In an earlier post, we discussed the literary genre known as "Mandarin Ducks and Butterflies," classical-style stories of romance between a poor scholar and a beauty, often a tale ending tragically. One of the most beloved stories in this genre has been that of a scholar named Liang Shanbo and his love, Zhu Yingtai, sometimes titled "The Butterfly Lovers." This story has been filmed repeatedly, at least 17 times, including theatrical releases, TV movies and miniseries, and there have probably been countless dramatic and operatic stage versions. The first motion picture version was in 1926, and it was notable in Chinese film history: in addition to being the first motion picture version of the classic, it was one of the earliest successes for the fledgling Tianyi film studio, the Shanghai forerunner of the legendary Shaw Brothers Hong Kong empire; also, it was one of the first lead roles for 18-year-old Hu Die, who in a few years would be number one at the box office for the Mingxing (Star) company, China's dominant film studio.
Also noteworthy is the fact that while this classic Chinese tale was set during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420 A.D.), the actors were dressed in the styles of the mid-1920s, a common practice until the following year.
Liang Zhu Tongshi (1926) 梁祝痛史 (The Tragedy of Liang and Zhu)
alternate title: Liang Shanbo yu Zhu Yingtai (1926) 粱山伯与祝英台 (Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai)
Tianyi. Silent. 11 reels. Premiered June 2, 1926 at the Palace Theater. Direction: Shao Zuiweng. Screenplay: Dong Xuexue. Cinematography: Xu Shaoyu. Principal cast: Jin Yaru (Liang Shanbo), Hu Die (Zhu Yingtai).
The Zhu family of Zhejiang province is well-off, but ambitious and aspiring to greater wealth and influence. While a common route for a family to achieve this is by marrying its daughters into wealthier and more powerful families, the family have but one daughter, beautiful and intelligent Yingtai, whose dream is to become a scholar, a hopeless ambition for a girl. She is also considered unfit for a good marriage because she has never learned to recite poetry or play a musical instrument (prerequisites for a daughter of the aristocracy). When Zhu Yingtai approaches her father with a request that she be permitted to attend college in Hangzhou by disguising herself as a boy and adopting a male alias, he at first rejects this, but Yingtai's mother wins him over with the argument that an education would greatly enhance the girl's marital prospects.
At school, Yingtai meets another scholar, a bright and handsome young man named Liang Shanbo, from origins much humbler than hers. The two young people find they are much alike in mind and temperament, and share a common interest in poetry, music and philosophy. They soon form a fast friendship, and as they pass many pleasant days in study and each other's company, friendship turns to affection, and in Yingtai's case, to love.
[left, the two scholars find they have so much in common]
After three years, Zhu Yingtai receives a letter from her parents commanding her to return home. She is accompanied on her journey by her friend Liang Shanbo, still unaware of her true gender. Along the way, she drops hints about their relationship but he does not catch on. Finally, although she hesitates to tell him the whole truth out of fear of rejection, Yingtai tells him she has a twin sister who would make him an excellent wife, and if Shanbo visits the Zhu family very soon, Yingtai will act as their matchmaker. He agrees, and the two friends part.
[left, Zhu Yingtai learns she has been betrothed to another]
But when she arrives home, Yingtai learns her parents have agreed to a marriage proposal from one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the province. This leads to a battle of wills between Yingtai and her parents. But while her father sympathizes with his daughter, he has already accepted the other family's engagement gifts, so a change of heart now would cause him an unbearable loss of face and reputation. He orders her to accept the match.
When Liang Shanbo arrives on his promised visit to his school friend, he discovers that Zhu Yingtai is a girl. His initial shock quickly turns to joy. The two happily recall their times together, but when Shanbo broaches the topic of marriage, she has to dash his hopes by telling him of her betrothal to another. Distraught over this turn of events, they tearfully bid farewell.
When he returns to school, the heart-broken Liang Shanbo falls ill and dies soon afterwards. When she learns of his death, Yingtai is grief-stricken but agrees to ride in the bridal procession to her wedding only if their route takes them past Shanbo's grave and that she be permitted to stop and mourn him there. Her parents grudgingly grant her request. When Yingtai descends from the palanquin and approaches the grave, a violent storm suddenly begins, blowing the entourage about. Only Zhu Yingtai is unaffected by the wind, and as she tearfully begins to offer her prayers, a flash of lightning opens the grave, and she unhesitatingly leaps into the hole. Instantly the earth closes over her. As suddenly and as mysteriously as it sprang up, the storm ceases, and there is no sign of Yingtai. In the post-storm calm, everyone stands in wonder, watching two beautiful butterflies which hover above the grave, then fly off together.
Postscript: While this first, silent version of "The Butterfly Lovers" is lost, several other later film versions are still available to us for viewing. Especially recommended is the 1963 Hong Kong release from the Shaw Brothers studio, which co-starred Betty Le Di as Zhu Yingtai and Ivy Ling Bo as Liang Shanbo. Casting actresses in both roles is not uncommon, but in this instance it created a controversy at awards time. The movie was favored to sweep the Taiwan Golden Horse awards, including Best Picture, and Best Actress for Betty Le Di. But Ivy Ling Bo presented the judging panel with a dilemma: she was outstanding, all agreed, but how to categorize an actress playing a man? The panel decided to punt, and presented Ivy Ling Bo with a special award. Reading the contemporary accounts of this decision, it seems to have satisfied no one.
[right, Ivy Ling Bo and Betty Le Di in a classic version of the 'Butterfly Lovers']
