Up until the mid-to-late 1960s, going to the movies was still the most staple entertainment for the general public. Despite the social unrest caused by mass riots in 1967, Hong Kong's film industry made a swift recovery, treating the audience to the delights of widescreen cinema in glorious colours. With the establishment of its own colour processing workshop, Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong) Ltd went from strength to strength, and consolidated the dominance of Mandarin films in the market. By contrast, Cantonese films were lagging behind with new social trends and taste. In the midst of drastic downsizing of productions, some dedicated Cantonese film veterans took their vocation even more seriously, and came up with meticulously crafted works. However, for practical reasons, the Hong Kong film industry diverted resources to developing the Taiwanese market.

Hong Kong in the 1960s was a time of tremendous economic growth and social evolution. The baby-boomer generation created a demand for more youthful and urban film culture. Both Mandarin and Cantonese films tried to cater to this young audience by making chic, cosmopolitan drama, lively youth films packed with song and dance, and even socially conscious works that tackled the problems of rebellious or delinquent youth. On another front, a revolution was taking place in colour wuxia films, thanks to trailblazers like King Hu and Chang Cheh. Their bold recreation of the martial arts world, their innovations in action choreography and unique aesthetics of violence took the genre to dizzying heights of artistic achievement and (sometimes) commercial success. Contemporary detective and action films also thrived as variations on this genre.

Hong Kong Filmography Volume VI (1965-1969) has compiled a database of some 900 titles of both fiction and documentary films made between 1965 and 1969. 452 pages thick with 16 colour poster stills. Hardcover. Published in 2007, priced at HK$265. (Edited by Kwok Ching-ling)

ISBN 962-8050-42-7