Retrospective - Chinese Opera Masterpieces on Screen
The Jade Hairpin
碧玉簪 (Bi yu zan) by WU Yonggang
China / 1961 / 121' / 35 mm / Color
Starring: JIN Caifeng, CHEN Shaochun, ZHOU Baokui
Yue Opera
Background
The Jade Hairpin is a traditional play from the Yue Opera. In 1918 the actors MA Chaosui and Zhang Yunbiao Juan wrote it inspired by the novels of Li Xiuying, Bao Juan, The History of the Jade Hair-pin (Bi Yu Zan Quan Zhuan) and the Opera Wu play, San Jia Jue. In 1920 this opera was a great success in Shanghai and the Yue Opera began to expand. The Yue Opera (or its other name, the Shaxoxing Opera) appears almost fifty years ago and originates from the Shengxian district, in the province of Zhejiang. Originally the roles were played by men in hard wooden tap shoes and with a small tambourine. In the 1920's Shaxoxing Opera integrated elements from Pekin and Shao Opera and orchestration was added, creating a new, very popular type of Opera, especially in South East China.
The Film
Produced by the renowned Wu Yonggang, The Jade Hairpin is a co-production between the Haiyan Film Studio in Shanghai and the Dapeng Film Studio in Hong Kong. The film was enormously successful in China. In 1963 it had the best box office sales in Hong Kong for a Chinese film, with record sales of 750 000 yuans. Performed by the Opera Yue troup from Shanghai, the three most well known acts are: Cover the Cloth Three Times, The Newlywed Returns Home, and Offering the Phoenix Cap.
Synopsis
During the Ming Dynasty, Minister Li married his daughter, LI Xiuying, to WANG Yulin. Jealous of the marriage, Xiuying's cousin, GU Wenyou, arranged that the bride's ward, Madame Sun, borrow Xiuying's jade hair pin. To slander Xiuying, GU attached a fake love letter to it as proof of her Infidelity and to make people believe they were lover's. On their wedding night Yulin finds the love letter. Wounded, he ties to find an excuse to divorce her without angering his influential father-in-law. But his father-law demands to know why he treats his daughter with such distance. Yulin has no choice but to show him the incriminating letter. Everyone is stunned. Chiuxiang decides to identify the handwriting and on questionning Madame Sun the truth is revealed. Yulin is wracked with guilt and decides to follow the orders of his mother to go through the national competition to gain forgiveness. He tries to ask forgiveness from Xiuying with extravagant outfits and a Phoenix cap. She starts off by refusing him but after some discussion with her parents, she changes her mind and the couple reconcile.
WU Yonggang 吴永刚 (1907-1982)
WU Yonggang is considered one of China's most Important directors. Born in 1907 in the province of Jiangsu, he began his career in Shanghai as a set designer, director and screenwriter. In 1934 he directed his first film, the famous The Goddess. In 1936 he directed the films Soaring Aspirations and Gold and Sand. This prolific director who has directed thirty or more film's continued to direct films up until the 1970's. His masterpieces include The Goddess (1936), The Jade Hairpin (1961), Third Sister U (You San Jie, 1963), Third Sister Liu (Liu San Jie, 1978), Evening Rain (Ba Shan Ye Yu, 1980).
