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Film program > > > A String of
Pearls/The Pearl Necklace (1926), Li Zeyuan An
adaptation of Maupassant's The
Necklace. |
The Peach
Girl/Peach Blossom Weeps Tears of Blood (1931), Bu Wancang |
Considered one of early Chinese cinema's great classics. The life of a peach tree is used as a metaphor for the heroine's development in this tragic love story. |
Tale of the
Western Chamber/Way Down West (1927), Hou Yao * The tale of
a chance meeting and subsequent ephemeral romance
between a wealthy court lady and a poor
scholar. |
Blood of Love/Loving Blood of the
Volcano (1932), Sun Yu Friday, April 24, 7:00 p.m. Sunday, April 26, 2:30 p.m. Silent, black-and-white, 35 mm, 118 minutes (20 f.p.s.). Lianhua Film Company (United Photoplay Service), Shanghai. Screenwriter: Sun Yu. Director of Photography: Zhou Ke. Cast includes: Li Lili, Zheng Junli, Tan Ying, Tang Tianxiu, Liu Jiqun, Yuan Congmei. Image at right > |
A story of peasant suffering at the hands of a despotic landlord. |
Spring in the
South (1932), Cai Chusheng |
A young university student is forced into an arranged marriage with tragic results. |
Wild Rose (1932), Sun
Yu Wednesday, April 29, 6:00 p.m. Saturday, May 2, 2:30 p.m. Silent, black-and-white, 35 mm, 99 minutes (20 f.p.s.). Lianhua Film Company (United Photoplay Service), Shanghai. Screenwriter: Sun Yu. Director of Photography: Yu Xingsan. Cast includes: Wang Renmei, Jin Yan, Ye Juanjuan, Zheng Junli, Han Langen, Zhang Zhizhi. Image at right > |
Director Sun Yu's first film celebrates the love between a wealthy painter and a young woman from the countryside. |
Daybreak (1933), Sun Yu A melodrama of a rural woman forced to find work in Shanghai. |
Spring Silkworms (1933),
Cheng Bugao * Friday, May 1, 7:00 p.m. Sunday, May 3, 2:30 p.m. Silent (with synchronized music), black-and-white, 35 mm, 96 minutes (25 f.p.s.). Mingxing (Star) Film Company, Shanghai. Screenwriter: Xia Yan, adapted from a story by Mao Dun. Director of Photography: Wang Shizhen. Cast includes: Xiao Ying, Yan Yuexian, Gong Jianong, Gao Qianping, Ai Xia, Zheng Xiaoqiu, Zhang Minyu, Wang Zhengxin. Image at right > |
An example of the Left-wing Film Movement, detailing silkworm farming. |
Song of the Fishermen (1934), Cai Chusheng * Wednesday, May 6, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 9, 7:00 p.m. Silent (with synchronized music), black-and-white, 35 mm, 57 minutes (24 f.p.s.). Lianhua Film Company (United Photoplay Service), Shanghai. Screenwriter: Cai Chusheng. Director of Photography: Zhou Ke. Cast includes: Wang Renmei, Luo Peng, Yuan Congmei, Han Langen, Tang Tianxiu, Shang Guanwu, Qiu Yiwei. Image at right > |
An early example of location filming, illustrating the displacement of fisherman by big enterprises and trawlers. |
The Goddess (1934), Wu
Yonggang Wednesday, May 6, 6:00 p.m. Saturday, May 9, 2:30 p.m. Silent, black-and-white, 35 mm, 77 minutes (24 f.p.s.). Lianhua Film Company (United Photoplay Service), Shanghai. Screenwriter: Wu Yonggang. Director of Photography: Hong Weilie. Cast includes: Ruan Lingyu, Zhang Zhizhi, Li Keng. Image at right > |
A poignant tale about a prostitute's struggle to care for her son. |
New Women
(1934), Cai Chusheng The story
of a single mother, and the challenges she faces
supporting herself and her daughter in
Shanghai. |
Song at Midnight (1937),
Maxu Weibang Friday, May 8, 7:00 p.m. Sunday, May 10, 2:30 p.m. Sound, black-and-white, 35 mm, 113 minutes (24 f.p.s.). Xinhua Film Company, Shanghai. Screenwriter: Maxu Weibang. Directors of Photography: Yu Xingsan, Xue Boqing. Cast includes: Jin Shan, Hu Ping, Shi Chao, Xu Manli, Zhou Wenzhu, Wang Weiyi, Gu Menghe. Image at right > |
A Chinese interpretation of Phantom of the Opera. |
Street Angel (1937), Yuan
Muzhi Wednesday, May 13, 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16, 7:00 p.m. Sound, black-and-white, 35 mm, 87 minutes (24 f.p.s.). Mingxing (Star) Film Company, Shanghai. Screenwriter: Yuan Muzhi. Director of Photography: Wu Yinxian. Cast includes: Zhao Dan, Zhou Xuan, Wei Heling, Zhao Huichen, Wang Jiting, Qian Qianli, Yuan Shaomei, Liu Jinyu. Image at right > |
A story of working-class Shanghai citizens living under Japanese occupation. |
Family(1941),
Bu Wancang, Xu Xinfu, Yang Xiaozhong, Li Pingqian, Wang
Cilong, Fang Peilin, Yue Feng, Wu Yonggang A modern masterpiece adapted from Ba Jin's trilogy Family.
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Spring River Flows East (1947), Cai Chusheng, Zheng Junli Friday, May 15, 2:30 p.m. Sound, black-and-white, 35 mm, 2 parts: part 1, ÒWartime Separation,Ó 81 minutes; part 2, ÒDarkness and Dawn,Ó 77 minutes (24 f.p.s.). Lianhua Film Company (United Photoplay Service/China Sun Studios), Shanghai. Screenwriters: Cai Chusheng and Zheng Junli. Director of Photography: Zhu Jinming. Cast includes: Bai Yang, Tao Jin, Shu Xiuwen, Zhou Boxun, Shangguan Yunzhu, Wu Yin, Gao Zheng, Qin Xiaolong. Image at right > |
This two-part melodrama tells the story of a family torn apart by war. |
Spring in the Small Town (1949), Fei Mu Friday, May 15, 7:00 p.m. Sound, black-and-white, 35 mm, 90 minutes (24 f.p.s.). Wenhua Film Company, Shanghai. Screenwriter: Li Tianji. Director of Photography: Li Shengwei. Cast includes: Wei Wei, Shi YŸ, Li Wei, Zhang Hongmei, Cui Chaoming. Image at right > |
Considered one of the finest films of the period. An affectionate story of the return of the heroine's lover after the Japanese war. |
