THE MEDIA
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Documentaries on the music and lives of top recording artists have been well received. The flexibility and mobility of radio has been exploited in outside broad- casts of sport and ‘on location' music programmes.
Film Industry
For Hong Kong's thriving motion picture industry 1973 was a period of boom and unprecendented successes. The Mandarin kung-fu film, 'The Five Fingers of Death', produced by Shaw Brothers, Hong Kong's principal film company, broke all box-office records in the United States. Similarly with Hong Kong's second largest film production company, Golden Harvest, whose film "The Way of the Dragon' grossed $5.35 million in Hong Kong alone, more than any film previously. A later Golden Harvest film, 'Enter the Dragon' also enjoyed phenomenal success in the United States, a success marred by the death of Bruce Lee, the principal actor in the film and a local screen idol,
The new-found popularity abroad of Chinese action films produced by the two major companies, inspired the production of hundreds of similar films by small independent companies. Films produced in Hong Kong, dubbed and sub-titled in various languages, are now attracting large audiences in many parts of the world. The development of these new markets in Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere provided a considerable stimulus to local producers, no longer limited to their traditional Southeast Asian outlets. It is estimated that between 350-400 major productions were completed during the year.
While much of the success of these Chinese 'action' films can be attributed to the current world-wide interest in kung-fu, karate and other martial arts, this present popularity will probably diminish. Nevertheless, it is believed there will remain a strong residual market for Hong Kong films in the future.
There are 81 cinemas in Hong Kong, with a total seating capacity of 84,200, and attendance figures continued to be among the highest in the world per head of population.
An interesting aspect of cinema-going habits in Hong Kong is the way in which the industry has been relatively unaffected by the impact of television. Although television ownership has increased enormously in recent years, the effect on local cinema-going habits has not been as dramatic as in other countries.
Films for public exhibition in Hong Kong are subject to censorship. The Film Censorship Regulations are administered by the Television and Films Department, previously part of the Home Affairs Department, but which during the year was made a separate organisation. A total of 5,686 films were submitted for censorship in 1973, including 220 local productions.
Government Information Services
The Government Information Services is a major link between the government, the people of Hong Kong, and the rest of the world. Utilising all the media, it provides