Filmography
- Wu Yongang 吴永刚
Director:
- Époque Troublée Dans le Hubei / Dong Biwu-a Veteran Revolutionary 楚天风云 (Chu tian feng yun) (1981)
- Evening Rain 巴山夜雨 (Bashan ye yu) (1980)
- Tea Boy Kidding His Master 茶童戏主 (Cha tong xi zhu) (1979)
- Third Sister Liu 刘三姐 (Liu san jie) (1978)
- Give Up Xuzhou City 让徐州 (Rang Xuzhou) (1976)
- Third Sister You 尤三姐 (You San Jie) (1963)
- L'Épingle de Jade / The Emerald Hairpin 碧玉簪 (Bi yu zan) (1962)
- Lin Chong 林冲 (1958)
- The Old Man and The Fairy 秋翁遇仙记 (Qiu Weng yu xian ji) (1956)
- Ha Sen and Jia Mila 哈森与加米拉 (1955)
- A remote village 辽远的乡村 (Liao yuan de xiang cun) (1950)
- The Hunger Marchers 饿人行 (E ren xing) (1949)
- Love for the Children 舐犊情深 (Tian du qing shen) (1948)
- A Spring Melody 迎春曲 (Ying chun qu) (1947)
- Marriage 终身大事 (Zhong shen da shi) (1947)
- The Family with Chivalry 忠义之家 (Zhong yi zhi jia) (1946)
- Lover on the Battlefield 战地情花 (Zhan di qing hua) (1941)
- The Hell 摩登地狱 (Mo deng di yu) (1941)
- Yue Fei, A National Hero 尽忠报国 (Jing zhong bao guo) (1940)
- Chinese Princess Snow White 白雪公主 (Bai xue gong zhu) (1940)
- Power and Sword 红粉金戈 (Hong fen jin ge) (1940)
- Lin Chong,the Outlaw 林冲雪夜歼仇记 (Lin Chong xue ye jian chou ji) (1939)
- Four Concubines 四潘金莲 (Si Pang Jinlian) (1938)
- Tears on Rouge 胭脂泪 (Yan zhi lei) (1938)
- Melancholy Hatred 离恨天 (Li hen tian) (1938)
- The Invincible Martial Art Troupe 无敌武术团 (Wu di wu shu tuan) (1938)
- The Pirates of the Yellow Sea 黄海大盗 (Huang hai da dao) (1938)
- Soaring Aspiration 壮志凌云 (Zhuang zhi ling yun) (1936)
- Gold and Sand 浪淘沙 (Lang tao sha) (1936)
- A Little Angel 小天使 (Xiao tian shi) (1935)
- La divine / The Goddess 神女 (Shen nu) (1934)
Screenwriter:
- L'Épingle de Jade / The Emerald Hairpin 碧玉簪 (Bi yu zan) (1962)
- The Old Man and The Fairy 秋翁遇仙记 (Qiu Weng yu xian ji) (1956)
- A Spring Melody 迎春曲 (Ying chun qu) (1947)
- Marriage 终身大事 (Zhong shen da shi) (1947)
- The Family with Chivalry 忠义之家 (Zhong yi zhi jia) (1946)
- Lover on the Battlefield 战地情花 (Zhan di qing hua) (1941)
- The Hell 摩登地狱 (Mo deng di yu) (1941)
- Power and Sword 红粉金戈 (Hong fen jin ge) (1940)
- The Flower Girl 花魁女 (Hua kui nu) (1940)
- Chinese Princess Snow White 白雪公主 (Bai xue gong zhu) (1940)
- Yue Fei, A National Hero 尽忠报国 (Jing zhong bao guo) (1940)
- Lin Chong, the Outlaw 林冲雪夜歼仇记 (Lin Chong xue ye jian chou ji) (1939)
- Melancholy Hatred 离恨天 (Li hen tian) (1938)
- The Pirates of the Yellow Sea 黄海大盗 (Huang hai da dao) (1938)
- Four Concubines 四潘金莲 (Si Pang Jinlian) (1938)
- The Invincible Martial Art Troupe 无敌武术团 (Wu di wu shu tuan) (1938)
- Tears on Rouge 胭脂泪 (Yan zhi lei) (1938)
- Soaring Aspiration 壮志凌云 (Zhuang zhi ling yun) (1936)
- Gold and Sand 浪淘沙 (Lang tao sha) (1936)
- La divine / The Goddess 神女 (Shen nu) (1934)
- Jin Caifeng 金采凤 (1930-)
Role: Li Xiuying
- Rêve de la chambre rouge / The Dream Of Red Chamber 红楼梦 (Hong lou meng) (1962)
- New Year Sacrifice 祥林嫂 (Xiang Lin sao) (1948)