HONG KONG • Cantopop star Leslie Cheung, who died almost 17 years ago, is still fondly remembered by fans for his movies such as A Chinese Ghost Story (1987), Days Of Being Wild (1990) and Farewell My Concubine (1993).
Affectionately known as Gor Gor (elder brother in Cantonese) in Hong Kong show business, Cheung died at the age of 46 on April 1, 2003, when the city was going through the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak. He had committed suicide.
To mark his death anniversary this year, Hong Kong's Mandarin Motion Pictures is releasing two of his movies in 4K-remastered versions in cinemas over the next two weeks.
The first movie, The Bride With White Hair (1993), will be screened on Wednesday.
The movie, directed by Ronny Yu and starring Cheung and Taiwanese actress Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia, is loosely based on late martial arts novelist Liang Yusheng's novel The Story Of The White Haired Demoness (1957).
The second movie, The Phantom Lover (1995), will be released on April 8.
The movie, also directed by Yu, starred Cheung and Taiwanese actress Jacklyn Wu.
It was a remake of the 1937 Chinese film Song At Midnight, which is inspired by the French novel The Phantom Of The Opera.
The movie won Best Art Direction and Best Costume & Make Up Design at the Hong Kong Film Award in 1996.