Retrospective

Chinese Opera Masterpieces on Screen

Relationship between Chinese opera and Chinese cinema starts with the birth of Chinese cinema in 1905 with the filming of an Opera Dingjun Mountain, starring the greatest Chinese actress of the era Tan Xinpei. Reflection of Chinese history, the opera films also encompass Chinese cultural tradition and moral or social implications of several generations of Chinese people.

These filmed operas were made by the greatest actors and directors of the XXth century. We are pleased to present to you this unknown part of the Chinese cinematographic heritage that reflects Chinese cultural tradition and tells the history of this country. You will find a selection of masterpieces assembled with the expert help of researchers from the Cinémathèque Française and the China Film Archive. By clicking on the text or the photos, you will get to the profile of each film: history, synopsis, directors' filmography.

The retrospective Chinese Opera on Screen will take place at Cinémathèque Française, from December 4 to December 11, 2008.

Happiness in neither Life nor Death

Happiness in neither Life nor Death (1947) by Fei Mu

Friday, December 5 - 19:00 - Cinémathèque Française

The first color film in China, Happiness in neither Life nor Death was shot in 16mm and then converted to 35mm. It combines two historical figures, MEI Lanfang, a star of Peking opera, who wrote a film adaptation, and FEI Mu, the director. Production lasted six months during which FEI Mu and MEI Lanfang worked together and transformed the twenty one scenes of the original opera into nineteen scenes of the film.

The Romance of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai

The Romance of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai (1954) by Sang Hu and HUANG Sha

Saturday, December 6 - 21:00 - Cinémathèque Française

Like many operas, the story of LIANG Shanbo and ZHU Yingtai takes its roots in the classical texts of Chinese folk literature. LIANG and ZHU are two of the four greatest Chinese folk stories. It founds its inspiration in the book Shi Dao Si Fan Zhi, written in the seventh century by LIANG Zaiyan during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It was later on developed into a version identical to the modern Yi Zhong Wang Miao Ji written during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and attributed to LI Maocheng. The last chapter, entitled "Fly Like a Butterfly", appears from the version of the Qing Dynasty (1644 -1911).

The Marriage of the Fairy Princess

The Marriage of the Fairy Princess (1955) by Shi Hui (aka The Fairy Princess, The Heavenly Match)

Saturday, December 6 - 19:00 - Cinémathèque Française

The Marriage of the Fairy Princess is a milestone work in the development of Huangmei opera. It broke the box office drawing almost a hundred million viewers to the movie theaters, which made this opera style popular throughout China. The work of actors YAN Fengying and WANG Shaofang in the Marriage of the Fairy Princess is regarded as one of the "greatest acting achievements of their generation". They established the style of singing and acting of Huangmei Opera that we still see today.

The Injustice Done to Dou E

The Injustice Done to Dou E 1959) by Zhang Xinshu

Friday, December 5 - 21h - Cinémathèque Française

The Injustice Done to Dou E was shot in 1959 in order to commemorate the 500 years since the birth of the famous playwright GUAN Hanqing. GUAN Hanging, who lived during the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), is considered to be a Chinese Shakespeare. The Injustice Done to Dou E (Gan Tian Dong Di Dou E Yuan) is recognized as one of the top ten most important tragedies in Chinese classic. An interpretation of this opera exists in 86 different opera styles...

The Monkey King and the White Bone Demon

The Monkey King and the White Bone Demon (1960) by Xiaozhong Yang and YU Zhongying

Thurday, December 11 - 17:00 - Cinémathèque Française

The story of the Sun Wukong comes from the 19th chapter of the famous Journey to the West (Xi You Ji), a classical novel written by WU Chengen (1500-1582) during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). This novel is a part of the "four great extraordinary books" of China. The four characters all the time meet various monsters they need to conquer. The Journey to the West is a classic that gave birth to numerous adaptations (films, plays, Chinese operas, animations, TV series, video games, comic books...).

