Editorial | Still something special about the silver screen
- The pandemic hit Hong Kong cinemas hard. But the Cinema Day promotion offers a walk down memory lane
There’s something special about watching films on the silver screen. Queuing up with popcorn before the doors open, the previews of coming attractions and then, for a few hours, you are transported to another world. Then there is the post-film critique session with your date, family or friends.
In Hong Kong, with its rich cinema history, it is arguably even more special.
It is therefore not without some sadness when we learn the news of two cinemas shutting their doors for the last time. The President Theatre in Causeway Bay screened its final feature at the end of April after 58 years in operation.
Just a week earlier, Golden Harvest Kai Tak shuttered its doors permanently after its final day of operation. It was the same day as the city’s “Cinema Day” to promote the industry.
Hong Kong fans at the President spoke of watching great stars through the eras: Connie Chan Po-Chu, Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Chow Yun Fat, and more recently Stephen Chow, Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung and Louis Koo.
Epic studio rivalries between Shaw Brothers and Cathay and later Golden Harvest fuelled success. Directors like Wong Kar Wai and John Woo gained fame worldwide.