By the mid-1920s, although still very much in an exploratory phase, China's young movie industry was sufficiently established that its studios were entering commercial competition. At first glance the statistics would seem to indicate a fervor of filmmaking was sweeping the country: during the five-year period from 1922-1926, 175 movie studios were established nationally, with more than 140 of these in Shanghai, which by then was well on its way to becoming China's Hollywood. The rest were medium and small-scale companies scattered among the cities of Guangzhou, Beiping (now Beijing), Tianjin, Hangzhou and Shantou. But in reality most of these startups were "filmmakers" in name only, and never actually made a motion picture. The statistics also show that during that same five-year period China's studios collectively produced a total of 192 narrative films, including numbered sequels and shorts, and the great majority of these were from only a handful of established Shanghai studios. In this regard, it is interesting to note that while the year's biggest hit was from the Mingxing studio, the most prolific studio was the Commercial Press Motion Picture Division.
With this post we initiate an occasional series, The Chinese Filmography, citing noteworthy motion pictures from China's classical era, year by year. These are films which may not merit in-depth articles, but are still notable in historical context, from major Shanghai studios, and made by the era's most important on- and off-screen filmmakers. While the Chinese Mirror will of course continue to post full articles or retro reviews on the classic era's most historically significant Chinese movies, a section providing less detailed data should give a fuller picture of the era's output, much as our "Brief Biographies" category does for lesser, but still significant, filmmakers.
The year of release may vary from other sources which discuss Chinese films. This is because the uniform practice of Chinese scholars and film references is to list a movie by its year of production, while Western sources (e.g. the Internet Movie Database) usually list a movie by its year of release in its country of origin, regardless of when made. So, for example, our 1924 filmography will include a movie titled "My Dear Brother," which was filmed in 1922, and is listed as such in Chinese references; however, it was not actually shown in China until mid-1924, so that is where we will have it. This will be the practice in all Chinese Mirror posts if a film's actual release date can be determined. Otherwise, we will follow the Chinese sources.
Until we get to the early sound era of the 1930s, all movies are in black and white and silent. For missing films, there will be no effort to avoid divulging "spoilers" which give away key plot developments or film endings.
A few points should be noted:
1. The uniform practice among Chinese scholars is to list a film by year of production, whereas Western sources (e.g. The Internet Movie Database) usually list a film by its initial release in its country of origin, regardless of when made. The Chinese Mirror will follow the latter practice. So for example, a film in our 1924 list a film entitled "My Dear Brother" was filmed in 1922, and is listed as such in Chinese references; but it was not actually shown in China until mid-1924, and that is where we classify it. This practice will be followed in all subsequent Chinese Mirror posts: if a film's actual release date can be determined, the film will be regarded as being from that year, otherwise we will follow the Chinese sources.
2. Since we have no box office or attendance figures to draw on, films are not ranked, but listed in alphabetical order, although the evidence is strong that "An Orphan Rescues his randfather" was 1923's biggest success.
3. So many films from the classic era are lost, there will be no effort to avoid "spoilers," by giving away plot twists or endings.
_________________
Da Nao Guai Juchang (1923) 大闹怪剧场 (Strange Happenings in the Theater)
Mingxing. B&W. Silent. 3 reels. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Screenplay: Zheng Zhengqiu. Cinematography: Carl Gregory (US). Principal cast: Yan Zhongying, Zheng Zhegu.
Comedy short. A con man's hoax is exposed by a simple but honest stage performer.
Guer Jiu Zu Ji (1923) 孤儿救祖记 (An Orphan Rescues his Grandfather)
Mingxing (Star). B&W. Silent. 10 reels. Premiered December 28, 1923 at the Aipuhu Activity Theater. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Screenplay: Zheng Zhengqiu. Cinematography: Zhang Weitao. Sets: Dong Tianya. Program notes: Zhou Jianyun. Cast: Zheng Zhegu (Yang Shouchang), Zhou Wenzhu (his wife, née Huang), Shao Zhuanglin (Dasheng), Wang Hanlun (Xu Weiru), Ren Chaojun (Yupu as a toddler), Zheng Xiaoqiu (Yupu as a child), Gui Gongyuan (Daopei), Wang Xianzhai (Lu Shoujing), Sun Ruyu (Jin Yuanyuan), Yan Xiaoyu (Yang Ziheng), Zhu Lunxi (Cai Weidong), Xing Shaomian (Yu Mutao).
[plot discussed in an earlier post]
_______________________
Gujing Chongbo Ji (1923) 古井重波记 (The Widow Wants to Remarry)
literal English title: Ripples in an Old Well
Shanghai. 6 reels. Direction: Dan Duyu. Screenplay: Zhu Shouju. Cinematography: Dan Duyu, Jing Guangfu. Cast: Fu Wenhao (Lu Jiaona), Dan Erchun (Fupei), He Rongzhu (Jin Manzhu), Wang Donglai (Li Kexi). Also: Xuan Gang, Han Yunzhen, Shi Dongshan, Wang Naidong.
