HONG KONG (1941) Movie Review

1984 Leung Po-Chi

The Chinese version of Casablanca has a hint of the flamboyant action that Hong Kong movies have become justly famous for, but at heart, it is a more conventional story of love in a time of chaos. Though a few cultural differences must be overcome, that story is built on universal cinematic themes and characters. More importantly for most videophiles, the film is a showcase for Chow Yun-Fat, a young actor on the brink of stardom.

In the opening scene, voice-over narrator Ah Nam (Cecilia Yip) remembers “the most painful time of my life in 1941.” She's a beautiful teenager who suffers from some kind of violent migraine headaches or small seizures that can be alleviated only by smoking opium. Everyone knows that she hasn't got long to live and so her father, a prosperous merchant, is trying to force her into a quick, financially beneficial marriage. She's in love with her childhood friend Wong Hak Keung (Alex Man). A charismatic coolie, he has organized his fellow workers in the rice warehouse into a loose union. Yip Kim Fay (Chow Yun-Fat) is newly arrived in the city from Canton. He thinks that he's just passing through on his way to either the “Old Gold Mountain” (America) or the “New Gold Mountain” (Australia). Then he meets Ah Nam, helplessly racked by pain, in the street. As those three get to know each other, Japanese forces are gathering outside the city. The British announce that they will defend Hong Kong, but at the same time, they evacuate the families of government workers.

For roughly the first half of the film, writer Koon-Chung Chan and director [Leung Po-Chi] focus on the triangular relationship. A rough friendship quickly develops between Fay and Keung, and both of them are in love with Nam. She is less certain of her feelings. When the Japanese enter, the political eclipses the personal, though the two are never completely separate. Like all Hong Kong Chinese, the young people must walk a line between opposition to the new order and collaboration. There are also regional conflicts within the Chinese community to be dealt with, and Japanese-Chinese racism.

American viewers unfamiliar with Hong Kong films will have some trouble figuring out the familial and social nuances in the first part. But none of them are critical to understanding the three central characters, or their relationship to the foreign invaders. Then later, as riots are followed by martial law imposed by the Japanese, the story could be set in almost any war-torn city from Berlin to Paris. When the three finally make up their minds to escape, [Leung Po-Chi] ratchets up the tension with some neatly staged action sequences—one in the rice warehouse and another in a gambling den. The most memorable moment is an extended sequence involving a lit firecracker in a man's ear.

Hong Kong films may be an acquired taste, but Hong Kong 1941 is one of the more accessible and expensively produced. It's a fine place for the uninitiated to begin.

Cast: Cecilia Yip (Ah Nam), Alex Man (Wong Hak Keung), Chow Yun-Fat (Yip Kim Fay); Written by: Koon-Chung Chan. Hong Kong. Running Time: 118 minutes. Format: VHS, Letterbox, DVD.