Overview: A versatile British-Chinese filmmaker whose career has spanned nearly fifty years, Po-Chih Leong has worked in a variety of genres, from action in Foxbat to horror in The Island, comedy in Ping Pong and the gangster movie in Shanghai 1920, which was nominated for Best Feature at the Chicago International Film Festival.

His masterpiece, though, is Hong Kong 1941 - an affecting war drama starring Cecilia Yip (Nomad), Alex Man (Rich and Famous) and Chow Yun-fat (The Killer) in his breakout role.

Produced by Sammo Hung, Hong Kong 1941 follows three Hongkongers forced to negotiate life under occupation as their homeland falls to the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. Ha Yuk-nam (Yip) is a young woman locked in a love triangle with her close friends Yip Kim-fei (Chow) and Wong Hak-keung (Man).

As they dream of escape, their complicated personal relationships play out against the background of oppression and brutality that was brought to Hong Kong by Japanese rule between 1941 and 1945.

A story of loyalty and love, Leong’s film deals with one of the darkest periods in Hong Kong’s history and was nominated for no less than eight awards at the 1985 Hong Kong Film Awards - winning for its breathtaking cinematography by Brian Lai (The Postman Strikes Back).

It also launched Chow Yun-fat to stardom two years before his first collaboration with John Woo in A Better Tomorrow. The Masters of Cinema series is honored to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time outside of Asia.

Blu-ray Verdict: Chow Yun-fat anchors a wildly charismatic love triangle in the foreground while the atrocities of the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong erupt in the background.

Dreams of running off to sea and making it rich in one of the twentieth century’s new fabled Gold Mountains (San Francisco and Australia), dashed against the tides of crueler and bloodier histories.

Fascinating as an evocation of Hong Kong’s experience during the War, even as its old-fashioned epic kind of filmmaking consistently feels more interested in its melodramatic machinations than in the actual epic tapestry its built for them. “Sometimes, to survive, you have to look out beyond where you are.”

In conclusion, the film won a best cinematography award in 1984 Hong Kong Film Awards (also Chow Yun Fat won the Taiwan Golden Horse for Best Actor in the same year, the film had also many other nominations for different awards) and the visual look is indeed very impressive in its natural lightning, restrained camerawork, some very effective POV shots and angles.

The scenery at the beginning and the end not only makes the film look like a circle depicting how everything can be different and avoided once we accept to change and look into ourselves but also gives some very beautiful images of the forthcoming dawn at the sea.

Every camerawork detail in the film has its purpose and is not there just to make the piece look stylish or special without any other reason. Highly recommended.

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Limited edition of 2000 copies
Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on Hong Kong 1941 and Po-Chih Leong by Gary Bettinson, editor of Asian Cinema journal
Presented in 1080p HD from a brand new 4K restoration
Original Cantonese mono audio track
Optional English dub
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
New audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Hong Kong 1984 – new video essay by Tony Rayns on the contemporary impact of Hong Kong 1941
Archival interview with Chow Yun-fat
Archival interview with Cecilia Yip
Original theatrical trailer
* All extras subject to change

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