Before he dies, a young husband fatally injured in an industrial accident urges his wife to go against tradition and remarry, and to pass off their baby son as her brother, in order to improve her chances of finding another husband. She meets and falls in love with a young lawyer, and when she tells him the truth about her son, he doesn't care. However, their chance at happiness is destroyed by a murderously jealous wealthy man who wants the young woman for himself.
____________________________
Lianhua Luo (1923) 莲花落 (The Lotus Falls)
Commercial Press. Premiered December 11, 1923 at the Shenjiang. Direction: Ren Pengnian. Screenplay: Chen Chunsheng, adapted from the opera "Zheng Yuanhe Meets With Misfortune and Sings Folk Songs". Cinematography: Liao Enshou. Cast: Zhang Huichong (Zheng Yuanhe), Zhang Xijuan (Li Yaxian), Li Jun (Yue Daode), Wang Fuqing (the pimp).
A young Shanghai student (Zhang Huichong) from a small rural village meets and becomes so obsessed with a prostitute (Zhang Xijuan) he drops out of school and moves into the brothel where she works. After his funds are exhausted, and he is thrown out by the brothel keepers, the student becomes a homeless beggar and thief. His father finds and confronts his son, then strikes him, apparently fatally. The father has his servants hide the body in the a wooded area. But the young man had really just fainted from hunger, and when he recovers is rescued by a career beggar who teaches the student the tricks of his trade as they roam about, singing folk songs.
Meanwhile the prostitute has left the business, and using some of her savings, hires detectives to find the young man. When they do, she persuades and helps him to rehabilitate, and eventually he turns his life around and returns to school.
_____________________________
Qing Xu Meng (1923) 清虚梦 (Dream of a Taoist Priest)
Commercial Press. 4 reels. Direction: Ren Pengnian. Screenplay: Chen Chunsheng, adapted from the story "The Daoist Priest of Lao-Shan," in "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" by Pu Songling (1640-1715). Cinematography: Liao Enshou. Cast: Ding Yuanyi, Bao Guirong, Zhang Shengwu, Hong Jingling.
A worldly man joins a Daoist monastery in hopes of learning the secrets of immortality. Although the priest teaches him some Daoist techniques, in the end the student's impure thoughts and motives result in his mastering nothing.
_______________________________
Song Bai Yuan (1923) 松柏缘 (The Predestined)
alternate title: Jiang Zhe Dazhan 江浙大战 (The Jiangsu-Zhejiang War)
Commercial Press. 12 reels. Direction: Ren Pengnian. Screenplay: Yang Xiaozhong. Cinematography: Zhou Shimu. Cast: Xu Suzhen (Qin Songzhen), Wang Fuqing (Han Boheng).
[right, two young people meet in happier days. Click on to enlarge]
A love story set against the background of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang border war during the early years of China's warlord era. A young couple find themselves repeatedly separated by war, bandits and a thug who desires and abducts the young woman. The couple is at last reunited.
_________________________________
Xiao Fu Geng (1923) 孝妇羹 (The Filial Wife’s Soup)
Commercial Press. 8 reels. Direction: Ren Pengnian. Screenplay: Chen Chunsheng, adapted from “The Virtuous Daughter-in-Law,” a short story in "Strange Stories From a Chinese Studio" by Pu Songling (1640-1715). Cinematography: Liao Enshou. Cast: Wang Fuqing (Zeng Dacheng).
An earnest young bride tries her best to maintain tradition and serve her mother-in-law, but the widowed older woman is never pleased, and at last expels the girl from the family over the protests of the rest of the family, including her eldest son, the bride's husband (Wang Fuqing). The humiliated young woman is rescued and taken in by her husband's paternal aunt.
Four years later, the second son takes a wife, who turns out to be even more shrewish and domineering than the mother-in-law. The new daughter-in-law delights in verbally abusing and humiliating the outmatched older woman, who, when she falls ill is completely ignored by her son and daughter-in-law. Her condition worsens, and the oldest son rushes to his aunt's home to seek her help, and when he sees his wife there he is overcome with shame at his own weakness. When told what has happened, the young woman cooks and has meals delivered daily to the sick woman. After the latter recovers, she and her filial daughter-in-law reconcile. When the second daughter-in-law learns she will no longer be the "Young Mistress" of the family, the matriarch-in-waiting, she flies into a rage and takes it out on a maid, killing her. For this, she is arrested and taken to prison.
COMMENT: While this was based on a story from a famous 17th century collection, it points out some traditional Chinese customs still widely practiced at the time the film was made, customs that many 1920s filmmakers wanted to eliminate. One was the practice of a bride moving into her husband's home, where she became subservient to her mother-in-law. Another was the absolute dominance of family heads (in this case, the widowed matriarch) over the lives of their children. This was discussed earlier. A third was the pecking order of wives in the family (an issue revisited in Zhang Yimou's Raise the Red Lantern (1991).
Zhang Xinsheng (1923) 张欣生 (Zhang Xinsheng)
aka: Baoying Zhaozheng (1923) 报应昭彰 (Manifest Retribution)
This is covered in a separate article.
