Looking Back in Anger
Looking Back in Anger (Chinese: 義不容情; lit. 'righteousness doesn’t permit feelings') was a 1989 Hong Kong TV series and one of the most watched TVB series by Chinese people in Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and around the world. Many factors contributed to the success of this series. As well as its tragic but memorable storyline, the series featured a strong cast, with Felix Wong, Deric Wan (who rose to fame with his role as the main antagonist), Carina Lau, Kathy Chow Hoi-Mei and Maggie Shiu.[1] The popular theme song of the series "Yat sang ho kau" (一生何求) was sung by Danny Chan and later by Deric Wan himself.
Looking Back in Anger | |
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Also known as | Nghĩa Bất Dung Tình 义不容情 義不容情 คู่แค้นสายโลหิต |
義不容情 | |
Created by | Wai Ka-Fai |
Directed by | Lee Kwok Lap Yuen Ying Ming |
Starring | Felix Wong Deric Wan Carina Lau Kathy Chow Maggie Shiu Elliot Ngok Kwai Hoi-san Henry Lee Carrie Ho Spencer Leung Yammie Nam Gregory Lee Soh Hang-suen |
Theme music composer | Danny Chan Dave Wong Kit |
Opening theme | Yat sang ho kau (一生何求) Bits of Sadness, Bits of Craze (幾分傷心幾分痴) |
Country of origin | Hong Kong |
Original language | Cantonese |
No. of episodes | 50 |
Production | |
Production locations | Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, China |
Running time | 42 minutes (each) |
Release | |
Original network | TVB Jade |
Original release | 3 April – 9 June 1989 |
In 2022, the drama was selected as one of ten classic TVB dramas being honoured for a new joint Youku and TVB programme.[2]
Cast
- Felix Wong as Alex Ting Yau Kin and Ting Wing Cheung, Kin and Hong’s father
- Deric Wan as Ben Ting Yau Hong, Kin's brother and the series’ main antagonist
- Yammie Lam as Mui Fan Fong, Kin and Hong’s mother[3]
- Soh Hang-suen as Aunt Wan (Yip Sau Wan), Cheun’s wife and the adoptive mother of Kin and Hong
- Maggie Shiu as Chiu Kar Mun, Hong's girlfriend and later fiancee
- Kathy Chow as Connie Lee Wah, Kin's first girlfriend
- Carina Lau as Sandy Ngai Chor Gwun, Kin’s friend, later girlfriend and then wife
- Kwan Hoi-san as Ngai Kwan, Gwun’s father, a business tycoon and Fong Sai Bong’s business rival
- Lee Shing-cheung as Michael Fung Yiu Kwok, Bong’s elder son
- Cheng Gwun-meen as Martin Chu Siu Shan
- Elliot Ngok as Henry Fung Sai Bong, father of Michael, Sam and Cindy
- Felix Lok as Mr. Szeto
- Bowie Wu as Lee Ho Cheun, Wan’s husband
- Ng Kai Ming as Sam Fung Yiu Ming, Bong’s younger son
- Gregory Lee as young Ting Yau Kin (in the 1960's)
- Kong Ngai as Lee Lap, Wah's father
- Spencer Leung as Chow Zhi Mun
- Carrie Ho as Chan Siu Ling
- Frankie Lam as Rich classmate 1
- Mak Cheung-ching as Rich classmate 2
- Gilbert Lam as Mr Yeung
- Michael Tao as Herman
- Gallen Lo as Wong Kwok-Kei
- Kiki Sheung as Cindy Fung Mei Yan, Bong’s daughter and later Hong’s wife
- Lily Li as Miss Lam, Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Ngai Chor Gwun's former boss
- Steve Lee as Toh Kum Siu
- Lau Sek-Ming as Francis Ngai Chun Kit, Gwan’s half-brother with whom she was very close to
- Galen Yu as Yau Kwok Cheung
- Cheng Kun Sin
- Chan Lei Si as Fong Hung
- Chu Sing Choi
Plot
The series starts with tycoon, Alex Ting Yau Kin (Felix Wong), waiting for a phone call. The entire story is then told in flashback.
1960s
Kin (Gregory Lee) was born into a poor family. Kin's father, Ting Wing Cheung (also played by Felix Wong) is a gambling addict much to the displeasure of his wife, Mui Fan Fong (Yammie Nam).
Fong is wrongfully accused of murder and sentenced to death. Cheung goes insane after his wife’s death.
