The Lion's Roar

Originally a famous Ming dynasty legend, Tong Tik-sang initially adapted The Lion’s Roar into a Cantonese opera in 1958. A year later, Tao Yuen adapted it into film. Yam Kim-fai stars as Chan Kwai-sheung, a minister of rites who marries Lau Yuet-ngor (Pak Suet-sin), a girl who hails from a noble family. When Kwai-sheung’s friend So Tung-por (Leung Sing-por) takes Kwai-sheung to a brothel, Ngor’s jealous explodes. And when Kwai-sheung falls for Por’s cousin (Tam Sin-hung), Ngor turns to the courts to stop him from taking a concubine. 

The personalities of the film’s female characters stand out in this rendition of the story. Ngor, the Song Queen (Lee Hong-kum) and Mrs Kwai (Ma Siu-ying) are portrayed as modern women who are more than just ‘jealous wives’; they are ‘action-minded wives’ who could practically form a women’s independence association to fight for women’s rights. On the other hand, the men in the film are portrayed as gutless losers. Though Kwai-sheung’s fear of his wife has always been part of the legend, writer-director Cheung Wai-kwong takes it to an exaggerated level in his adaptation. A man who doesn’t truly love his wife, Kwai-sheung is overjoyed when his friends urge him to divorce Ngor. But when things become messy, the hopeless loser blames everyone else but himself. 

Cheung made five films for Tao Yuen, and collaborated the most with frequent screen partners Yam Kim-fai and Pak Suet-sin. Working in the comedy genre that he excels in, Cheung pushes the plot along in the style of a stage play, strengthening the narrative.

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