A House Is Not a Home (Chinese: 家變) is a 1977 TVB television series. It stars Liza Wang, Simon Yam, Ha Yu, Bak Man-biu, Tang Pik-wan and Lee Heung-kam.
| A House Is Not a Home | |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 家變 |
| Created by | Yip Kit Hing |
| Starring | Liza Wang Simon Yam Tang Pik-wan Bak Man-biu Nam Hung Ha Yu Lee Heung-kam |
| Opening theme | "家變" (A House Is Not A Home) by Roman Tam |
| Composer | Joseph Koo |
| Country of origin | Hong Kong |
| Original language | Cantonese |
| No. of episodes | 110 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Yip Kit Hing |
| Running time | 45 minutes (110 episodes) |
| Original release | |
| Network | TVB |
Synopsis
editIn 1970s Hong Kong, the construction industry was booming, but hidden dangers, due to corruption often jeopardized the public's safety. Lok Fai (Bak Man-biu) is one of these construction company owners. He has two wives, the first, Yuen Heng Wan (Tang Pik-wan) has 3 children including a gay son, Lok Wah (Simon Yam). Lok Fai's second wife Wong Yee Tak (Nam Hung) has two daughters, Lok Lam (Liza Wang) and Lok Man (Tsui Mei-leng).[1]
Between the two families, sandwiches Lok's friend a banker and his lawyer son who helps to mediate between the two wives but Heng Wan and her best friend, Sze Li Mo-Yung (Lee Heung-Kam), have deep hatred for them. Lok Lam creates a magazine, but the magazine's publication has Lok Wah's nude photos! (based on the 1970s standard, it is) This causes a war among the two families, and all hell breaks loose....with the anti-corruption ICAC investigators (played by Chow Yun-fat and Bill Chan respectively) who are hot on Lok Fai's trail. With his unworthy son-in-law Ma Chun Yau (Ha Yu) taking over the business it is now up to Lok Lam to save the family business.
History
editThe TVB drama A House Is Not a Home premiered on 1 August 1977 and had 110 episodes.[2][3] Roman Tam sang the series' theme song. His performance became more popular than the theme song "Raging Tide".[2] The series was viewed by 2.4 million people, which broke the previous record.[4]
Legacy
editAccording to the scholars Heung-wah Wong and Hoi-yan Yau, Liza Wang's depicted Lok Lam, the heroine of the story, as a strong woman which "found great favor with Hong Kong audiences, especially young women". Numerous Hong Kong women mimicked the "Lok Lam hairstyle", which is a "straight shoulder-length cut with a wavy fringe". Career women viewed Lok Lam, a powerful woman focused on her career, as their exemplar in the several years after the drama was broadcast.[4]
The heroine's brother was depicted as "sissy" gay man. Although a small part, during 1970s Hong Kong television, his character was "the major representation" of a gay Hong Kong man.[5] The South China Morning Post's Lisa Cam said A House Is Not a Home made Liza Wang, Simon Yam, Ha Yu, and Tang Pik-wan "Hong Kong acting legends".[6]
References
edit- ^ "A House Is Not a Home". spcnet.tv. 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ a b Chu, Yiu-Wai (2017). Hong Kong Cantopop: A Concise History. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 203. ISBN 978-988-8390-57-1. Retrieved 28 January 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Feng, Lin (2017). Chow Yun-fat and Territories of Hong Kong Stardom. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-1-4744-0591-1. Retrieved 28 January 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Wong, Heung-wah; Yau, Hoi-yan (2016). "The Anthropology of Chinese Masculinity in Taiwan and Hong Kong". In Louie, Kam (ed.). 978-988-8208-56-2. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. p. 237. ISBN 978-988-8208-56-2. Retrieved 28 January 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Kong, Travis S. K. (2011). Chinese Male Homosexualities: Memba, Tongzhi and Golden Boy. London: Routledge. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-415-451-89-5. Retrieved 28 January 2024 – via Google Books.
- ^ Cam, Lisa (18 October 2020). "Below the Lion Rock singer Roman Tam is the 'Grand Godfather of Cantopop' and a Hong Kong LGBT icon whose claim to fame was TVB-produced drama theme songs". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
External links
edit- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 5 July 2006)