a personal touch, beautifully channelled the ‘opera light' attributes of huangmei diao into the film. He perceptively used the genre's melodic music, quasi-poetic lyrics and stylised blocking of actors to dress up his ghost story, punching up the sometimes syrupy romanticism. The performance of Betty Loh Ti, in her last released work before her untimely death, is at her costume-musical best, lending elegant dignity to the sorrowful innocence of the female ghost.

Screening courtesy of Cathay Organisation