One facet of Hong Kong cinema's unique take on feminism is gloriously highlighted in the Hong Kong Film Archive's retrospective, Licensed to Kick (Men) - The Jane Bond Films. One of the more over-the-top subgenres in the 1960s, these James Bond knock-offs are far more than the transplanting of a Hollywood trend onto Hong Kong celluloid. Two aspects stand out: the primacy of women in what was originally a male-dominated genre, and the ability of local filmmakers to not only embrace a western fad but transform it into something distinctively Hong Kong.
Even four decades ago, both of these aspects had already enjoyed a long history on the local stage and screen. The sex-segregated nature of Cantonese opera troupes until the 30s fostered gender-bending conventions that persisted well beyond, ensuring that 60s audiences were comfortable watching women play men's roles and vice versa.
Even though talking pictures overtook live performances in popularity in the post-war era, the theatrical heritage lived on-screen in the presence of many Cantonese opera-trained stars. Yam Kim-fai is the most famous example of a woman who almost always donned male garb regardless of whether the setting was historical or contemporary.
The tradition was given a breath of fresh air in the 60s by teen idols like Connie Chan Po-chu, while in Mandarin movies, Ivy Ling Po's success in cross-dressing costume spectacles led her to become Shaw Brothers' top star.
Gender-bending aside, the pre-60s Hong Kong filmography contained a lengthy roster of action adventures featuring swordswomen, lady thieves and female Robin Hoods. For the city's producers, performers, and the ticket-buying public, a transition to 007-style spies wasn't too much of a stretch.
The 60s saw feisty females like Connie Chan, Josephine Siao Fong-fong, Nam Hung and Suet Nei wearing trendy pantsuits, mini-skirts, and ingenious disguises to battle nefarious villains in camp classics like Black Rose (1965), Spy With My Face (right, 1966), The Cat Eyed Girl (1967), The Iron Lady Against the One Eyed Dragon (1967) and Gold Skeleton (1967).