Page 8 - CINEMARECORD-98

John Snadden expresses his deep admiration of Cantonese films in Once
Upon A Time in Chinatown. His excellent insights remind me that
Cantonese films of the 1980s and 90s really were distinctly scripted and
crafted around Chinese and quite often Buddhist precepts, despite the
allure of Hollywood and the then still lingering backdrop of British
colonial rule, prior to 1 July 1997.

John Snadden contends that the pinnacle of Cantonese action films
possibly occurred in 1994 with the release of Kirk Wong’s Rock ‘n’ Roll
Cop which he concludes “packs an emotional and physical punch, the
like of which I’ve never experienced in an action film before or since”.
The following year, Tsui Hark’s masterpiece The Blade was, in
retrospect, according to Snadden, a fulfilling culmination of the golden
age of Cantonese cinema. Sadly, after 1997 many Hong Kong actors and
directors turned to Hollywood. Cantonese film product began to diminish.

Chinatown Cinema, Lonsdale Street I enjoyed attending some Hong Kong films during the glory days,
although my cultural awareness was and probably still is rudimentary.
The English subtitles were not always sound and could at times elicit
array of Cantonese films were exhibited in Melbourne during the 1990s. paroxysms of laughter from a minority western audience. On one
As many as 15 different titles would sometimes screen in one week at occasion at the Capitol, I observed that I was the only person of
the smallest Mid City auditorium (Chinatown Cinema 3). Mid City Caucasian appearance entering the auditorium. I therefore suspect I was
had rapidly become one of the most active Cantonese Cinemas in the the only one bothering (out of necessity) to read the English subtitles.
world, outside of Hong Kong. Tears streamed down my face upon reading the translations as I tried
desperately to suppress my embarrassed laughter, surrounded by an
Chinatown Cinema never employed the former periscopic/mirror otherwise silent, attentive audience.
projection used by Hoyts from the arcade below the smallest Mid City
auditorium. Instead, Chinatown Cinema refurbished the cinema. A Western audiences of Chinese (usually Cantonese) films of the 1980s
projection booth was introduced at the rear of the auditorium and the and 90s also found delight in the often twee or old-worldly western names
seating capacity was reduced from the previous 221 to approximately assigned to the characters. For example, Honey and Sissy for women,
150. Sometimes Chinatown Cinema used Cinema 3 to screen Japanese Edgar and Horace for men.
animations.
Hong Kong films introduced me to some popular Cantonese expressions.
At the Capitol Cinema it was blissful to again see near to or at capacity - Maah maah dei means so-so or average.
houses grace the beautiful, transcendent auditorium. The 1994 premiere - Ding! is an outcry in frustration, like damn! in English. It might be said,
of Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master 2 produced full houses to all weekend for example, when a computer program crashes or a car engine fails to
sessions. Making one’s way through the foyer could be a significant start.
accomplishment. Raymond Yu’s wife Lolita even organised special - Mahk gei is slang for a cheap McDonald’s meal.
screenings at the Capitol to help raise funds for local Buddhist temples. - Yhing/ying is an expression the girls use in “chick flicks” to describe a
stylish, handsome man. I believe it translates literally to mean model or
The non-Asian segment of the audience had expanded. Frank Ben and a type.
Mark Savage reviewed Cantonese films in the Herald Sun newspaper,
such was the feverish level of interest around that time. Following are some memorable English subtitle translations of Cantonese
expressions, together with my best understanding of their meaning.
- Eat white fruit is said of one whose efforts go unrewarded.
- Ghost man is a white male.
- Pork chop is a plain girl.
- Gold rice bowl is a well-paid job.
- Break the rice bowl is to lose one’s job.
- Honey Lips describes a smooth talker.
- Chicken is a prostitute.
- Eat lemon describes the fate of a man who is rejected by a woman.
- Talk Jesus refers to conciliatory words, when more direct speech is
called for.
- Mouth Flower Flower (with flower repeated) describes a man who
sweet-talks the ladies.
- Foolish melon is a dunderhead or idiot.
- Apple shiner is one who too often seeks to curry favour with the boss.
Chinatown Cinema 1
In 1998, Joe Siu stopped running films at Mid City and the Chinatown
Cinema in Sydney closed. Raymond Yu had left the Capitol Cinema at
the beginning of 1996 and was leasing space at Mid City Cinema 2,
formerly Hoyts Cinema 4 and later 7. Cinema 2 was the second largest
of the former Hoyts auditoria with 750 seats. Chinese films briefly
reappeared at the Capitol Cinema for the 1997 Chinese Film Festival
Melbourne in May of that year. Due to a shortage of quality Chinese
language films, Cinema 1 at Chinatown was leased to an Indian film
exhibitor before the end of the 1990s. Korean films have also screened
regularly and Japanese films occasionally in Cinema 1.

Promotional posters for Chinese films in the years of the early 2000s
only advertise screenings for Chinatown Cinemas 2 and 3. Titles such
as The Legend of a Professional, Lover of the Last Empress and
Dendy Cinema, Collins St. Headlines may be familiar to audiences of that time.

8 CINEMARECORD # 98