Another query – was this Golden Harvest Studios?
A regret I have about my previous holidays in HK, throughout the mid- to late-90′s, was that I never made the effort to go and see the Golden Harvest Studio site on King Tung Street in Hammer Hill. Despite the fact that I was a big fan of many films to have come out of the studio for some reason it never occurred to me that I could actually go to the place and, if not get inside, at least have a peak through the railings and see HK film history in one of its tangible manifestations (woah!, two multi-syllabic words in one sentence – must ease off the pretentiousness a bit).
Alas, the studios disappeared in 2003 and were turned into Kingsford Terrace, but the impact the place had on the HK film industry can’t be understated.
I briefly covered the latter story of GH when I talked about Grand Ocean Theatre – but a quick rehash is that Messrs Chow and Ho bought what (I believe) used to be the old Cathay studios, although Bruce Thomas’ (author of “Fighting Spirit“) also mentions that the building was actually an old saw mill. The land it was on was leased from the Govt and eventually the Govt decided to sell that parcel of land, as it does every so often.
On an aside, I have been told there is a quirk in HK law that requires all money from Govt land sales to be used for infrastructure purposes – hence why we have all these massive (and some a bit stupid) infrastructure projects being carried out: Guangzhou high-speed rail link, Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, MTR island line extension, airport expansion, waterfront reclamation blah blah blah
Anyway, I digress. GH studios were stuck trying to find a replacement location and a bidding war ensued between them and Shaw’s for the Junk Bay site of what is now TVB Studios – so you can guess who won it then. GH were left without any studio facilities and dropped out of film production to concentrate on cinema management and distribution and the Golden age of HK film history came to an end, so to speak.
Of course, Raymond Chow eventually sold his controlling stake in GH to a Chinese company and there are plans afoot to resurrect the company’s fortunes in film production. All the same, the HK phase of the company’s history is essentially over.
So, getting to the point of this post, other than a very poor resolution picture of the outside of GH studios (see below – and BTW if this is your picture get in touch with me so I can give you a big thankyou) I have no idea what the studio used to look like. It seems that there is a distinct lack of pictures of the place and I have no idea why that is (were cameras banned from the studio, was it such an unspectacular place that no one deemed it worthy of preserving in a snap shot?).
Anyway, I was watching Enter the Dragon again not so long ago (still trying to nail all those locations) and noticed a building in one scenes which looks like it may have been part of the studios and I need some confirmation from clued up fans up people who have seen the studio first-hand.
The scene is the one involving Angela Mao Ying and the following is a shot from the beginning of that particular set-piece.
Now, according to some Bruce Lee sources I have read, the majority of this scene was filmed around the Wing Ting Road area near Hammer Hill. However, we can quite clearly see Kowloon Peak in the background of the shot and the angle suggests a little closer to where the GH studios used to be on King Tung Street. Anyway, look again and you will see a building on the far right.
Now, obviously in my ignorance I can’t say for sure whether or not this is part of the old studio building but zoom in and check out the “B”. The B&W snap shown previously shows that the studio had A and B sides. So is it possible that the building seen in the above ETD scene is actually the B side of the GH studio building – bit of a mess up on the studios part, but then again the film has many so I’m not complaining, I’m just very curious.
I’m am sure there are fans and collectors out there who are laughing at my total stupidity, but I really, honestly, have no idea (hence my earlier regret at so many wasted opportunities) and so I humbly invite you all to educate me.
If anyone has any other snaps and/or memories of the studios they would be willing to share, please get in touch oriental_sweetlips ‘at’ hotmail ‘dot’ com.
November 10, 2011 at 5:26 am
Hi check out this clip from a Japanese programme on Bruce.
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTkxMTc3Nzc2.html
They drive up the hill into the studio. Also shows a few of the buildings in the grounds before going inside one of the studios to interview Unicorn Chan. Pretty rare stuff.
