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The Love Eterne (12A*) (梁山伯與祝英台) + Introduction

Queer East Festival

Still from The Love Eterne

In this sumptuous 1963 opera film, maiden Chu Ying-Tai disguises herself as a boy in order to attend school. There she meets the dashing Liang Shan-Po, with whom she falls passionately in love.

In this sumptuous musical adaptation of one of China’s most famous folk tales, Betty Loh Ti plays fourth-century maiden Chu Ying-Tai, who yearns for an education. So she disguises herself as a boy in order to attend school; there she meets the dashing Liang Shan-Po, with whom she falls passionately in love.

This retrospective screening offers audiences the chance to revisit this classic film six decades after its release. Gender-bending role-play was traditional in Huangmei opera and here features as part of the story. But from a contemporary perspective, the decision to cast a female actress – Ivy Ling Po – in the male role complicates the onscreen sexual dynamics. Presenting desire as fluid and uninhibited by gender, this playful and hugely popular musical picked up numerous major awards across East Asia. 

 

1963 Hong Kong dir Li Han-Hsiang 122 min

This is screening as part of Queer East Festival 2023.

This 60th anniversary screening has an introduction with guest How Wee Ng from University of Westminster.

Cinema 1