4 big screen beauties from the golden age of Shaw Brothers films
We travel back in time to mark 60 years since the studio’s birth and recall a quartet of Hong Kong cinematic heroines who starred in many of its classic movies: Jenny Hu, Lucilla You Min, Margaret Hsing Hui and sassy Lily Ho
In September 1945, while the rest of the world was jubilating over the end of the second world war, China was facing another battle on its own soil – the imminent Civil War. The four-year conflict, which lasted until 1950, prompted a huge influx of refugees to flee the mainland for Hong Kong.
These expatriates included movie makers from Shanghai – the birthplace of Chinese cinema. With their state-of-the-art skills and knowledge of producing movies, they were able to continue pursuing their silver screen dreams in Hong Kong. A premier example was the acclaimed late director, Li Han-hsiang, who studied at the Shanghai Theatre Academy before escaping to Hong Kong in 1948.
Mandarin movies, rather than the Cantonese variety, therefore became mainstream in Hong Kong prior to the 1970s. At the time, two movie magnates monopolised the scene – the Motion Picture & General Investment (MP & GI) Company and the Shaw Brothers, founded in 1956 and 1958 respectively, with the former being reorganised as the Cathay Organisation (Hong Kong) in 1965.
Rivalries flared in the 1950s and 60s as the two competitors rushed to sign stars, raid talent, and beat the other to the screen with the latest popular trend. The competition stimulated industry growth, as well as production quality, and provided fertile ground for their successors to create “East Hollywood” in the golden age of the 1980s.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the birth of Shaw Brothers Pictures and we take this opportunity to revisit the studio’s heyday by looking at four of the legendary beauties who were the shining stars of the Shaw Brothers family stable during the 1950s and 60s.
1. Jenny Hu
