[2023.10.24] MARY JEAN REIMER FEELS 4K RESTORED ENCORE PREMIERE PRESSURE

Mary Jean Reimer returns from overseas for the ENCORE 4K Restored Edition premiere

The Danny Chan, Leslie Cheung, Paul Chung and Mary Jean Reimer starred ENCORE gets a 4K restored edition re-release

Some online calls Mary Jean Reimer a real beauty

The then 15 year old Mary Jean Reimer played the female lead and a couple with Danny Chan
courtesy of mingpao.com

Gigi Yim opens the show

A group of singers attend the taping of a Danny Chan special

Phil Lam feels embarrassed over singing in the wrong key, saying different conditions would affect a live performance
courtesy of mingpao.com

Gigi Yim would like to have not only the make up concert but also additional shows

courtesy of on.cc

Danny Chan Pak Keung passed away 30 years ago, so this year would have a series of memorial events for fans to relive their idol's past glory. Among them the film release 43 years ago ENCORE (HOK CHOI) would be released again with its 4K digital restored edition, which would be uniquely meaningful; lead actress Mary Jean Reimer (Yung Jing Jing) would attend the premiere on the 25th and relive her performance on the big screen again after 43 years. Yung Jing Jing joked, "I am very scared, I am afraid of destroying the beautiful mirage everyone had from 43 years ago."

ENCORE opened in 1980. Albert Yeung Sau Sing was the executive producer, Philip Chan Yan Kin the producer and Choi Kai Kwong the director. Danny Chan Pak Keung, Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing and Paul Chung Bo Law starred, with the 15 year old Yung Jing Jing making her film debut as the lead actress. Yung Jing Jing returned from overseas to attend the ENCORE 4K DIGITALLY RESTORED EDITION premiere. She said that her husband was shy and busy with his thesis. Since he would not get the movie anyway, she did not invite him to come along.

ENCORE 4K Restored Edition's trailer was released recently. Some online posted captured photos and praised her as the real beauty of the 1980s. Yung Jing Jing said, "The past doesn't stand up to revisit, but female stars are harder to be then than now. I am purely nature without any additive." How would she feel about watching her own performance again on the big screen 43 years later? She felt very afraid. "I am afraid of destroying everyone's past beautiful fantasy, since ancient times beauties are like famous generals, not allowed to show the world a head of white. Ultimately people would get old, and I am fatter than before too."

ENCORE's three lead actors Chan Pak Keung, Cheung Kwok Wing and Chung Bo Law all passed away. Would she get sentimental from watching the film again? Yung Jing Jing said, "I have been sentimental for a very long time, but it has already passed. My feeling is that youth is invincible, youth is limited; looking back at old age, who is young with no regret? Who has no regret about youth? Fortunately I haven't wasted 43 years on maintaining my appearance, my time was spent on improving my inside. I didn't waste 43 years at all. Speaking of regret I would have a few. Because I only focused on the inside, I should have taken a little time on taking care of the outside. Now in order to maintain everyone's beautiful image, I have to lose weight." She on social media promoted the film, admitted that she felt tremendous pressure from attending the premiere. She said that 43 years later she would have to see herself from 43 years ago. "In the traverse of time, I am only afraid that the peach blossoms remain the same, all the faces are not as they were."

ENCORE 4K edition took a year to restore. Every second of visual image had 24 frames of film. The time required to restore 24 frames was about a day, a 90 minute movie would have 129,600 frames. ENCORE after completing inspection and digital restoration had the final step of letting the film company or the original production team watch it from the beginning to the end. Then they could make suggestions for changes before the audience would get to relive the classic.

Radio and Television Hong Kong invited a group of singers to a Chan Pak Keung special taping. They included Gigi Yim Ming Hay, Fred Cheng Chun Won, Phil Lam Yik Hon and Rowena Cortes (Lo Wan Na).