Ho Look-ying was born in 1913 in Yuhang County near Hangzhou, Zhejiang. After secondary school he entered the workforce at nineteen, then joined Shanghai's Mingxing Film Company as a camera apprentice under Zhang Shichuan. In 1936 he moved south to Hong Kong as cinematographer for United Photoplay Service, shooting Vanguard of the Times (1937). During the war he returned to the mainland and rejoined the China Film Studio, shooting many wartime newsreels and Dongshan's drama March of Victory (1940), scripted by Tian Han. Back in Hong Kong after the war he filmed mainly Cantonese pictures, his lighting and mood-making in Blood-Stained Water Caltrop (1951) and Red Azalea (1951) now regarded as classics of black-and-white cinematography. He also shot Mandarin films and spent half a year in Japan studying colour technique at Toho, serving as cinematographer on Red Begonia (1955), billed as China's first Eastman Color feature, and on the partly colour Sakura no Miyako (1955). Through the 1950s and 1960s he shot numerous films for Shaw Brothers, MP & GI and Cathay, winning the Golden Harvest Award for Best Cinematography at the 7th Asian Film Festival for The Back Door (1960) and Best Black-and-White Cinematography at the 2nd Golden Horse Awards for Little Lotus (1963). Over a career of more than five decades he shot more than 150 films, working with directors such as Bu Wancang, Li Han-hsiang, Evan Yang, Wong Tin-lam and Lee Tit. Precise in camera movement and firm in composition, he was known as the 'King of Cinematographers' for his use of light and shadow; his credits also include The Dream of Lady Wei (1954), Snow Red (1956) and The Enchanting Shadow (1960). He also explored special-effects photography, retired after a 1981 picture and died on 30 May 2003.
Through the lighting and mood of films such as Blood-Stained Water Caltrop and Red Azalea, Ho Look-ying set a benchmark for Hong Kong black-and-white cinematography, winning festival and Golden Horse awards for The Back Door and Little Lotus. With more than 150 films over half a century he documented the growth of Mandarin and Cantonese cinema, his high-contrast style carrying a distinctly noir flavour.
Achievements
- 1936 · Moved to Hong Kong as United Photoplay Service's cinematographer, shooting Vanguard of the Times (1937).
- 1960 · Won the Golden Harvest Award for Best Cinematography at the 7th Asian Film Festival for The Back Door.
- 1963 · Won Best Black-and-White Cinematography at the 2nd Golden Horse Awards for Little Lotus.