Happy Wedding

Tong Tik-sang adapted his own Chinese New Year play into film. The story follows two lovers from vastly different social classes who must overcome the class-oriented beliefs of old society to be together. Yam Kim-fai plays Xiao Shi, a distressed prince of the Jin state who is unmatched in the number of silly expressions. Pak Suet-sin plays Nong-yu, the third princess of the Qin state who is so fully invested into her devotion that it’s hard not to be touched by her hoarse, mournful cries during separation. Meng Bai-ling (Hui Ying-sau) is head over heels for Nong Yu and always wants the best for her, but love is sacrifice and fulfilment, and no one understands the true meaning of love better than Nong-yu and Bai-ling. 

When Shi reminisces about being trapped in Qin and meeting Nong-yu, director Lung To uses freeze frames to create an unusual sparkling effect. Furthermore, the outdoor and indoor scenes are impressively edited seamlessly, and Lung also added spinning shots and scene transition effects. It’s clear that Lung didn’t only focus on visual effects; he also cared greatly about techniques and story. In the 1950s and 60s, Tao Yuen mainly produced Chinese opera films, and Happy Wedding is one of the timeless classics of that era.

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