The Disappearance (1997 TV series)

The Disappearance is a 1997 Hong Kong science fiction comedy television series produced by TVB and starring Gordon Lam as a magazine journalist who drinks a potion which grants him invisibility, and uses it expose criminals and help others around him. The series aired on TVB Jade from 27 October to 21 November 1997.

The Disappearance
Official poster
Traditional隱形怪傑
Simplified隐形怪杰
MandarinYǐn Xíng Guài Jié
CantoneseJan2 Jing4 Gwaai3 Git6
GenreScience fiction
Comedy
Written byChu King-kei
Lau Siu-kwan
Lo Mei-wan
Au Yuk-han
Cheung Chung-chai
Ng Lap-kwong
Au Kin-yee
Directed byNg Chung-chai
Law Wing-cheung
Wong Kwok-keung
Leung Tak-wah
StarringGordon Lam
Mariane Chan
Bowie Lam
Astrid Chan
Edmond Leung
Kenneth Chan
Emily Kwan
Wong Ching
Emotion Cheung
Miriam Yeung
Theme music composerJames Ting
Opening themeInvisible (透明) by Edmond Leung
Ending themeBest Friend (好朋友) by Edmond Leung
Composer(s)Mahmood Rumjahn
Country of originHong Kong
Original language(s)Cantonese
No. of episodes20
Production
Producer(s)Yeung Kam-chuen
Production location(s)Hong Kong
Production company(s)TVB
Release
Original networkTVB Jade
Original release27 October (1997-10-27) –
21 November 1997 (1997-11-21)
External links
Website

Plot

Au Chi-lap (Gordon Lam) is an optimistic magazine journalist who lives a simple, yet happy life with his parents and stepsister (Miriam Yeung). His life changes when he becomes embroiled in a jewelry theft case. Chan Shui-cheng (Bowie Lam), a fellow townsman of the Au family, arrives in Hong Kong to live with the Aus. Shui-cheng, who worked as an assistant to a scientist in Hunan, insists the jewelry theft is an invisible person who drank a potion created by the scientist. Shui-cheng investigates this with the help from San Hiu-lam (Mariane Chan), the Aus' new neighbor who is a well-meaning, ambitious but clumsy beat cop. Chi-lap also joins in as he does not believe Shui-cheng's bizarre claims and thinks the latter is trying to con Hiu-lam.

Not long after, Chi-lap is framed by the chief editor of a rival magazine company, Victor Tsui (Kenneth Chan) for fabricating false news, which causes his employer to face criminal charges. When Chi-lap finds out that Shui-cheng's claims about invisibility were true, he drinks a bottle of the potion kept by Shui-cheng achieves invisibility in order to gather evidence against Victor and save his magazine company.

Later, Chi-lap also encounters and works with Victor's girlfriend, Wing Cheuk (Astrid Chan), whom he was a never a fan of. One time when they were on a job to interview a triad boss in Huidong County, Guangdong, Chi-lap uses his invisibility to save Wing from an attack from the triads which left her temporary blind, so she did not find out about this secret. The two become friends afterwards and Chi-lap warns Wing about Victor, who is using her to get rich since she is the daughter of a rich tycoon, but she dismisses Chi-lap's claims. By chance, Wing finds out Victor's scheme and breaks up with him, while Chi-lap comforts her during this rough period and their relationship blossoms into a romance. After losing his opportunity to strike fortune, Victor is bent on seeking revenge on Chi-lap for getting in his way.

Cast

The Au family
  • Wong Ching as Au Wing-kuen (區永權), Chi-lap's father who works as a security officer.
  • Mannor Chan as Au Lee Siu-foon (區李笑歡), Wing-kuen's second wife who is Chi-lap's stepmother and San-san's mother.
  • Gordon Lam as Au Chi-lap (區志立), a journalist for "Chuen Chun Weekly" (傳真週刊) who achieves invisibility after drinking a potion. He turns invisible once his heart rate goes up and would re-appear visible when Hiu-lam screams.
  • Miriam Yeung as Au San-san (區珊珊), Chi-lap's younger stepsister who owns a store with his stepbrother's friend and co-worker, Yat-sing, who she eventually develops a romance with.

The Cheung family
  • Cheung Ying-choi as Cheung Siu-nin (蔣兆年), chairman of the Cheung's Corporation and Wing's father who abandoned his first wife and Wing's mother Yuk-fun, in the past.
  • Alice Fung as Cheuk Yuk-fun (卓玉芬), Siu-nin's ex-wife and Wing's mother who raised her daughter without relying on her ex-husband's wealth.
  • Mary Hon as Wong Man-na (王曼娜), Siu-nin's wife who swayed his husband in abandoning Yuk-fun and is eyeing on her husband's fortune.
  • Maggie Chan as Cheung Siu-ling (蔣兆玲), Siu-nin's younger sister who was used by Victor.
  • Lee Wai-man as Eric Cheung (蔣庭豐), Siu-nin and Man-na's homosexual son who is a doctor. San-san initially had a crush on him and he used her to cover up his homosexuality to avoid shocking his father.
  • Astrid Chan as Wing Cheuk (卓穎), Siu-nin and Yuk-fun's daughter who is a fierce journalist who used to work for "In Weekly" (IN週刊) before moving to "Chuen Chun Weekly" and working with Chi-lap. She initially dated Victor before discovering his deceptive side and later dates Chi-lap.

