The Inspector General

Nikolai Gogols The Inspector General is a satire play wellknown around the world In the period between the end of World War II and the 1960s the play was adapted in Hong Kong cinema a total of six times Director Huang Yu alone adapted it twice as a Republic era story and a period comedy respectively The 1955 Republic eraset film is more faithful to its source material following a spoiled rich brat who is mistaken as a government inspector in a small town and ends up being wined and dined by a corrupted local official The film pokes fun at the ugliness of bureaucracy in old society calling back to renowned Qing Dynasty novel Officialdom Unmasked while keeping the original plays artistic style