Silent movies were made in other parts of the world, especially East Asia, for much longer than they were in America. I don't know all the reasons for the lagging transition, but one of the principal reasons in China was that while Shanghai studios had the necessary equipment for producing sound films, outside of the largest cities there were relatively few theaters which had the equipment to exhibit them. So China was making silents well into the 1930s, the last being released in 1938. Few of these silents exist today: in addition to the lack of preservation techniques, two civil wars and World War II (which for China began in 1937) took their toll. As a result, while an estimated 80% of the silents produced in the West have been lost, for China the figure is believed to be about 95%. In addition, it can be a real challenge to find many of the handful of silents which still exist, especially outside of China.
While its surviving print is missing most of a key scene, one Chinese silent that still exists is 1931's "Yijian Mei" 一剪梅 (A Spray of Plum Blossoms), based on Shakespeare's "Two Gentlemen of Verona," and directed by one of China's most prolific directors, Bu Wancang. It was also the third pairing of 1930s China's favorite on-screen couple, Ruan Lingyu and Jin Yan, although in this film they were cast as siblings, rather than the star-crossed lovers they usually portrayed. Instead, Jin Yan's love interest this time is Lin Chuchu, the real-life spouse of director Li Minwei.
"Two Gentlemen of Verona" was of one of Shakespeare's earliest (and lesser) comedies. In "Yijian Mei" Bu Wancang updates it to China, circa 1930. The director made no attempt to disguise the film's origins, even to the point of using the characters' original names from the play in the English cast listing and English intertitles.
Two young men graduate from a Shanghai military academy, and one, Huting (Valentine), accepts a posting in Guangzhou, chiding his friend Lede (Proteus) for preferring to stay home and pursue romance with Huting's sister Zhuli (Julia), to whom Lede soon becomes engaged.
[In picture 1, directly below, Hu Luting (Jin Yan) presents his credentials to General Shi (Wang Guilin); the general's daughter (Lin Chuchu) already approves of the young officer's application]
(Click on any of the photos for a larger image.)
Later, Lede's father orders him to accept a commission in the same Guangzhou garrison, where the young officer finds that his friend Huting has fallen in love with Luohua (Silvia), the daughter of their commanding officer and also Lede's cousin. Their symbol of their love is a spray of plum blossoms. But working against them is another officer, Liao Di'ao (Tiburio), who wants her for himself. When, for political advantage, the general agrees to an arranged marriage of his daughter to Liao, Huting and Luohua appeal to Lede to intercede with the general on their behalf. But he betrays them, telling his uncle that the couple plan to elope. The outraged general has Luting court-martialed for conduct unbecoming an officer, but Liao contrives to have the charge upgraded to the capital offense of treason. While Lede's testimony at the trial saves Luting's life, the defendant is stripped of his rank and cashiered. Luting joins a gang of bandits, and is soon their leader. He shifts the gang's focus to aiding the poor and oppressed, and gives them an emblem which becomes their calling card on raids: the plum blossom.
[Picture 2, below: Diao Li'ao (Gao Zhanfei) worries about the attention Bai Lede (Wang Cilong) seems to be paying to Bai's cousin (Lin Chuchu).
When Zhuli learns of her brother's misfortune, she travels to Guangzhou and teams up with Luohua to find the truth, disguised as one of Luohua's military policewomen bodyguards.
[Picture 3, below, Zhuli (Ruan Lingyu) at first thinks Luohua (Lin Chuchu) is a romantic rival]
Lede admits to Luohua that he betrayed Luting because of his desire for her, but when his cousin rejects him he attempts to rape her. Liao Di'ao intercedes and drives off Lede, but then Luting has to rescue her from Liao. Luting has his band abduct Luohua and Zhuli, and after a joyous reunion, the three carry out a plan which results in Luting being restored to duty and reunited with Luohua. Lede admits his guilt, but is forgiven by all, including Zhuli, who gladly takes him back.
[Picture 4, left: a happy reunion at the bandits' lair. left to right, Lin Chuchu, Jin Yan, Ruan Lingyu]
Transplanting a story from one time and place to another can present serious challenges, but it has been done many times with Shakespeare, with varying degrees of success. "West Side Story," "A Double Life," "Joe Macbeth," "The Boys from Syracuse," "Ill Met by Moonlight," – these are just a few that come to mind, and all required some changes. Bu Wancang's changes are noteworthy: by putting them in the army, the young "gentlemen" of the title were now officers and gentlemen; the ruling duke in the play was now a warlord – the military governor of a major city; his daughter's ladies-in-waiting were now military policewomen.
About 45 minutes into the print I saw, the image became reversed, so that during a dinner scene in which a toast was made, all seven people at the table raised their glasses with their left hands, a statistical improbability. This was followed by backwards intertitles which confirmed the splicing error. Fortunately this only lasted about seven minutes. At least one key scene was missing, namely Lede's testimony at Luting's court martial: we see the court convening, then the film cuts to the sentencing. So the actual length of the original film is unknown, but must have been somewhat longer than the existing print. The DVD cover spells the English title as "A Spary [sic] of Plum Blossoms." Also listed on the cover among the principal cast is Li Lili, who became one of China's biggest stars a few years later. But at the time this movie was produced, the 16-year-old Li was still an unknown, uncredited bit player, and in spite of the star billing on the DVD cover was only on screen for about a minute in the second scene, most of it filmed with her back to the camera.
In spite of some gaping plot holes, Chinese audiences probably found "Yijian Mei" an entertaining diversion, with an excellent cast that included some of the biggest stars of that era. The surviving print varies in quality, and is badly in need of musical accompaniment. It may not have been the best thing its makers ever produced, but then again, neither was "Two Gentlemen of Verona."
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Yijian Mei一剪梅 (A Spray of Plum Blossoms)
Production studio: Lianhua (United Photoplay). B&W. Silent, with Chinese and English intertitles. 11 reels originally; existing print: 100 minutes. Premiered July 23, 1931 at the Peiping theater in Shanghai. DVD viewed for review from Boying, dist. by the E Mei Film Studio, Guangzhou, China. Region 6 coding only.
Producer: Luo Mingyou. Director: Bu Wancang. Screenplay: Huang Yicuo, adapted from Shakespeare's “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Cinematography: Huang Shaofen. Art Director: Lu Shaofei. Settings: Zhao Fuli.
Cast, in credits order: Ruan Lingyu (Hu Zhuli/Julia), Lin Chuchu (Shi Luohua/Silvia), Wang Cilong (Bai Lede/Proteus), Jin Yan (Hu Lunting/Valentine), Gao Zhanfei (Diao Li’ao/Tiburio), Wang Guilin (General Shi), Chen Yanyan (A Qiao/Lucetta), Liu Jiqun (Fatty Zhu), Shi Juefei (Li Yi, the old bandit chieftain), Zhou Lili (female guard/lady-in-waiting). Also, uncredited: Li Lili (piano player).