Lee Ho Cheun (Bowie Wu) and his wife, Yip Sau Wan (So Hang Suen) adopts Kin and Hong.
Cheun suffers a fatal stroke soon after, leaving a financially destitute Wan to bring up the children.
1980s
Kin (Felix Wong) works multiple jobs to help Wan support the family. Wan takes in her brother-in-law’s daughter, Lee Wah (Kathy Chow).
In university, Hong befriends Sam Fung (Ng Kai Ming), the youngest son of Fung Sai Bong (Elliot Ngok), the prosecutor who convicted his mother. Kin meets heiress Ngai Chor Gwan (Carina Lau) on a tv show.
Hong manipulates Wah to do his assignments and starts pursuing Chiu Kar Mun (Maggie Shiu). Wah discovers Hong’s deception and stops helping him. Hong drops out of university to work for Bong. Kin and Wah become a couple.
Hong and Bong’s eldest son, Michael (Lee Seng Cheong), caused the death of Gwan’s brother, Kit (Canti Lau) over a business dispute. Hong manipulates Kin into taking the rap for him.
Kar Mun uses her uncle (Chu Tit Wo) in Malaysia to pressure Hong into marriage. Hong kills her and marries Bong’s daughter, Cindy (Kiki Sheung).
Kin is released from prison and starts a successful restaurant chain with his inmate friends. After breaking up with Wah, Kin and Gwan became a couple.
Wan finds incriminating evidence during her trip to Malaysia, forcing Hong to kill her. Kin manages to recover Wan’s body but Hong avoids extradition due to a legal loophole.
Cindy files for divorce and Hong loses his position in Bong’s company. Cindy resorts to drinking due to Hong’s constant harassment and dies before the divorce is finalized. Hong inherits her wealth.
Wah is paralyzed in a plane crash and commits suicide on the night of Kin and Gwan’s wedding.
Hong suffers major financial losses and becomes a fugitive. When attempting to rob his own family, Hong fell down an elevator shaft after a fight with Kin.
1990s
Kin spots an impoverished and crippled Hong on the streets, and gives him a lowly job at his restaurant.
Hong poisons Kin and his family during a company dinner. Kin and Gwan survived, but their son did not. Kin deduces that Hong is the culprit.
Kin sets a trap for Hong and have him arrested in Malaysia. Hong is sentenced to death. Kin persuades Bong to allow Hong's son to visit him one final time.
After Hong is executed, Gwan separates from Kin and leaves for Ethiopia. Kin says he will wait for her at the church where they got married exactly ten years to the day.
Before the ten year deadline, Kin appears on a retrospective of the tv show where he first met Gwan. Kin makes a touching plea for Gwan to return.
Present
The story comes out of flashback to the present.
Gwan calls to tell Kin she is coming home. While rushing to the airport, Kin gets into a car crash. Later, news reports indicate that Ethiopia has suffered a massive earthquake and Gwan is amongst the missing. Kin clings to the hope that Gwan will return on their ten year deadline.
On the ten year deadline, Kin heads to the church and waits for Gwan. After midnight, a disappointed Kin falls asleep on a pew. A lady in red, visible only from the waist down appears. She approaches the sleeping Kin and leaves him a note.
Kin wakes up and finds the note which implores him to forget Gwan and move on. Kin desperately calls out Gwan’s name.
Ending
There were many speculations as to the identity of the lady in red, from Kin’s sister to Gwan herself, and even her dead spirit.
25 years after the series finale aired, lead actor Felix Wong confirmed that the lady in red was Kin's adopted sister Ling, and that Gwan had already died in Ethiopia.
Filming
Principal filming occurred in Hong Kong with some scenes set in Macau. Extensive filming also took place in Malaysia; notable locations filmed include Kuala Lumpur railway station, Chin Swee Caves Temple, Genting Highlands, and Christ Church Malacca.
Notes
- 1.^ A passing reference to the murder of Vincent Chin is made as having occurred months ago in the US.
External links
References
- "30-year-old Classic "Looking Back in Anger" Reruns Start November". JayneStars.com. Retrieved 2020-04-04.
- 朱奕錦 (2022-05-18). "優酷同TVB合辦綜藝《那年的精彩》 邀兩地人重演10套無綫經典劇". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2022-05-19.
- hermes (2018-11-09). "Yammie Lam's sister may want simple funeral". The Straits Times. Retrieved 2020-04-04.