Fantastic news for fans of Hong Kong Cinema both old and new! Today the Hong Kong Film Archive announces arguably its most ambitious film programme to-date: 100 Must-See Movies. Director of Programming Sam Ho and his dedicated team have ploughed their way through the archive's 90,000-strong collection to present 100 of the very best films the city has produced, from Benjamin Brodsky's 1916 silent A TRIP THROUGH CHINA to Johnnie To's 1999 masterpiece, THE MISSION.
The broad selection is a treasure trove of classics and previously undiscovered gems. There are obvious but essential choices like Tsui Hark's ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA, Yuen Woo Ping's DRUNKEN MASTER and John Woo's A BETTER TOMORROW, as well as martial arts classics like King Hu's COME DRINK WITH ME and A TOUCH OF ZEN, Sammo Hung's THE PRODIGAL SON and Bruce Lee's THE WAY OF THE DRAGON. The arthouse crowd is also well catered for with Wong Kar Wai's DAYS OF BEING WILD and ASHES OF TIME, Ann Hui's THE SECRET and Stanley Kwan's ROUGE.
What is most exciting, however, is the opportunity to plunder areas of Hong Kong's cinematic past that haven't received nearly as much love as its action films. There is a strong contingent of melodramas from the 1950s in the series, featuring such underappreciated classics as Lee Sun Fung's IT WAS A COLD WINTER NIGHT, Wong Tin Lam's THE WILD, WILD ROSE or even screwball comedies like Li Pingqian's AWFUL TRUTH.
The programme is a massive commitment for the Film Archive, which endeavours to show one film every two weeks for the next FOUR YEARS and promises to be a wonderful exploration for audiences. The films will not be screening in chronological order, but mixing up the old with the new to ensure there is always something just around the corner to please more selective viewers. It is my intention to get to as many of these screenings as possible and produce a new bi-weekly column exploring these films, from the revered classics to those about to be unearthed.
Here is the full list of films to be screened. Let us know what you think. Which films are missing, in your opinion? Which do you recommend?
| Year | Title | Director |
| 1916 | A Trip Through China | Benjamin Brodsky |
| 1939 | Orphan Island Paradise | Tsai Chu Sang |
| 1941 | Scenes of Yan'an (aka On The Northwest Front Line) | Lam Chong, Tsui Tin Cheung |
| 1941 | Roar of the People | Tang Xiaodan |
| 1941 | A Page of History | Lai Man Wai |
| 1948 | Sorrows of the Forbidden City | Zhu Shilin |
| 1949 | Blood Will Tell | Griffin Yue Feng |
| 1949 | Wong Fei Hung's Whip That Smacks The Candle | Wu Pang |
| 1949 | Wong Fei Hung Burns The Tyrants' Lair | Wu Pang |
| 1950 | Dawn Must Come | Wong Wai Yat |
| 1950 | The Kid | Fung Fung |
| 1950 | Awful Truth | Li Pingqian |
| 1950 | The Misarranged Love Trap | Mok Hong Si |
| 1951 | Blood-stained Azaleas | Lee Sun Fung |
| 1951 | Should They Marry? | Zhu Shilin, Bai Chen |
| 1951 | Mysterious Murderer Part 1 | Tong Tik Sang |
| 1951 | Mysterious Murderer Part 2 | Tong Tik Sang |
| 1952 | The Prodigal Son | Ng Wui |
| 1953/1954 | Family/Spring/Autumn | Ng Wui/Lee Sun Fung/Chun Kim |
| 1953 | Festival Moon | Zhu Shilin |
| 1953 | In The Face of Demolition | Lee Tit |
| 1954 | Story of Father and Son | Ng Wui |
| 1954 | Mutual Understanding | Chun Kim |
| 1955 | It Was A Cold Winter Night (aka Cold Night) | Lee Sun Fung |
| 1955 | Parents' Hearts | Chun Kim |
| 1955 | Eternal Love | Lee Tit |
| 1955 | Anna | Lee Sun Fung |
| 1956 | Blood In Snow | Li Han Hsiang |
| 1956 | The Wall | Wong Hang |
| 1956 | The Seventh Heaven | Ng Wui |
| 1957 | Golden Lotus | Griffin Yue Feng |
| 1957 | Love Lingers On | Tso Kea |
