Flashback: The Pregnant Maiden (1968) sees Connie Chan at her ‘movie-fan princess’ prime

No appraisal of 1960s Cantonese cinema is complete without an examination of teen idols in general and Connie Chan Po-chu in particular. Just 13 years old in 1960, Chan appeared in more than 200 productions before the decade’s end, embracing every genre during the rise and fall of one of Cantonese celluloid’s golden ages.

The Pregnant Maiden (1968) is one of her most representative works, a riotous farce that mesmerised Chan’s devotees across Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, but one so juvenile as to simultaneously drive non-fans to the more sophisticated Putonghua fare that by the late 60s had become the industry’s primary box office force.

Writer-director Chor Yuen, though best remembered for his lavish 70s martial arts and erotic dramas in Putonghua, was in his element with The Pregnant Maiden. The 50-plus features he directed in the 60s included more than a few screwball comedies, though perhaps none quite so crazy. The main purpose was less in relating a coherent story than in providing Chan’s devotees with a showcase befitting the megastar.

This it most certainly is, the titular heroine is a teenager who pretends to be expecting, to preserve the reputation of her unmarried but pregnant elder sister (played by Fong Sam). The set-up gives Chan free rein to adopt every kind of crowd-pleasing guise and even get involved in such “Swinging 60s” phenomena as LSD parties without losing her innocence or virginity.