The Fairy Shepherdess

The Fairy Shepherdess

Dir: Chow Sze-luk
Scr: Lau Cheung-ching (aka Chan Wan)
Prod Co: Longfeng
Co-starring: Law Kim-long, Fung Wong Nui, Lau Hark-suen
1958 | B&W | DCP | Cantonese | Chinese Lyrics | 114min

Fong Yim-fun's box-office magic strikes again! After her An Orphan Raised on Love (1957) became a big hit, Chow Sze-luk, the film's director and head of the Longfeng Film Company that produced it, invited the diva for another run for the money. The Fairy Shepherdess is a romantic musical with a fairy-tale setting, penned by the gifted veteran Chan Wan, with music written by Ng Yat-siu, the composer reverently crowned ‘King of Songs'. Fong plays the titled genie who comes back to earth as a mortal to repay the benefactor who buried her father in her impoverished past life. The corporeal fairy offers shelter to the benefactor's son and falls in love. They get married, but, after a child is born, she is summoned back to the heavens...Will the loving couple be forever separated? Fong takes on many faces in the film, from elegant fairy to simple shepherdess, disguised as an old woman to test the kindness of the benefactor's son, and as a mortal woman transforming from a lass to a young woman. She can beg on her knees in pity in one turn, but gets into an acrobatic fight in another, demonstrating her operatic action prowess. As if there is not enough visual excitement, Chow gives makeshift special effects the full employ, using animation, double exposures and cross dissolves to highlight the fairy's celestial attributes, adding entertainment value to the film.


Date Time Venue
7/10/2022 (Fri) 11:00am Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

The contents of the programme do not represent the views of the presenter. The presenter reserves the right to change the programme should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.