Mr.Cinema
Encyclopedia
Mr. Cinema also known as Call Me Left (老港正傳) is a 2007 Hong Kong film
starring Anthony Wong
, Teresa Mo
, Ronald Cheng
and Karen Mok
.
leftist Zhou Heung-Kong (Anthony Wong
) who grew up in the pre-1997 British colony
of Hong Kong
starting the from 1950s. He lives with his wife Ying (Teresa Mo
) who mostly raises the family by herself. Zhou has fantasies of going to Tiananmen Square
, but has always been too poor to do so. They eventually find themselves in a HK transferred over to the People's Republic of China
. In the end Zhou realised he sacrificed everything for the communist cause, and his family is left with nothing.
magazine, applauded Chiu for 'initiating the idea of telling a Hong Kong story from the perspective of the leftists for the first time,' but deemed the movie 'ultimately overambitious'.
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
starring Anthony Wong
Anthony Wong Chau Sang
Anthony Wong Chau-sang is a Hong Kong Film Award-winning Hong Kong actor, screenwriter and film director. He is regarded as one of the most notable actors in Hong Kong.-Biography:...
, Teresa Mo
Teresa Mo
Teresa Mo Sun-kwan is a Hong Kong actress. She started her career in 1970s, and joined TVB in 1981. She became famous for being cast in The Justice of Life, which was based on Stephen Chow's works...
, Ronald Cheng
Ronald Cheng
-Biography:Originally intending to work behind the scenes as a composer and record producer, Cheng did odd jobs at his father ’s company EMI— which included doing back-up vocals for the likes of Alan Tam and Priscilla Chan — during summers as a youth...
and Karen Mok
Karen Mok
Karen Joy Morris, known more commonly in the Sinosphere as Karen Mok or Mok Man-Wai, is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter.- Biography :...
.
Plot
The story is about a pro-communistCommunist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
leftist Zhou Heung-Kong (Anthony Wong
Anthony Wong Chau Sang
Anthony Wong Chau-sang is a Hong Kong Film Award-winning Hong Kong actor, screenwriter and film director. He is regarded as one of the most notable actors in Hong Kong.-Biography:...
) who grew up in the pre-1997 British colony
British overseas territories
The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories of the United Kingdom which, although they do not form part of the United Kingdom itself, fall under its jurisdiction. They are remnants of the British Empire that have not acquired independence or have voted to remain British territories...
of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
starting the from 1950s. He lives with his wife Ying (Teresa Mo
Teresa Mo
Teresa Mo Sun-kwan is a Hong Kong actress. She started her career in 1970s, and joined TVB in 1981. She became famous for being cast in The Justice of Life, which was based on Stephen Chow's works...
) who mostly raises the family by herself. Zhou has fantasies of going to Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
, but has always been too poor to do so. They eventually find themselves in a HK transferred over to the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. In the end Zhou realised he sacrificed everything for the communist cause, and his family is left with nothing.
Cast
- Anthony WongAnthony Wong Chau SangAnthony Wong Chau-sang is a Hong Kong Film Award-winning Hong Kong actor, screenwriter and film director. He is regarded as one of the most notable actors in Hong Kong.-Biography:...
as Zo Heung Kong - Teresa MoTeresa MoTeresa Mo Sun-kwan is a Hong Kong actress. She started her career in 1970s, and joined TVB in 1981. She became famous for being cast in The Justice of Life, which was based on Stephen Chow's works...
as Chan Sau-ying - Ronald ChengRonald Cheng-Biography:Originally intending to work behind the scenes as a composer and record producer, Cheng did odd jobs at his father ’s company EMI— which included doing back-up vocals for the likes of Alan Tam and Priscilla Chan — during summers as a youth...
as Zo Chong - Karen MokKaren MokKaren Joy Morris, known more commonly in the Sinosphere as Karen Mok or Mok Man-Wai, is a three-time Golden Melody Award-winning Hong Kong-based actress and singer-songwriter.- Biography :...
as Luk Min - Paw Hee-ChingPaw Hee-ChingNina Paw Hee-Ching is a Hong Kong-based actress. She was born on July 20, 1949. Her parents are famous Chinese actor Bao Fong and Liu Su. Her younger brother Peter Pau is Academy Awards-winning and five-times Hong Kong Film Awards-winning cinematographer...
as Lee Choi-ha - John ShumJohn ShumJohn Shum Kin-Fun is a Hong Kong actor and film producer. His English name is sometimes written as John Sham.Whilst known primarily for his comedic acting roles in Hong Kong cinema, he also spent time as a political activist....
as Luk Yau
Production note
The film has been criticised for its "selective history" for covering a long period of HK's history, but does not mention the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests. The Hong Kong 1967 Leftist Riots was only covered briefly, and China's support for its HK-based loyalists is never addressed. The name of Anthony Wong's character Zhou Heung Kong is pronounced similar to "Left(ist) Hong Kong".Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews. One of them, by Vivienne Chow of MuseMuse (Hong Kong Magazine)
Muse is a bilingual Hong Kong-based multimedia publisher specializing in content related to Hong Kong's art and culture scene.. Until December 2010, Muse published an award-winning monthly arts and culture magazine...
magazine, applauded Chiu for 'initiating the idea of telling a Hong Kong story from the perspective of the leftists for the first time,' but deemed the movie 'ultimately overambitious'.