| 1957 | The Sorrowful Lute | Tso Kea |
| 1957 | Our Sister Hedy | Doe Ching |
| 1959 | Money | Ng Wui |
| 1959 | Butterfly and Red Pear Blossom | Lee Tit |
| 1959 | The Chair | Tso Kea |
| 1960 | Laugh, Clown, Laugh | Li Pingqian |
| 1960 | Forever Yours | Evan Yang |
| 1960 | Motherhood | Tso Kea |
| 1960 | The Wild, Wild Rose | Wong Tin Lam |
| 1960 | The Eternal Love | Zhu Shilin |
| 1961 | Father Is Back | Lee Tit |
| 1961 | How To Get A Wife | Chun Kim |
| 1963 | Empress Wu Tse Tien | Li Han Hsiang |
| 1963 | Father Takes A Bride | Wong Tin Lam |
| 1965 | Ungratefulness (aka Remorse) | Chor Yuen |
| 1966 | Come Drink With Me | King Hu |
| 1967 | Story of a Discharged Prisoner | Patrick Lung Kong |
| 1967 | Paragon of Sword & Knife Part 1 | Chan Lit Bun |
| 1968 | Paragon of Sword & Knife Part 2 | Chan Lit Bun |
| 1968 | The Golden Swallow | Chang Cheh |
| 1968 | The Pregnant Maiden (aka Young, Pregnant and Unmarried) | Chor Yuen |
| 1970 | The Arch | Tong Shu Shuen |
| 1970 | Yesterday Today Tomorrow | Patrick Lung Kong |
| 1971 | A Touch of Zen | King Hu |
| 1972 | Intimiate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan | Chor Yuen |
| 1972 | The Way of the Dragon | Bruce Lee |
| 1973 | The Blood Brothers | Chang Cheh |
| 1974 | China Behind | Tong Shu Shuen |
| 1976 | The Magic Blade | Chor Yuen |
| 1976 | The Private Eyes | Michael Hui |
| 1978 | Drunken Master | Yuen Woo Ping |
| 1979 | Dirty Ho | Lau Kar Leung |
| 1979 | Raining In The Mountain | King Hu |
| 1979 | The Butterfly Murders | Tsui Hark |
| 1979 | The Secret | Ann Hui |
| 1980 | The Spooky Bunch | Ann Hui |
| 1980 | Dangerous Encounter - First Kind | Tsui Hark |
| 1981 | Man On The Brink | Alex Cheung |
| 1981 | Martial Club | Lau Kar Leung |
| 1981 | The Prodigal Son | Sammo Hung |
| 1982 | Boat People | Ann Hui |
| 1982 | Nomad | Patrick Tam |
| 1983 | Reign Behind a Curtain | Li Han Hsiang |
| 1983 | Ah Ying | Allen Fong |
| 1984 | Long Arm of the Law | Johnny Mak |
| 1984 | Homecoming | Yim Ho |
| 1984 | Shanghai Blues | Tsui Hark |
| 1985 | Mr. Vampire | Ricky Lau Koon Wai |
| 1985 | Police Story | Jackie Chan |
| 1986 | A Better Tomorrow | John Woo |
| 1986 | Just Like Weather | Allen Fong |
| 1987 | City on Fire | Ringo Lam |
| 1987 | An Autumn's Tale | Mabel Cheung |
| 1987 | A Chinese Ghost Story | Ching Siu Tung |
| 1987 | Wonder Women | Kam Kwok Leung |
| 1987 | The Romance of Book and Swords | Ann Hui |
| 1988 | Rouge | Stanley Kwan |
| 1989 | The Killer | John Woo |
| 1989 | God of Gamblers | Wong Jing |
| 1990 | Days of Being Wild | Wong Kar Wai |
| 1991 | Once Upon A Time In China | Tsui Hark |
| 1992 | Swordsman II | Ching Siu Tung |
| 1992 | The Legendary La Rose Noire | Jeff Lau |
| 1992 | Autumn Moon | Clara Law |
| 1993 | Fong Sai Yuk | Corey Yuen |
| 1993 | Fong Sai Yuk II | Corey Yuen |
| 1993 | C'est La Vie, Mon Cheri | Derek Yee |
| 1994 | Ashes Of Time | Wong Kar Wai |
| 1995 | A Chinese Odyssey - Part 1: Pandora's Box | Jeff Lau |
| 1995 | A Chinese Odyssey - Part 2: Cinderella | Jeff Lau |
| 1996 | Comrades, Almost a Love Story | Peter Chan |
| 1997 | Made in Hong Kong | Fruit Chan |
| 1999 | The Mission | Johnnie To |
Good to see they found at least 1 Jing Wong film to show :p
What are the creteria for this list? Actually a lot of classic films are missing here, Hongkong cinema is loved and known for by people around the world. One hundred titles are just not enough.
Yes Martial Club and Prodigal Son are two of the best maybe they can add....
Legendary Weapons of China
Shaolin vs Wutang
Master Killer
Fists of the White Lotus
Once Upon A Time In China II
Duel To Death
Magnificent Butcher
The Victim
Warriors Two
Shaolin vs Llama