How 2 films from Li Han-hsiang became classics of Hong Kong’s Chinese folk opera cinema
Love Eterne and Dream of the Red Chamber are two very different ‘huangmei diao’ films from legendary Hong Kong director Li Han-hsiang
Notably, these productions were not filmed stage operas but fully formed cinematic experiences, akin to Hollywood musicals.
Here we look at two very different huangmei diao films directed by Li.
The Love Eterne (1963)
The story, based on the well-known folk tale The Butterfly Lovers, follows a young woman, Zhu Yingtai (Betty Loh Ti), who dresses as a boy to attend school. She falls in love with her best friend and classmate Liang Shanbo (Ivy Ling Po, playing a boy for the first time), who is unaware that she is a girl.
When Zhu is unexpectedly called home, she wants to confess her true identity and her love, but Liang remains oblivious. By the time he finds out, Zhu has been betrothed to a rich man.
After Liang dies from a broken heart, Zhu diverts her wedding procession to his grave, where she is swept up in a storm. The two lovers are reincarnated as butterflies and flutter away together.