It So Happens to a Woman

Dir: Li Pingqian
Scr: Chu Hak
Prod Co: Great Wall
Cast: Hung Sin Nui, Ping Fan, Fu Che, Josephine Siao Fong-fong, Michael Lai
1955 | B&W | D Beta | Cantonese (Dubbed) | 108min

Made for Great Wall before Hung Sin Nui settled in the Mainland, the film coincidentally echoes real life for Hung. She stars as a middle-class woman who became wife and mother immediately after university graduation. She finds employment as a reporter through a younger classmate (Fu Che), and overcomes objection from her husband who suspects her of being unfaithful. Li created a beautiful and elegant role for Hung. Rather than explicitly commenting on her background, the film portrays the career woman's gradual understanding of society through her work as she becomes a progressive female. Whether a wife should work is a popular topic in Li's generation. The lighthearted and witty film is a gentle re-education course in essence, typical of films under leftist influence aiming to enlighten the audience.