The Mad Phoenix

Adapted from a renowned play by the playwright Raymond To himself, The Mad Phoenix chronicles the life of another playwright, the legendary Kong Yue-kau. Widely known by his pseudonym Nam Hoi Sap-sam Long (Thirteenth Son of Nanhai), Kong's gift for words is evident at an early age. His talent is discovered by the renowned opera star Sit Kok-sin and rise to quick fame as a prolific playwright in the 1930s, turning to writing patriotic plays during WWII. After the war, he comes to resist the pressure to entertain and his career begins to falter. Mental illness ensues and he becomes homeless...A biographical film, The Mad Phoenix re-enacts many life episodes of the legendary figure who had penned over a hundred plays, his devotion to Cantonese opera equaled by his patriotism. Conflicted between principle and compromise, steadfast insistence on the former results in the ruination the exceptional artist's career and life. The film offers a compelling portrait of a playwright, highlighting the confluence his intelligence, perseverance, and righteousness, against the backdrop of Cantonese opera in Hong Kong and Guangzhou in the 1930s and 1940s.

Courtesy of Orange Sky Golden Harvest Entertainment Group

# Post-screening talk with Eric Tsang Siu-wang

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