Ep. 36: Hong Kong Film History Pt. 4 w/ Po Fung (蒲鋒) 2/2 [Cantonese]

The Hong Kong On Screen Podcast

「香港電影史導論 Podcast第四集」討論大網
有關這系列的Podcast, 詳情請看這裡。
第四集「國語影業的邅遞—由左右對立到邵氏電懋的兩強競爭」
在這第四集的podcast， 我們一共分開兩節，每節的主題如下：
4.1 電懋的興衰
4.2 邵氏的興起
討論大網：
1950年代香港的國語片影業左右對立壁壘分明。左派公司有受中共領導的長城、鳳凰公司。右派既有較重意形態的公司像新華和亞洲，也有要進入台灣市場而親台的邵氏和電懋。雖然在政治立場上對立，但兩派影片有很長一段時間都不顯示太過強烈的政治意識，拍的都是以娛樂為主的商業片。國語片漸由財雄勢大的星馬資金公司電懋和邵氏顯出明顯優勢。電懋以摩登色彩的時裝電影領風騷。邵氏起初處於劣勢，後來邵逸夫由星加坡帶來大筆資金，興建影城，拍彩色片，提升製作質素，先後創下黃梅調及武俠片的兩大潮流，到1960年代後期不單在國語片一枝獨秀，甚且粵語片市場也受到相當衝擊和影響。
⭐4.2 邵氏的興起⭐

1. 邵氏集團的源起之路？
2. 不是太多人提及的邵氏粵語片組，早期有那些重要粵語明星？有那些重要的粵語電影？
3. 林鳳早期時被戲稱為「作狀王」？為什麼呢？
4. 邵氏是從什麼時候開始大展鴻圖呢？
5. 邵氏擁有強勁的硬件（影城、資本、市場），大大提高了港片的制作的水準，可惜創作力薄弱，他們又是用什麼方法來彌補這個不足呢？
6. 邵氏電影的特色是什麼呢？所塑造的是一個怎樣的理想世界呢？
7. 李翰祥是邵氏的開山人物，為何最後會離開邵氏呢？

Outline of Introduction to Hong Kong Film Industry Podcast Part 4
About this series of podcasts, please check here.
Part 4: Left-Right Opposition and the Competition of the Two Titans
In this fourth episode of the podcast, we have two segments, each focusing on the following topics;
4.1 The Rise and Fall of MP & GI
4.2 The Rise of Shaw Bros
Outline:
Mandarin Film Industry’s Progress: From Left and Right Opposition to the Competition of Industry Titans “Shaw Bros” and “MP & GI”
In the 1950s, Hong Kong’s Mandarin Film Industry’s right and left parties became increasingly diametrically opposed. Leftist companies like the “Great Wall Movie Enterprise” and “Phoenix Motion Enterprise” received support from the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. While companies that appeared more rightist included “Hsin Hwa Motion Pictures” and “Asia Film Company.” Amongst them were companies that sought to enter and endear themselves to the Taiwanese market, including the “Shaw Bross” and “MP & GI” (also known as Cathay Organization).
Although their political stances were seemingly oppositional, both sides had for a long period where few films openly displayed any political messages-- most movies filmed were commercial features focused foremost on entertainment.
The superiority of Mandarin films gradually became clear through the abundant wealth and influence of Singaporean and Malaysian capital put into companies like “MP & GI” and “Shaw Brothers.”
“MP & GI” use of modern and fashionable films were heavily praised. “Shaw Bros,” on the other hand, was at first less favorably received. Run Run Shaw later acquired a large amount of Singaporean capital to build theaters, produce colored films, raise the manufacturing quality of the industry, and successively established Huangmei Opera and Wuxia as two of the largest film trends.
By the 1960s, these companies were superior within the Mandarin Film Market, and their impact and influence could also be seen in the Cantonese Film Market.
⭐4.2：The Rise of Shaw Bros⭐
In the fourth episode, the second section, we primarily discussed:

1. What was the origin of the Shaw Bros Group?
2. Regarding the Shaw Bros Cantonese film division, which important Cantonese-speaking stars were active in its early days? What were the significant Cantonese-language films?
3. Why was Patricia Lam Fung jokingly called the "Queen of Gestures" early on?
4. When did Shaw Bros. begin to make significant strides?
5. Shaw Bros possessed a robust infrastructure (film studios, capital, market), significantly elevating the production quality of Hong Kong cinema. Unfortunately, they had weak creative capacity. How did they address this deficiency?
6. What were the distinctive features of the Shaw Bros' films? What kind of ideal world did they portray?
7. Li Han-Hsiang was a pivotal figure at Shaw Bros. Why did he eventually leave the studio?

Follow the hosts:
Kay Ho's Instagram: @kayho1430
Po Fung's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flash1030/
This episode is part of the "Preserve Yesterday - Back to Lee Theatre VR" project, which collaborated with the Hong Kong XR Museum. For more info, visit here: https://www.hongkongxrmuseum.org/lee-theatre-ticket.
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The Hong Kong On Screen Podcast is a podcast about Hong Kong Cinema. The HKOS Podcast is hosted by Hong Kongers. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also email us at [e-mail].
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