Tai Kwun Movie Steps 2022

Tai Kwun Movie Steps

Tai Kwun Movie Steps (November-December 2022): Made-in-HK Animation Unfolded

Tai Kwun Movie Steps (Sep-Oct): Hong Kong flicks in the Multiverse of Madness

Tai Kwun Movie Steps

Tai Kwun Movie Steps

Date & Time

3 Jul - 28 Aug, 2022 4pm, Every Sunday

Location

Laundry Steps

Price

Free of charge

Programme

Co-presented by

Tai Kwun Movie Steps x Hong Kong Film Archive:
A Cinematic Portrait of Song & Dance


Musical films of Hong Kong are a magnificent confluence of many elements. Essential among them are various forms of popular culture, such as Cantonese opera, Huangmei diao, Mandarin pop, Cantonese pop and western popular music, culminating into a glorious manifestation of cinematic art. This July till August, Tai Kwun Movie Steps, together with the Hong Kong Film Archive, will present five musical films under the theme "A Cinematic Portrait of Song & Dance". Presented to audiences with the hope that they will be inspired by the creative passion of several generations of Hong Kong filmmakers, movie-goers can take in the numerous splendours of Hong Kong’s musical cinema.

Co-presented by
Tai Kwun and Hong Kong Film Archive, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Every Sunday at 4pm
Location: Laundry Steps, Tai Kwun
Free Admission

Participate in the screening of Calendar Girl and Summer and Spring to receive a complimentary limited-edition postcard after screening. Quantity is limited while stocks last.

Date

Screening

03.07 & 07.08.2022  

Calendar Girl (1959)

10.07 & 14.08.2022

Hong Kong Nocturne (1967)

17.07 & 21.08.2022

Summer and Spring (1967)

24.07 & 28.08.2022

Let’s Rock (1975)

31.07.2022   

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change! (2019)


Promotion Video


Calendar Girl

Calendar Girl
Dir/Scr: Doe Ching
Prod Co: MP & GI
Cast: Helen Li Mei, Diana Chang Chung-wen, Peter Chen Ho, Lo Wei, Lin Jing
1959    Colour    Blu-ray    Mandarin   114 min
 


Helen Li Mei and Diana Chang Chung-wen, two of the most iconic Chinese beauties of the last century, shined in this urban musical masterpiece as they played two sisters chasing and accomplishing their father’s dream with their song and dance troupe. Propelled by charming performances from its leads, Calendar Girl opens with an ensemble dance sequence set to the lively and jubilant song ‘I Love Cha-Cha'. The film captivates its audiences with its simple storytelling verve and fantastically choreographed musical numbers matched with exquisitely made costumes and stage décor. Yao Min took the musical helm on the rearrangement of 12 contemporary numbers, including ‘Drizzle’ and the world-famous ‘Rose, Rose, I Love You’. This sound repaired version has reconstructed the 40-minute lost soundtrack in the original coloured film copy with a DVD provided by a cinephile.

Courtesy of Cathay-Keris Films Pte Ltd

*For a better viewing experience, the audience is invited to put on the silent-disco headphones and enjoy the screening.


Hong Kong Nocturne

Hong Kong Nocturne
Dir/Scr: Umetsugu Inoue
Prod Co: Shaw Brothers        
Cast: Peter Chen Ho, Cheng Pei-pei, Chin Ping, Lily Ho, Ling Yun
1967    Colour    DVD    Mandarin   Chinese Subtitles    123min
 


Helmed by famed Japanese director Umetsugu Inoue, Hong Kong Nocturne was his first large-scale musical film after he joined Shaw Brothers in 1966 and became one of the studio's most landmark films. A remake of his earlier Japanese film Tonight We’ll Dance (1963) against new backdrops, the story follows three beautiful sisters—played by three of Shaw’s most charismatic stars Lily Ho, Cheng Pei-pei and Chin Ping—on their journey to pursue love and stardom. It is a Hollywood-esque musical extravaganza filled with glitzy numbers and dazzling sets, as the director continued to collaborate with his long-time partners in art direction, lighting, dance, and music. While the catchy and exuberant songs, written by Japanese veteran composer Ryoichi Hattori, were performed by iconic singers like Tsin Ting and Mona Fong, the lead actresses lit up the screen in every show-stopping musical number with their impressive dance-floor skills and irresistible charm.

