China's film industry was still in its initial stage in 1913, and while there were two full-length features made in that year (each the first for China and Hong Kong), there were no such attempts immediately after that; instead, the predominant genre remained comedy shorts of the slapstick variety. Actually, the 1913 filmography could be called the Asia Film and Theater Company filmography, as it was the only mainland studio filming that year, with the Li brothers' Sino-American studio in Hong Kong the only other Chinese company in operation.
Exaggerated movements and (often) a wild chase scene were common characteristics of Asia Film's shorts, probably in emulation of the Mack Sennett comedies, so popular among Shanghai audiences. Like their American model, a few common threads running through these early Chinese comedies were: a reflection of the everyday concerns of ordinary people, not the elite; good deeds rewarded and bad ones punished; and plot development heavily dependent on misunderstanding and coincidence.
[above right, the Asia Film and Theater Company staff in 1913]
Da Chenghuang (1913) 打城隍 (Beating the City God)
alternate title: San Zei An 贼案 (The Case of Three Robbers)
Asia Film and Theater. Comedy. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Cinematography: Isher* (US).
After borrowing heavily, three scoundrels try to avoid paying their debts by hiding in the temple of the city god. When their creditor arrives at the temple to worship, the three disguise themselves as the city god and two demons, leading to several humorous incidents. At last the hoax is discovered, and the three rascals receive a sound thrashing.
Dian Huo Shi Piao (1913) 店伙失票 (Ticket Lost in a Shop Crowd)
alternate title: Fa Hengcai 发横财 (The Windfall)
Asia Film and Theater. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Cinematography: Isher* (US).
Dutu Zhuang Si (1913) 赌徒装死 (A Gambler Plays Possum)
alternate title: Siren Tou Yang Qian 死人偷洋钱 (A Corpse Steals Money)
Asia Film and Theater. Comedy. 1 reel.
A wealthy family's lazy son spends much of his time in idle pursuits, including casino gambling. When he loses everything one night, even hocking his clothes, his furious parents beat him with sticks. To escape their assault, he falls to the ground and pretends to be unconscious, but his parents think he is dead. They hold a wake for their son, to which many of their friends and relatives come, offering condolences and memorial tributary money. About midnight the "corpse" awakens and stirs, terrifying everyone present into fleeing. At first the son seizes the opportunity to steal the memorial funds, but in the end gives it back in return for his parents allowing him to come home.
Erbaiwu Bai Xiang Cheng Huang Miao (1913) 二百五白相城隍庙 (Bumpkin in the City)
alternate English title: A Silly in the Town God's Temple
Asia Film and Theater. Comedy. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Cinematography: Isher* (US). Cast: Ding Chuhe (the peasant).
Because of his ignorance of city customs, a peasant on his first visit to Shanghai causes many humorous incidents.
Huaji Aiqing (1913) 滑稽爱情 (Funny Love Affair)
Asia Film and Theater. Comedy. 1 reel. Direction: Lu Ziqing, Zhang Shichang. Writer: Wang Shouyue. Cast: Lu Ziqing, Lu Zimei, Wang Xuehua, Ma Qingfeng.
A family hires a teacher to tutor their teenaged son in their home. The nearest neighbors have a teenaged daughter, a beauty who never goes out but spends all her time at embroidery. One day, the boy spots the girl through an unshaded window, and devotes himself to attracting her attention. He at last succeeds, and the two young people begin a mutual flirtation through the windows. One afternoon, while the tutor is napping, they start flirting again, but their banter awakens the teacher, who scolds the boy for abandoning his studies then turns his anger toward the girl. Her mother hears the sounds of anger, and begins yelling at the tutor to leave her daughter alone. As the two adults' arguing grows in fury, the boy and girl seize this opportunity to slip away together. When the tutor and the mother realize the young people have disappeared, they begin a frantic search, during which the adults have a series of comic incidents. At last they arrive at a public park, where they find the boy and girl sitting together in a secluded spot, holding hands and exchanging sweet nothings. Each adult grabs his and her young charge and take them home, scolding all the way.
Huo Wuchang (1913) 活无常 (A Living Wuchang)
alternate title: Xinniang Huajiao Yu Bai Wuchang 新娘花轿遇白无常(The Bridal Sedan Meets an Ordinary Wuchang)
Asia Film & Theater. Crime. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Photography: Isher* (US). Cast: Qian Huafo (the "Wuchang"). Also: Ding Quhe, Ma Qingfeng, Wang Bingceng, Lu Ziqing, Zhang Cuicui, Guo Yongfu, Wang Xihua.
[Note: In Chinese mythology, the "Wuchang" of the title ("Yama" in Hindi) corresponds to the Western "Angel of Death," or "Grim Reaper."]
