Opium: The White Powder Opera

Overview

Set in Hong Kong, the narcotics documentary Opium: The White Powder Opera (1976-77) was commissioned by a British television station. Yung, its associate producer and cinematographer, joined the surveillance team of the Narcotics Bureau to acquaint himself with the workings of the drug trade. This paved the way for The System. In addition to the cat-and-mouse game between the cops and the druglord, a fascinating thread traces the relationship among dealers, junkies and mules in Sai Ying Pun. The title hails from Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera, another tragedy concerned with a capitalist society’s oppressed and exploited nobodies.

Details

Status

Released

Release date

November 2, 1976

Original language

English

Production

Associated Television

Director

Adrian Cowell

Producer

Peter Yung Wai-Chuen

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

View on IMDb