Keep up the great work on the Bruce front. Would love to see some aerial shots of the studios and how it changed over the years if you can dig them up. Seen one in the video promo for ‘Bruce Lee Chronicles’ which you can check out just below
Cheers, AP
November 10, 2011 at 7:48 am
Hi AP – many thanks for the links – very interesting. I would love to have visited the GH studios when they were still around but just didn’t get my sh*t together in time (despite making several visits to HK between ’95 and ’98), so it is really great to see such good footage of this iconic place. I must admit, I don’t have much left to do for Bruce (a few more walking tours, a couple of longer tours covering the NT and the Island as well as a hunt to nail the outdoor location for GOD shots and footage) before leaving it to the experts once again.
The aerial views of GH studios is a good idea and can be done but relies on how many times the Govt has performed photography over the area (and at what height). I did go to the local mapping office to see if there was any shots of the area in Sai Kung Bruce used for GOD but there were just no shots at all (some close but not close enough), but seeing as GH was in urban Kowloon there may be more available over the years. Only problem is it’s $120 per snap, so not cheap.
Looking forward to Steve Kerridge’s ‘Chronicles’ eBook. I believe the release is supposed to be sometime this month (Nov 2011) published by Tiger Rock publishing: http://tiger-rock-publishing.com/
Many thanks, Phil
November 12, 2011 at 10:44 am
Hey Phil, I did manage to get myself up Hammer Hill Road way back in 1994 on my first trip to Hong Kong. But I could kick myself for not having a good look around once I got passed the old guy on the gate. Sadly it’s now far too late. Remember walking on the edge of a shanty town on the long walk up to the studio.
Found a little bit of info on the last days of the studios via a Hong Kong film Archive newsletter which you can check out below
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/HKFA/en/newsletter/newsletter06_e.pdf
Tim is right about the book “50 Years of the Hong Kong Film Production and Distribution Industries: An Exhibition” it does have some info regarding the studio. From what I can make out the yonghua film studio was first located in Kowloon Tsai then in 1955 they re-located to Hammer Hill Road and was taken over by Cathy Organization in 1957 and was renamed the motion picture and general investments studio (MP & GI). It was then re-named Cathy in 1965 they ceased operations in 1970 and then it was taken over by Golden harvest afterwards. Hope this info helps. The book is sadly lacking in pics of the studios tho. 3 really small pics from the 1970′s and 1 bigger one of the main main entrance from the 90′s.
If you can unearth any good aerial pictures of the GH studios I will defo be in the market for a print.
Hopefully I’ll be back in HK next year. It will be 10 years since I was last there so it is certainly time for another visit.
Cheers, AP
November 12, 2011 at 7:15 pm
Hi AP – thanks for the additional info and that is a great link – some good info there, especially about the Film Archive getting some of the films. And a bonus for Bruce fans with the info about The Orphan colour film being found at the Rank Studios!
Actually I know a couple of guys who attended a couple of the open days that were held there in the late 90′s and early 2000′s. In fact I understand these guys are so diehard that they flew to HK specifically for these open days hehe. You can also catch a glimpse of the studios in action during Bey Logan produced “Kung Fu Fighter” documentary that was made around 1994. I know one of the studio rooms had an infamous pillar in the middle of it that always meant the sets had to incorporate it in some way. This studio was used for the funeral scene in Fist of Fury and I have seen a behind the scenes picture of Bruce and the famous pillar painted to look like the background! I also know that the studio had a smaller studio in the attic which was used for the bed scene with Ahna Capri and John Saxon. Honestly there is so much info about the place that Bruce Lee fans would find interesting so I may have to try and convince my friend to submit to a Q+A (he’s probably reading this hehe). 10 years is a long time and you will find many changes – most not necessarily for the better
Cheers, Phil
February 28, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Is it possible for you to stand on the same spot where the screen shot was taken? Have buildings and developments changed the area completely?
Kowloon Peak must be still there at least!?
