TILL THE END OF TIME (1966) is a production of Hong Kong's Shaw Bros. Studio and may be the best of the contemporary musicals and romantic dramas I've seen from its era. (I've reviewed quite a number of them for IMDB.) It tells the story of a composer (Peter Chen Ho) who woos a singer (Jenny Hu), culminating in marriage, a baby, a debilitating illness, separation and reunion.
Unlike so many of the Shaw films in these genres, there are no major contrivances, no eye-rolling plot holes, and no forced comic relief. Even Li Kwan, usually a buffoon in these films, plays a straightforward role as the hero's sensible reporter buddy. Peter Chen Ho never does anything stupid or annoying, as was his wont in Shaw's romantic comedies, but aims in a straight line to pursue sincere and committed romantic fulfillment with Jenny Hu. He even dumps his bored socialite fiancée (Lily Ho) for her and is disowned by his wealthy family for marrying "a common singer." The ailment he suffers, however, brings out his stubbornness and pride and causes him to do something unwise, but understandable, creating quite an obstacle for the otherwise happy couple in the second half of the film.
The proceedings are staged by director-writer Chin Chien in a most tasteful and sensitive manner and directed at a no-nonsense pace that takes us through the course of about two full years in the couple's life, without a frame of waste. This was Jenny Hu's first film in a 46-film career as an actress and singer that spanned 18 years (1966-1984). She's remarkably good at meeting the considerable dramatic demands of her role, but the real revelation is her beautiful voice, which sounds like she was classically trained. (Her father was Chinese and her mother German. Miss Hu spent part of her youth in Germany.) She sings some amusingly jaunty pop songs, e.g. "Let's Not Twist Again," but she really shines in the love songs she does at a nightclub in the film, including a Mandarin version of the title song, which was originally a hit for Perry Como back in 1945. As her character's career flourishes, she appears in films and on television and eventually sings a tearjerking song her husband wrote live on the radio. A sublime moment.
Special note should be made of actress Ouyang Shafei, who was only 42 when she made this but very convincingly plays Jenny's aged grandmother who initially spurns Peter's marriage offer because of the class differences between the two, but embraces him warmly when he walks out on his family for Jenny.
