SEEING IS BELIEVING when it comes to the glamour of movie stars from half a century ago. Patsy Ho Kar-ling - better known simply as Kar Ling - stands out effortlessly in the restaurant. Her neat hairdo, crimson lips and a complexion with few of the wrinkles one might expect in a 70-year-old are reminders of how she charmed Hong Kong audiences in the 1950s.
Then there's her immaculate attire: a tailored black suit, manicured nails painted with polish matching her eye-shadow, and a gold, diamond-studded watch.
Her poise sets her apart from today's stars. Whereas they might give the paparazzi the finger, munch fishballs on the street or slouch during interviews, Ho retains the elegance of a bygone era.
Ho is back in town - and the limelight - for a few days because the Hong Kong Film Archive (as part of the Hong Kong International Film Festival) is showcasing 40 films produced by the Kong Ngee studio, to which she was signed for most of her 13-year career.
Kong Ngee, one of the top profit-makers in the 1950s and 60s, produced films that reflected society then, with a strong grasp of trends and human mores and emotions. Characters in its films often have chic professions: in The Happy Bride (1963), Ho plays a wedding gown designer, while Patrick Tse Yin - her partner on- and off-screen in the 50s - is an architect. The movie shows how the couple deal with their complicated feelings for each other after Tse's character loses a leg.
Ho and Tse - together with Kong Suet, Chow Chung and Nam Hung - were the most popular actors of their time, with fan mail flooding the company's mailboxes. Their popularity seems undimmed. Aficionados line up at the Film Archive hours before a seminar at which Ho, Tse, Chow and Nam speak about their Kong Ngee careers.