©Licensed by Celestial Pictures Limited. All rights reserved.


Summer and Spring

Summer and Spring
Dir: Wong Yiu                        Scr: Wong Pak-shek (aka Ho Pik-kin)
Pro Co: Chi Leun
Cast: Lui Kay, Connie Chan Po-chu, Cheung Yee, Cheng Kwan-min, Yip Ching
1967    Colour    Blu-ray    Cantonese    95min



In the mid to late 1960s, Cantonese coming-of-age musicals stirred up a new wave of sensation as popular teen idols like Connie Chan Po-chu, Josephine Siao Fong-fong and Nancy Sit Kar-yin picked up the torch from ‘Jade Girl’ Patricia Lam Fung and became new generation silver screen sweethearts who can act, sing and dance. While Mandarin musical films were also prevalent, Summer and Spring won over movie-goers with its more approachable and relatable Cantonese songs. Connie Chan Po-chu and Lui Kay, who played a pair of sweet lovebirds, were also the most beloved silver screen duo of the time. In the film, the onscreen couple captivated audiences with many exotic singing and dancing performances. The dreamy and romantic scene where they sang a Cantonese version of Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie En Rose’ and danced against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower is no doubt a mesmerising and memorable sequence.


Let's Rock

Let’s Rock
Dirs: Wu Sau-yee, James Wong                     Scr: James Wong
Prod Co: Cauldron
Cast: Alan Tam, Kenny Bee, Bennett Pang, Anthony Chan, Danny Yip
1975    Colour    Blu-ray    Cantonese    89min



The wild popularity of boy bands in Hong Kong today is unquestionable, but if we flashback to the golden age of The Wynners and see how they rose to fame and succeeded throughout the decades—well, they may have been the ones who sowed the seeds of the whole boy band craze 50 years ago! Formed in 1973, The Wynners started out singing English pop songs which were not yet popular in the city at the time. Yet they soon made it a phenomenon and gained fame not only locally, but also in Southeast Asia. Seeing the enormous potential in these five young talents, the legendary James Wong wrote and directed this musical film for them, in which they starred with teen idols Candice Yu On-on and Chelsia Chan. It was the first time The Wynners sang Cantopop songs, which were originally scored for the film also by James Wong. As the film and the original soundtrack became a huge commercial smash, their popularity reached an unprecedented height. It is a dream-chasing and inspiring story of a group of young people aspiring to succeed in 1970s Hong Kong, both on and off-screen.


I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!
Dir: Wong Cho-lam                Scrs: Wong Cho-lam, Joey Leung, Wang Jue
Orig Story: Joe DiPietro, Jimmy Roberts
Prod Co: I Love You You are Perfect Now Change
Presenters: Film Development Fund, Shaw Brothers, Edko, Emperor, TVB, Tailor Made
Cast: Wong Cho-lam, Eric Tsang, Teresa Mo, Ivana Wong
2019    Colour    DVD    Cantonese    Chinese Subtitles    89min
 


This musical comedy is the directorial debut of Hong Kong comedian Wong Cho-lam based on Windmill Grass Theatre’s 2005 popular Cantonese adaptation of the eponymous long-running Off-Broadway musical hit. The actor-turned-director previously wrote Cantonese lyrics for the stage work, and 14 years later, he directed, wrote, and starred in this film adaptation that consists of four chapters and 13 units exploring different stages of romantic relationship. A large ensemble cast of local stars, as well as the original stage actors from Windmill Grass, are gathered to retell this timeless story about love and life as they bluntly and unapologetically sing and dance through the journey from courtship, marriage, parenthood to the final farewell.


Post-screening Sharing

In August, post-screening sharing will take place at Laundry Steps to share the context and behind-the-scene stories of the films selected in “A Cinematic Portrait of Song And Dance”. Stay after the screenings and let us know your thoughts after watching the films.
* All post-screening sharings will be conducted in Cantonese

Post-screening sharing of Calendar Girl
Date: 7 August 2022
Time: 5:45pm (after the screening of Calendar Girl)
Guest speaker: Shu Kei

Post-screening sharing of Summer and Spring
Date: 21 August 2022
Time: 5:30pm (after the screening of Summer and Spring)
Guest Speakers: Angela Law and Eric Tsang