March 1, 2011 at 7:53 am
Hi Ben, yes the peak is there and it may be possible to stand in the same spot (I haven’t been so I don’t know) but the place is now surrounded by high-rises so your view would be restricted. There are some small pathways and tracks that lead up and around Hammer Hill that you can walk (without being a resident) but for all intents and purposes the place is unrecognisable. Cheers, Phil
February 28, 2011 at 9:35 pm
I went there once in the early 90s, but only because the random bus I jumped on terminated there. There was not a lot to see. In fact I didn’t know it had been redeveloped!
February 28, 2011 at 10:45 pm
Pete – as far as I am aware the site was sold and redeveloped in 2003. I’ve read stories that there was no attempt made by the studios to move their celluloid and a lot of it was strewn over the hillside while the building went on – I wonder what gems were lost in that little incident?
February 28, 2011 at 8:54 pm
The scenes with Angela Mao were filmed in and around the GH location – as your photo shows. Shots like the chase alongside a stream/riverlet were at the perimeter of the studios at the bottom – remnants of which were still visible in the latter stages of the studio’s existence (heavily concreted, of course, as is HK’s preference).
Much like yourself, I had been in HK for years and never visited the place. It was only when I learned it was getting demolished did I venture up there. The last few months they did stuntmen shows and a small exhibition of old GH props and film promo stuff like for Stormriders, which had just come out. But you were free to wander about the place, and take video if you so wanted – which I did.
February 28, 2011 at 10:40 pm
Simon – you have been a constant source of great information for me and this comment is no different, many thanks. Of course you know what I am going to ask next, right? (yes, lets see some of that video then
)
Cheers, Phil
March 5, 2011 at 9:49 am
Bruce Lee fans are the same all over the world…they wanna see some footage!
In time I’ll put it online. I still want to do a project that’ll use that and all the other BL related footage I have though, but being busy all the time it’s dragging on. But I plan to be in HK this summer, so maybe we can sort something out if you have the time.
Simon
March 5, 2011 at 4:54 pm
It’s true – either footage or never before seen photos.
Yes, let me know when you come over and we can get together for a chinwag.
Cheers, Phil
P.S check your email.
February 26, 2011 at 9:58 am
Yes, and here’s a picture from 1986:
http://homepage2.nifty.com/hongkong/ghs-1.html
See the YH logo on the door? It was the Yung Hwa Film Studio from 1955 to 1957, then the MP&GI Studio (1957-65) and was renamed as the Cathay Studio (1965-70). You can see more of that facade (as a prison) in the 1974 GH flick Games Gamblers Play.
If you’re keen on local studios and film companies, you’ll find the Hong Kong Film Archive book “50 Years of the Hong Kong Film Production and Distribution Industries: An Exhibition” a handy starting point.
February 26, 2011 at 7:16 pm
Hi Tim – excellent find, many thanks. This is exactly the sort of information I was fishing for.
Weren’t MP&GI actually Cathay films anyway? Thanks for the film tip. I had no idea the place was as old as that. I assume the supposed saw mill was pre-1955 then?
I think I have seen that book around so I shall get it next time I come across it.
Anyway, thanks for confirming my suspicions. Inadvertently or otherwise, the filmmakers caught the studio on film and we now know that more than one location was used for this scene.
Cheers, Phil
February 25, 2011 at 5:28 pm
Excellent blog, Phil, as usual.
Thanks for sharing. But it just make me HK sick again and I want to come back again to visit some more. Next year maybe.
February 25, 2011 at 6:05 pm
Thanks Thomas. Maybe you should come back to China full-time
Did you ever go to GH studios?
March 26, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Well, go back to HK you mean ?
No, nver been to the GH studio, I don’t think it is open to the public, isn’t it?
March 26, 2011 at 11:00 pm
No, it was redeveloped into Kingsford Terrace and while ago now.
I recently met someone who is somewhat of an expert on the studios and he mentioned that it did have some open days during the final throws of its life in the late 90s. He managed to get in there and grab some film of it all. But he did mention to me that the studio has closed its operation circa 1998 but the place still wasn’t redeveloped until around 2003 and up to that time the lot was just empty – the building had gone but the steps up to it and the car park were still visible.