I Do
Director: Lau Kar-ho
Year: 1985
Rating: 4.0
This 1985 Cinema
City venture should have a label attached saying for “Ann Bridgewater fans
only”. Thankfully, I am one of those and have come to realize from a number
of e-mails that so are quite a few other people. Considering that during
her fairly short career (1985-1993), she primarily was attached to “B” films
with the exception of Full Contact, she attracted a lot of fans that still
harbor a sense of affection for her. At the same time, she has been discovered
by newer HK film fans who have come across her in Full Contact or some of
her Stephen Chow films or even her Cinema City comedies.
It’s is not hard to understand why people find her so appealing with her
beautifully intriguing looks (a mix of Chinese and English), a dazzling smile
and light comedic touch. What is more surprising is that she never became
a bigger star than she did. Even in an early piddling film such as this one,
she simply stands out and every scene she is in feels worth watching.
One interesting tidbit about her background
is that prior to going into film, Ann was a championship ice skater who competed
internationally. I have always felt a bit skeptical about this information
– HK doesn’t seem to be the most natural place to come from to be a champion
ice skater – but now I have seen it first hand. This film has three scenes
in which Ann dons the ice skates and puts on a show and she clearly is a
hell of a good skater.
Ann (her characters name as well) returns to HK from abroad and looks for
employment. Her first job as an ice skate teacher lasts for about two minutes
as she tells the little eight year old girls “ice skating is as easy as do-re-mi”
and proceeds to put on a showcase that ends on a screeching dime right in
front of them – and sends them screaming to their moms! Next, Ann gets work
in a flower shop – and she and her female friend begin a romance with the
two guys working in a photo shop – one of them is Liu Wai Hung and the other
possibly Wan Wai Lun. The latter fellow turns out to be a very good skater
as well and the two of them have a couple of duets.
Complications arise because it turns out that Ann is from a very wealthy
family, while her boyfriend is not. Helen Law Lan as the head servant tries
to sabotage the romance because she hates the idea of anyone rising above
their status. The boy wants to prove himself and so goes to work for Ng Man-tat
at a printing press. None of this is particularly involving – in fact it
is quite dull – but it was kind of neat seeing Ann skating like an angel
and motorcycling and breakdancing!