Bored with his life in a rural village, a man seeks a way to make some quick money which will allow him to escape. He learns that a girl just married into a neighboring family will be traveling by sedan chair to make the traditional post-nuptial visit to her own family, bringing with her some gold and jewelry as a gift. Not only is her parents' home several miles distant, she will have to pass through a remote and wild stretch of reedy marshland, a route seldom traveled. The man disguises himself as the Wuchang spirit, planning to ambush her party in the marshland area and steal the valuables. Just as the sedan chair passes, a strong gust causes the reeds to blow wildly in the wind. At this moment, the "Wuchang" rises from the marsh to confront the sedan bearers, causing them to set down the chair and flee in terror. Inside the chair, the bride feels they are not moving, and wondering what is the matter, opens the sedan curtains to see what is happening. When the bride sees the demon, she jumps from the chair and begins running back to the village, the "Wuchang" following close behind her. In her rush to escape, the bride drops her jewelry, and he stops to pick it up, then returns home. After the bride gets back to the village, she immediately reports the incident to the police station. After a discussion, the police conclude that the real Wuchang would have wanted her life, not her jewelry, so this must have been an impostor. The police quietly spread the word among shopkeepers. After a few days pass with no news, the thief thinks his ruse has worked, so he ventures out to pawn the loot, which leads to his arrest and resolution of the case.
Jiaotiche Chuanghuo (1913) 脚踏车闯祸 (Bicycle Accident)
alternate title: Hengchongzhizhuang 横冲直撞 (Dashing Madly About)
Asia Film and Theater. Comedy. 1 reel. Direction: Lu Ziqing. Screenplay: Zhang Shichuan, Lu Ziqing. Cinematography: Isher* (US). Cast: Zhang Cuicui (the girl), Ma Qingfeng, Wang Xihua.
A slapstick comedy of a young girl on a bicycle riding recklessly through a busy food market, knocking over a bean curd stand, baskets of eggs and bottles of cooking oil. The movie was really just one long chase scene, total chaos, with the number of people chasing her growing steadily.
Lao Shao Yi Qi (1913) 老少易妻 (Old and Young Swap Wives)
Asia Film and Theater. Comedy. 1 reel. Cinematography: Isher* (US).
In a year of famine, many starving people sell themselves in order to eat. An old man and a youth take advantage of this to buy wives. The women are delivered to them in sacks, and when these are opened the men discover that the old man has a young girl and the youth has an old woman. In the end, the two men decide to exchange wives.
Nanfu Nanqi (1913) 难夫难齐 (A Couple in Trouble)
alternate title: Dongfang Huazhu 洞房花烛 (Wedding Festivities)
alternate English title: Die For Marriage
Asia Film & Theater. Drama; Social criticism. 4 reels. Premiered September 29, 1913 at the Xinxin Dance Theater. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Writing: Zhang Shichuan, Zheng Zhengqiu. Photography: Isher* (US). Principal cast: Ding Chuhe, Wang Bingseng.
In Fujian province, where mercenary marriages are still standard practice, a matchmaker acting as an intermediary approaches a family with an unmarried daughter. The matchmaker glibly presents a proposal from a young man's family, and from her going back and forth between the two families, a match is finally negotiated. From the official engagement through the actual wedding ceremony, the film shows how much unhappiness the feudal practice of arranged marriages brings to the two principals, the young man and woman who have no say in the matter.
This was China's first full-length feature film, discussed more fully here.
Sha Zi Bao (1913) 杀子报 (Report of a Son's Murder)
alternate title: Jiating Xue家庭血 (Blood in the Household)
Asia Film and Theater. Opera adaptation. 2 reels. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Cinematography: Isher* (US). Cast: Zhang Shuangyi, Hu Hensheng, Huang Youya.
No further information available.
Tangguan Ronggui (1913) 贪官荣归 (A Corrupt Official's Triumphant Return)
Asia Film and Theater. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Cinematography: Isher* (US).
Wu Fu Lin Men (1913) 五福临门 (Five Blessings are at the Gate)
alternate title: Fengliu Heshang 风流和尚 (Dissolute Buddhist Monks)
Asia Film and Theater. Comedy. 2 reels. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Screenplay: Isher* (US). Cast: Qian Huafo, Ding Chuhe, Ma Qingfeng, Wang Bingseng, Lu Ziqing, Zhang Cuicui.
Five lecherous monks go against monastic rules and attempt to seduce respectable women. In the end, they are all punished for their misconduct.
Yi Ye Bu An (1913) 一夜不安 (A Sleepless Night)
Asia Film and Theater. Comedy. Direction: Zhang Shichuan. Cinematography: Isher* (US). Cast: Qian Huafo, Guo Yongfu.
A couple is kept awake all night by insects. The film made much use of special effects (the insects) and close-ups of the actors' weird expressions as they were bitten. One of the actors later recalled:
"The plan to shoot the film was drawn up quite early, but the actual shooting started rather late. The director emphasized our facial expressions and used many close-ups. I trained daily for three months in front of a mirror, and I think the results were very satisfactory." -– Qian Huafo, "Ya-xi-ya Yingxi Gongsi Shimo" 亚细亚影戏公司的成立始末 (The Whole Story of the Founding of the Asia Film and Theater Company) in: Gankai hua dangnian 感慨话当年 (Recalling those years with a sigh). Beijing: China Film Press, 1988, pp. 1-6. [Originally published in: Zhongguo dianying 中国电影 (Chinese Film), November, 1956.]
Zhuangzi Shi Qi (1913) 庄子试妻 (Zhuangzi Tests His Wife)
Hua-Mei (Sino-American), Hong Kong. Traditional. Direction: Li Beihai. Written: Li Minwei, adapted from the folk tale, "Zhuang Zhou's Butterfly Dream." Cast: Li Beihai (as Zhuangzi), Li Minwei (as Zhuangzi's wife), Yan Shanshan (as the maidservant).
First film made in Hong Kong, discussed more fully here.
