Today's film is a classic Hong Kong comedy and drama which examines the roles of both the individual and how those roles must change when one gets married. It's the classic liberal vs conservative conflict told only in the way that MP & GI could.

The Bedside Story tells the story of Dingwen and Renmei. After Renmei wins best actress at the Far East Film Festival and Dingwen wins Best Screenwriter and Director the two decide to get married, much to the disagreement of Dingwen's brother, Dingwei.

After the marriage Renmei goes back to her old ways staying out late with her boss and dancing the night away. The two stay in separate rooms and essentially have a paper marriage. It takes a little blackmail and quite a bit of comedy to straighten it all out but as is the case with MP & GI films, everything turns out alright in the end.

MP & GI films are some of the most accessible Hong Kong films to Western Audiences. They derive much of their filmmaking and plots from the Western influence in Hong Hong.

The Bedside Story is a fun little picture and is certainly a film worth watching.

Labels: 31 days of film, Cathay, Classics, Comedy, Hong Kong

If ever was there a more appropriate title for a movie, I don't know of it. This 1960 M.P. & G.I film delivers a well rounded story of the lives of three women living together and their happy times and sorrows. The trio consists of a writer who is living in her romantic past, a younger girl unhappy with her arranged marriage and infatuated with her pen-pal and an older woman whose husband went astray and despite the pleading of him and her sick child she cannot forgive and move on.

Between Tears and Laughter is, at its core, a nice romantic comedy and drama. I found myself at times, despite the troubles of the characters, of wanting to jump into the film into this rather inviting and comfortable setting. Friendship, I believe, is one of the few things that is universal and the friendship between these women to help each other out in times of need is something to really look at with admiration.

Cathay films are, to me, like an favorite old shirt; while I know not everyone can appreciate them, I get a sort of cozy feeling watching them. While I know that at the time they were made, most in Hong Kong were not living the sort of middle class lifestyle that was always showcase dbut yet, they seemed to show that life can be comfortable with just a little romance and good friends. In this age of movies with explosions, CGI and explicit sex, maybe Hollywood could learn a little from this film.

Labels: Cathay, Drama, Hong Kong, Romance

June Bride: The stars of Cathay are out in full force in this upbeat musical drama which shows in a muted way some of the ways that Western culture mixed with Chinese to create something quite different.

The very lovely and talented Grace Cheng plays Wang Tanlin who has traveled with her father for many years. She has in her travels picked up a suitor and dance partner much to her refusal. Her only love is Tung Chifang, a man she hasn't seen in over two years. However traditional she seems, she resents that her father seems to be using the marriage as nothing but a business proposal and when a third suitor, a salior played by the always wonderful Roy Chaio, comes into play Tanlin is so confused she leaves the groom in the lurch. Of course being a Cathay film you are guaranteed a happy ending.

If there was ever a film studio so devoted to happy and upbeat "slice of life" films it was the glorious and wonderful Cathay studios otherwise referred to as M.P. & G.I. As I have documented in the past the sheer amiability of everyone in the film from Grace Cheng to Roy Chaio to the portly Liu Enjia, Cathay always seemed to deliver a film worth watching. They seemed to take a topic so simple as buying a car, being a stewardess or just about dancing the Mambo, Cathay could make a 100 minute film about it and make it interesting.

Sad that those days of simple movies are gone but thanks to DVD a whole new generation can see them. I can pretty much guarantee that no one at M.P. & G.I. ever thought their films would be watched 50 years later by a white guy on the East Coast of the US but in this age of DVD, it can be done!



I definitely recommend this one just as I recommend every Cathay film.

Labels: Cathay, Comedy, Hong Kong, Musical, Romance

The Splendor of Youth: Whenever I feel down and out and I need a pick me up, I can usually count on an M. P. & G. I film to cheer me up. However, from the moment this film started, I could tell that something was different.

While the standard M. P. & G. I. film was a light hearted modern musical, this film is a heavy melodrama. Now some melodrama can at least be entertaining like Father Takes a Bride but this one felt more like a cross between a Greek tragedy and Sex Madness.

The plot is about a girl, Miss Han, who moves in with her friend Danni so she can continue her studies. Danni's mother seems eager to get her into the parties but Danni insists over and over that she not be a part of it. Of course the parties are a front for it being a sort of club where the girls of the family are essentially sold to various men. In the end we are given a stern lesson on morality and the good guys do walk away but with some serious scars.

Perhaps this film was intended to be a sort of moral play for the audience of its time to be wary and avoid such shady activity and to not let your reputation be damaged by getting in with the wrong crowd. I suppose had I watched it as a sort of moral play, I may have seen it in a different light but for now, I can't recommend this film to anyone.

Labels: Bad Movies, Cathay, Hong Kong