The Witty Sorcerer | |||||||
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Chinese name | |||||||
Traditional Chinese | 左慈戲曹 | ||||||
Simplified Chinese | 左慈戏曹 | ||||||
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Directed by | Lai Pak-hoi | ||||||
Written by | Luo Guanzhong | ||||||
Starring | Lai Pak-hoi Xu Menghen | ||||||
Release date |
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Country | Hong Kong | ||||||
Language | Silent |
The Witty Sorcerer, also known as Zuo ci xi cao, is a 1931 Hong Kong historical comedy-drama film, directed by Lai Pak-hoi. It was released on 14 March 1931 after Lai's other film The Pain of Separation and starred Lai himself and Xu Menghen. [1] It is based on a story in the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms about Zuo Ci playing tricks on Cao Cao (played by Lai Pak-hoi). It was one of the earliest locally filmed Hong Kong feature films to become successful on a grand scale. [2]
Shaw Brothers (HK) Limited was the largest film production company in Hong Kong, operating from 1925 to 2011.
Lai Man-wai, also romanised as Lay Min-wei or M.W. Ray, considered the "Father of Hong Kong Cinema", was the director of the first Hong Kong film Zhuangzi Tests His Wife in 1913. In the film, Lai played the role of the wife, partly due to the reluctance of women to participate in show business at the time.
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese-language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of political and economic freedom than mainland China and Taiwan, and developed into a filmmaking hub for the Chinese-speaking world.
Zuo Ci, courtesy name Yuanfang, was a Chinese philosopher. He was a legendary personage of the late Eastern Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period of China. Though he is known to be from Lujiang Commandery, the years of his birth and death are unknown. It is believed that he had existed before the collapse of the Han dynasty, and it is claimed that he lived until the age of 300. He learned his magic and path to longevity from the Taoist sage Feng Heng (封衡), and eventually passed his arts to Ge Xuan.
City of Glass (玻璃之城) is a 1998 Hong Kong romance film written and directed by Mabel Cheung and starring Leon Lai, Shu Qi, Nicola Cheung and Daniel Wu.
Crooked Harbour or Kat O Hoi is a harbour at the northeast of New Territories, Hong Kong. The harbour is connected to Double Haven and the bigger sea of Mirs Bay. Crooked Island, also known as Kat O, and several islands, including Ap Chau, form the harbour with the mainland New Territories.
Kung fu film is a subgenre of martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema set in the contemporary period and featuring realistic martial arts. It lacks the fantasy elements seen in wuxia, a related martial arts genre that uses historical settings based on ancient China. Swordplay is also less common in kung-fu films than in wuxia and fighting is done through unarmed combat.
Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon is a 2008 Hong Kong action war film directed by Daniel Lee, who also writer with Lau Ho-leung. The film is loosely based on parts of the 14th-century Chinese classical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The film was reported budget of US$25 million. The film is a joint production between Hong Kong, China and South Korea. The film stars Andy Lau, Sammo Hung, Maggie Q, Vanness Wu, Andy On, and Ti Lung. The film was released theatrically in Hong Kong on 3 April 2008.
Herman Kwan Hoi-San was a Hong Kong actor. His English name was Herman Kwan. Kwan started off as a Cantonese opera actor in street theatre before joining New Voice Opera Troupe (新聲劇團). He also started singing for early Hong Kong film soundtracks and moved on to act in films, mostly adaption of opera in Cantonese. He became famous and acted in many lead roles. When Hong Kong films started to move towards Mandarin, Kwan's career faltered and joined TVB and acted in various roles. Directors and filmmakers rediscovered his talent and cast him in many supporting roles in films. In 2001, Kwan suffered a stroke and was left mute and paralysed. He died in 2006.
Spacked Out is a 2000 Hong Kong social realist film directed by Lawrence Ah Mon and produced by Johnnie To. It has a Category III rating in Hong Kong.
Sze Yap Cantonese represents the second largest Han group in Hong Kong after the group of people (Punti) originating from the Guangzhou-Sam Yap region. The Sze Yap Cantonese comes from a region in Guangdong in China called Sze Yap, now called Ng Yap, which consists of the counties of Taishan, Kaiping, Xinhui, Enping, Heshan and Jiangmen. The Sze Yap Cantonese group have contributed much to what makes Hong Kong a success. Hong Kong people of Sze Yap origin represented about 18.3% of Hong Kong's total population in 1961, and 17.4% in 1971; today this population still increases as more immigrants from the Taishanese-speaking areas of Guangdong in mainland China continue to immigrate to Hong Kong.
Lai Pak-hoi or Li Beihai (1889–1950) was a Chinese actor and producer based in Hong Kong, and an early pioneer of the Hong Kong film industry.
The Legendary Prime Minister – Zhuge Liang is a Hong Kong television series based on the life of Zhuge Liang, a chancellor of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period. Starring Adam Cheng as the title character, the series not only incorporates stories about Zhuge Liang from the 14th-century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but also includes some elements of wuxia and a fictional romance between Zhuge Liang and Xiaoqiao. The series was produced by ATV and first started airing in Hong Kong on 9 December 1985.
The Thunderstorm is a 1957 Hong Kong historical drama film starring Bruce Lee and directed by Ng Wui, who also supporting role. The film is based on the play of the same name by Chinese dramatist Cao Yu. Originally filmed and released in Cantonese in 1957, The Thunderstorm was dubbed into Mandarin for re-release during the 1970s in Hong Kong when Bruce Lee shot to superstardom during the time when Mandarin films dominated Hong Kong cinema.
Stealing a Roast Duck is a silent short directed by Liang Shao-Bo in 1909; it is considered the first film from Hong Kong. The film stars Lai Pak-hoi in a lead role, while Shao-Bo stars as the eponymous duck thief. Due to the Japanese destroying film to make bombs with nitrate, no copy of the film is extant; there has been doubt whether the film even actually existed. There are also signs that the film was shown in 1917 in Los Angeles, which would make it the earliest Chinese film with a foreign release.
Florence Lim, better known as Lim Cho-cho, was a Chinese Canadian actress in the cinema of the Republic of China and British Hong Kong from 1925 to 1954. She was the second wife of filmmaker Lai Man-Wai and the mother of actors Lai Hang and Lai Suen. Gigi Lai is her granddaughter.
Kwun-Lai Ng (1934-2018) was a former Chinese actress and Cantonese opera singer from Hong Kong. Ng was credited with over 150 films.
Centipede Horror, also known as Centipede Curse, is a 1981 Hong Kong horror film directed by Keith Li. It stars Michael Miu as Pak.