The Significance of the Cantonese Opera Inheritance
in Hong Kong:
Examples and Prospects
Cantonese Opera has a long history of the film adaptation, like the famous Cantonese Opera film 白金龙 produced in 1933. As a relatively popular form of performance of HongKong in the 1950s and 1960s, many Cantonese Opera have been adapted to movies, when the Opera movies can be described as one of the most important types of movies in HongKong. However, after1970, only 4 films produced in HongKong, they are < 三笑姻缘>(Laugh in the sleeve)(1975), <帝女花>(Princess Chang Ping)(1976),<紫钗记>(The legend of purple hairpin)(1977) and <李香君>( The legend of Lee Heung Kwan)(1990)
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image 1: the screen still of 帝女花(1976)
image from：https://baike.baidu.com/item/帝女花/6049167#viewPageContent
image 2: the newspaper cut of 白金龙(1933)
image from：https://baike.baidu.com/item/白金龙/68234#viewPageContent
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In addition to using Cantonese Opera as direct scripts, it is also a good choice to incorporate Cantonese Opera elements into HongKong movies. The famous Cantonese Opera composer 王粤生 creates 怀旧 for movie 槟城艳(Belle in Penang) (1954) which using AABA music form and major-minor mode changing skills that belongs to western music combine with the performing in Cantonese Opera's style, it shows the enterprising style of Cantonese opera music on the way of the film score. In 1999, this song was adapted again and showed in the 喜剧之王(King of comedy)(1999), with the name 屎我係一督屎. Besides, he also used the traditional Cantonese Opera music 苗梆春色 in movie 佳人有约( the Rendezvous)(1953) but broke the rule of level and oblique tones.
image from:https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/喜劇之王_(1999年電影)
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