The Sweetest Moment (1967) Director: Wong Yiu Cast: Connie Chan, Lui Kei, Lydia Shum, Cheng Kwun-min Publisher: Winson; Format: VCD English subtitles: No Full credits and synopsis from the HKFA online catalog YouTube clip Sometimes life’s sweetest moments are also the most fragile. This is certainly true of our cinema heritage. Projected on the silver screen, movies seem larger than life, immortal. But in fact they are only fragile strips of plastic, prone to the ravages of time. According to Paul Fonoroff’s book Silver Light: A Pictorial History of Hong Kong Cinema, 1920-1970, it is estimated that nearly half of the 4000 films produced in Hong Kong between 1945 and 1970 no longer exist. The situation of the 500 made before 1945 is even worse: only 4 remain. Furthermore, those films that do survive are often incomplete or damaged prints. Connie Chan fans are very familiar with this problem. Many of the video releases of her films are created from poor quality prints, and we are often disappointed by missing scenes and faded colors. Out of all the VCD releases of Connie’s films, The Sweetest Moment is undoubtedly the worst. The print used is so bad that it could serve as a textbook example of the various types of film damage and decay: from curling and warping caused by film shrinkage (and resulting in a picture which shifts in and out of focus) to severe scratches and mildew spots. The recent digital restoration of the Shaw Brothers film library highlights—by contrast—the frequently shabby releases of Connie’s films. While it’s now possible to buy a beautifully restored and letterboxed DVD copy of a musical like Hong Kong Nocturne (1967), no such release exists for The Sweetest Moment. What a shame! It’s a wonderful movie. The youth musicals produced by the Chi-luen Film Company may not have been as glamorous or spectacular as those made by the Shaw Brothers, but they made up with charm what they lacked in budget, and they are an important part of Hong Kong cinema history. What can be done so that audiences today can see these films the way they were meant to be seen? Fortunately for Connie Chan fans, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) has been working hard since 1993 to save Hong Kong’s cinematic heritage. The Archive has been collecting and conserving film prints and making video copies, thereby protecting the original prints while making the films available for viewing in their resource center and theater. After conservation comes restoration, and the HKFA has restored films such as Bruce Lee’s The Kid (which was reconstructed from different incomplete prints) and King Hu’s The Valiant Ones (whose faded colors were digitally fixed)—but like all film archives worldwide, the HKFA lacks the funds to restore every film in their collection, yet alone release them on DVD. Not only is film restoration a very expensive process, but securing permissions from copyright owners can be very difficult and costly. The HKFA has done a first-class job in preserving Hong Kong’s film culture and making it accessible to the public. It only remains for DVD companies to work with the Archive in securing the best possible prints and making the commitment and investment to produce quality releases. Whether or not this is likely to happen in a highly competitive marketplace prone to piracy is questionable. One thing is certain: whatever it takes, the films of Hong Kong cinema’s “Movie-Fan Princess” deserve some royal treatment. Reviewed by Dave Wells The photocard on the right is a reminder of what we have lost. Don’t cry, Connie! Maybe one day we will be able to see your films again in their original glory. The Cantonese youth musicals of the 60s made up with charm what they lacked in budget. Damaged but not destroyed, faded but not forgotten, Connie’s films remain pristine in the memories of her fans.