The San family
  • Emily Kwan as San Hiu-man (辛曉文), Hiu-lam's older sister who is materialistic and only dates rich men. She is a well known novelist, though her recent works have been unsuccessfully.
  • Mariane Chan as San Hiu-lam (辛曉嵐), Hiu-man's younger sister who is well-meaning, righteous and ambitious beat cop who later fulfills her dream of being a CID officer. She develops a crush on Chi-lap after spending with him and when he saved her from criminals.

Chuen Chun Weekly
  • Wong San as Kwong Cheung-leung (鄺昌良), owner of "Chuen Chun Weekly" and Chi-lap's godfather.
  • Elton Loo as Kwong King-chuen (鄺景全), known as King Sir, Cheung-leung's son and chief editor of "Chuen Chun Weekly".
  • Edmond Leung as Ho Yat-sing (何一成), Chi-lap's friend and colleague who likes to take his job easy. He operates a store with San-san who eventually becomes his girlfriend.
  • Chiu Hung as Master Chow (周公), a veteran journalist for "Chuen Chun Weekly".
  • Vivian Tsang as Mary, a journalist for "Chuen Chun Weekly".
  • Wong Wai-lam as Keung (阿強), a stuttering journalist for "Chuen Chun Weekly".
  • Ng Sze-ling as Cat, journalist for "Chuen Chun Weekly".

Other cast
  • Bowie Lam as Chan Shui-cheng (陳水井), an assistant for a scientist from Hunan who invented to potion to invisibility. He arrives in Hong Kong and lives in the Au household and develops a crush on Hiu-man, who ridicues his low social status and eccentric behavior.
  • Kenneth Chan as Victor Tsui (徐力圖), chief editor of "In Weekly" who is involved in numerous illegal activities. He initially dated Wing before he found out about her rich family background and cheated on her, but afterwards, schemed to accumulate fortune through Wing but was foiled.
  • Emotion Cheung as Sze-ma Tat-wah (司馬達華), Hiu-lam's superior officer who suspects Chi-lap using his invisibility to commit crimes. He pursues Hiu-lam after mistakenly believing she had a crush on him, when in reality, she was in love with Chi-lap.
  • Eileen Yeow as Apple, Chi-lap's ex-girlfriend and first love who left him to become a singer in Taiwan.
  • Wong Wai-tak as Ben, Victor's assistant.
  • Ip Chun-sing as Fai (阿輝), Tat-wah's subordinate.
  • Mak Ka-lun as Tat-wah's subordinate.
  • Leung Chiu-ho as Tat-wah's subordinate.
  • Tang Yu-chiu as Tat-wah's subordinate.
  • Hoi Sang Lee as Wong Piu (王彪), Man-na's older brother who schemes with his sister to accumulate Siu-nin's fortune.
  • Forrest Chan as Brother Tung (東哥), a rich tycoon and owner of the "Star of Bangladesh" diamond.
  • Angela Tong as Sister Chi (枝姐), Brother Tung's girlfriend.
  • Ben Wong as the scientist who invented the potion of invisibility and Shui-cheng's former employer.
  • Sit Sung-kei as the first invisible who killed the scientist and took his potion and used it to steal the "Star of Bangladesh".
  • Bruce Li as Stephen, a lawyer who pursed Hiu-man but was lustful toward Hiu-lam at the same time.
  • Ling Hon as the manager of the building where the Aus and Sans live in.
  • Cheung Hung-cheung as Lam Kwok-fu (林國富), Apple's abusive boyfriend and is a rich tycoon who colludes with Victor.
  • Vincent Cheung as Lam Kwok-fu's underling.
  • Irene Wong as Daisy, San-san's friend who dated Yat-sing before dumping him for another man.
  • Andy Tai as Bob Lee, Hiu-man's ex-boyfriend who used her to scam money to start a business.
  • Lee Ka-keung as David, Eric's boyfriend.
  • Siu Cheuk-yiu as a thug hired by Wong Piu and Man-na to kidnap Siu-nin.
  • Yau Piu as a thug hired by Wong Piu and Man-na to kidnap Siu-nin.
  • Ruco Chan as Chan Chi-cha (陳志齊), a security officer for Cheung's Corporation who was bribed by Victor.
  • Chan Min-leung as a security officer for Cheung's Corporation.

Reception

Due to the series' unusual theme different from the typical prime time series during that era, it premiered with rather low ratings. However, by its finale, the series has reached a rating of 30 points.[1]

On Douban, The Disappeance has a score of 7.5/10 stars.[2]

The series has been accused of plagiarizing the Invisible Man film series and the Japanese television series, Toumen Ningen.[1]

See also

References
  1. "林家棟的終極神劇　《隱形怪傑》題材太新穎收視曾「插水」".
  2. "隐形怪杰 (1997)".
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.