The Doctor and the Prima Donna

The Doctor and the Prima Donna

Dirs: Yuen Yang-an, Wu Jingping
Scr: Yu Mushun
Prod Co: Sun Sun
Cast: Mao Mei, Kwan Shan, Feng Lin, Li Ciyu, Fung Chiang
1960 | B&W (Partially shot in colour) | DCP | Mandarin | Chinese Lyrics | 102min

Famous dancer and film actress Fong Nan (Mao Mei) desires both a career and a family after marrying an eminent doctor (Kwan Shan), who, however, wants her to be a stay-at-home wife. They are on the brink of divorce when he finds out she secretly rehearses for her dance and movie…Taking inspirations from Hollywood musical films, the movie is beautifully directed and meticulously produced by Yuen Yang-an and his Sun Sun Film Enterprises. While most films at the time usually depict how grassroots people rise above adversity, this one tells the story of a famed actress who thrives for success and never gives up on her artistic ambition. This reflects that women's liberation and employment was a dominating theme in left-wing movies. The finale was shot in Eastman colour negative film, which was rare before mid-60s given the limited technical resources in Hong Kong film industry, and thus a valuable record in the city's cinematic history. Not only did Yuen make a cameo appearance in the film, his son-in-law and line producer George Shen, Nina Paw Hee-ching and Cheng Pei-pei were also among the young and talented ensemble cast.


Date Time Venue
7/11/2021 (Sun) 11:00am Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive
4/9/2022 (Sun) [Additional Screening] 11:00am Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

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