Island 香島 Early1960s.jpg

Mon, 04/03/2017 - 08:21

Photo source: Discuss.com.hk

I watched this same movie - Legend of the White Snake - at Pei Ho Theatre in Sham Shui Po. The two theatres likely belonged to the same chain operation. OldTimer.

Date picture taken

1960s

Comments

Likely 1957?

This film about Madam White Snake was made in Japan, starring 李香蘭 (Shirley Yamaguchi Yoshiko) and 池部良 (Ryo Ikebe). The HK Film Archive says it was released in Japan on 22nd June 1956, but in Hong Kong, the Cantonese version was released only in May 1957 (http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac/cclib/search/showBib.jsp?f=e&id=65537773068805).

As for the version that OldTimer saw before leaving Hong Kong, could it be the Mandarin production in 1962? (Link: http://ipac.hkfa.lcsd.gov.hk/ipac/cclib/search/showBib.jsp?f=e&id=65537197811205)

And for the smaller poster just above the person, it shows the next film coming up and says the name is "神龍降妖定江山". I am singularly unable to find it in the HK Film Archive. However, google directs me to a series of advertisements in a Chinese language newspaper published in Vancouver, Canada in January 1965. Some theatre was showing it at that time. I surmise that this Canadian theatre was probably showing an old film. The following is the screen capture from the Simon Fraser University Library:

Interestingly, in the advertisement it says "中日明星粵語對白" (Chinese and Japanese actors, Cantonese dialogue). I don't know if it refers to this film or not, but it would certainly be a true description of Madam White Snake. This makes me curious whether this Island Theatre specialises in showing Japanese productions.

breskvar

Movie Legend of the White Snake

Thanks breskvar for your research. While attending night English class in 1957, I befriended one classmate and his younger brother. They lived on a roof top shanty place around the corner from Pei Ho Theatre. I had a cold that day so could not remember much about the movie, but very well one kindness between boyhood friends. The younger boy out of concern passed me his coat to keep me warm. It was about 1959 so the movie we watched would be their second version re-run by Pei Ho Theatre. Regards, Peter