Dataset for "The Missing Period in Cantonese Cinema, 1949-1969" Digital Archive

This is the dataset for the Digital Archive arising from the project “The Missing Period in Cantonese cinemas, 1949-1969”. The project surveys the historical development of Cantonese cinema in Hong Kong during the period 1949-1969, when Cantonese cinema went through cycles of rapid growth and decline before its eventual ‘revival’ in the early seventies.

Title Page of Phase 1: The “Missing Period” in Cantonese Cinema (1949 – 1969)

The “Missing Period” in Cantonese Cinema (1949 – 1969) is a digital archive project dedicated to the collection and categorization of primary sources on Cantonese-language, including film titles, production details, genre description, advertisement, commentaries and other relevant materials. Funded by a General Research Grant (2016 – 2018) of the Research Grant Council, the present collection presents a bilingual searchable database that covers the period 1949 – 1960. During the process of ploughing through newspaper advertisements and articles, the research team has discovered numerous film titles that are either not listed on existing databases, or in the form of scattered fragments that need verification and consolidation. Copies of these films may no longer exist, but the discovery of evidence of their theatrical release will contribute toward a more complete filmography of Cantonese cinema.

Phase 2 of this project is currently underway with the support of a second RGC grant (2018 – 2020).* It is hoped that the project can be expanded to the later decades in the coming years.

* Phase 2, Cantonese Cinema (1970 – 1997), was launched in November 2020.

For inquiries, please contact the Principal Investigator, Dr. Vivian Lee, at [email protected]