Mr Chor Yuen

1934-

Director

Chor Yuen is the screen name of Cheung Bo Kin, son of actor Cheung Wood Yau. He first appeared in Madam Wan (1954), produced by his father’s Shan Luen Motion Picture Company. He began writing scripts in 1956 and served as assistant director to Ng Wui in The Precious Lotus Lamp (1956). In 1957, he co-directed Murder on the Beach (1957) with Chan Man for Kong Ngee Motion Picture Production Company, and in 1959 made his directorial debut, The Natural Son (1959). The Great Devotion (1960) which came three years later, was a huge commercial and critical success. In his 30-year career as director, Chor Yuen made more than 100 films in various genres, many of which expanded Hong Kong cinema’s horizons. Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan (1972) is a martial arts film about a beautiful lesbian villain, while The House of 72 Tenants (1973) is credited with reviving Cantonese cinema. Titles like Killer Clans (1976) and Death Duel (1977) are also believed to have triggered a trend of Gu Long novel adaptations. From the 1980s, Chor Yuen was active in both film and television, appearing in movies such as Cherie (1984), Police Story (1985) and He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Father (1993), as well as TV series The Family Squad (1991) and A Kindred Spirit (1995). Chor was honoured with the Professional Achievement Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1998 and 2008, respectively.