Law Tung Conquers the North

Ng Kwan-lai and Sun Ma Si-tsang were top stars of both stage and screen in the 1950s and had joined hands for many films. Law Tung Conquers the North, adapted from Qing dynasty fiction, is one of their early collaborations. Law (Sun Ma) is a general in the Tang dynasty with a mission to save the emperor who is trapped by the princess of the Tibetan Empire (Ng). The princess kills Law's brother and captures Law, forcing him into marriage. Law pretends to agree while seeking revenge, but the princess herself is not without tricks up her sleeve…Ng is renowned for her acrobatic fighting skills and she puts them on spectacular display in this film, draped in sumptuous opera costumes and yielding elaborately crafted props. The film was made at a time when Ng, heeding the advice of genius librettist-director Tong Tik-sang, was working to refine her dramatic skills in an effort to expand her repertoire. The romantic dimension of the film allows her to exercise those skills, realising a wide range of emotions. Law Tung Conquers the North is an exemplar of Ng's early attempts to perfect herself as an all-round actress.

# Post-screening talk with Shu Kei

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