The Scores

Dir/Prod: Chan Cheuk-sang
Scr: Szeto On
Prod Co: The United
Cast: Sun Ma Si-tsang, Tina Ti, Yu Ming, Ko Lo-chuen
1969 | B&W | D Beta | Cantonese | 98min

What a wonderful full circle! Chan Cheuk-sang's first production starred Sun Ma Si-tsang and, over 30 projects later, Sun Ma's last film was directed by Chan! And what's more, The Scores was scripted by Szeto On, who had worked with Chan and Sun Ma on over a dozen comedies! With the provocatively carnal Tina Ti sharing the bill, the film was heavily promoted as a sex comedy. Yet, despite the lascivious humour and the exploitative treatment of women, it is also informed by pathos for the common folk. Its compassion for the Sun Ma and Ti characters as they endure the daily grind retains the uplifting humanism that characterises Cantonese cinema. Such is the irony of art.