Legendary Hong Kong film director Li Han-hsiang is best known for stately historical dramas like the lavish Empress Wu Tse-tien (1963), but he also made important huangmei diao opera films. Originating in mainland China’s Hubei province, this folk opera style spawned massive 1960s box office hits.
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.
