Dir: Lee Tit
Orig Story: Tang Xianzu
Scr/Librettist: Tong Tik-sang
Prod Co: Golden Phoenix Films
Cast: Lung Kim Sung, Mui Suet-si, Leung Sing-por, Lan Chi Pak
1977 / Colour / D Beta / Cantonese / Chinese Lyrics / 113 min

 

In the mid-1960s, Cantonese opera film productions started to drop in numbers, but Lee Tit continued to try different ways to merge the two art forms. In 1966, he added huangmei and western music styles into Eternal Love, featuring Connie Chan Po-chu and Josephine Siao Fongfong, in an attempt to inject youthfulness into Cantonese opera. In 1975, Lee collaborated with Chor Fung Ming Opera Troupe to make Laugh in the Sleeve, which brought in TV stars as well as location shooting. In 1977, he made a new version of The Legend of Purple Hairpin by making use of the multiple layers of space on the widescreen camera and various camera angles to give the audience a full view of the sets. Compared with the 1959 version, which featured medium shots from the waist up, this remake often zoomed in on the actors, cutting between close-ups of each character. The coloured film also allowed Lee to put on express the characters' emotions even more. Lee was still able to retain the elegance and refinement of Cantonese opera in the film, showing how he did not lose in the trends of the new era when remaking an old treasure.