Dream in the Peony Pavilion

Dream in the Peony Pavilion (1960) by Xu Ke

Sunday, December 7 - 19h - Cinémathèque Française

Dream in the Peony Pavilion is a traditional play from the Kunqu opera, which originates in the XVth century at Kunshan in the Jiansu province. It is considered the oldest form of Chinese opera. On May 18th, 2001 UNESCO declared Kunqu a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Dream in The Peony Pavilion is taken from the tenth act of the play The Peony Pavilion (Mu Dan Ting), entitled "The Interrupted Dream" (Jing Meng). This celebrated work written by the famous playwright TANG Xianzu during the Ming Dynasty in 1598 describes the passionate love story between Du Liniang and Liu Mengmei. The opera is made up of fifty five acts (chu) and takes some twenty hours to perform.

Lady Qin

Lady Qin (1960) by Sun Yu

Wednesday, December 10 - 17:30 - Cinémathèque Française

Lady Qin proviendrait d'une histoire survenue au milieu du XIXe siècle dans la minorité Dong habitant le sud-ouest de la Chine. Deux artistes de cette minorité, LIANG Yaoting et LIANG Shaohua, l'adaptent en 1921 sous la forme d'une pièce d'opéra Dong (Zhulang Niangmei). En 1959, cet opéra est traduit en mandarin. Un an après, Zhulang Niangmei est adapté en Qin Niangmei par le groupe de création de l'Opéra Dong de la province du Guizhou. Il est filmé par SUN Yu la même année.

The Jade Hairpin

The Jade Hairpin (1961) by Wu Yonggang

Sunday, December 7 - 21:30 - Cinémathèque Française

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.

The East is Red

The East is Red (1965) by Wang Ping

Thurday, December 11 - 14:30 - Cinémathèque Française

The East is Red is an adaptation of a large musical, created in 1964 to celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the Chinese People's Republic. The film presents thirty-six revolutionary songs and twenty-four danses on twenty-eight stages to represent China as a whole.

The Red Detachment of Women

The Red Detachment of Women (1971) by Pan Wenzhan and Fu Jie

Sunday, December 7 - 17:00 - Cinémathèque Française

A cult film, The Red Detachment of Women is inspired by a true story, which took place in the thirties on the Hainan Island. Highlighting the Cultural Revolution, this celebrated ballet consists of eight exemplary works authorized during this period. When the film was shown in France in 1972, it produced an equally strong reaction. Far from being just simple coverage of a ballet, this film uses all of the available cinematic styles to emphasize the representation of the radical China that was desired by Mao and China's First Lady JIANG Qin. It also shows the main revolutionary values - equality among men, emancipation of women, giving your life for freedom, and sacrifice for a brighter future - that are underlined throughout the ballet. Since 1964, Jiang QUNG has been adapting classical opera to revolutionary themes to illustrate Mao's desire to reform opera according to the revolutionary conventions whilst also drawing from the recent history of the party, establishing an authentic role of both male and female working class heroes. This highly symbolic propaganda film was shown to Richard Nixon on his historic visit to China in 1972; it was also screened at the Venice Film Festival in 1971.

The Legend of the White Snake

The Legend of the White Snake (1980) by Fu Chaowu

Thurday, December 4 - 20:00 - Cinémathèque Française
Saturday, December 6 - 15:00 - Cinémathèque Française

The film is based on the opera The Story of the Golden Bowl (Jin No Ji) which was written by TIAN Han in 1947. In 1953, he adapted it for the screen adding the final plot intrigue where the Green Snake defeats the Goddess of the Tower and saves the White Snake. Writer, playwright and revolutionary from the very beginning, TIAN Han (1898-1968) is considered the founder of modern Chinese theatre. As well as a daring production with special effects and the use of a natural set, this film became one of the biggest successes of Chinese cinema, drawing in more than seven hundred million viewers at the time of its release in 1981.

The King of Masks

The King of Masks (1996) by Wu Tianming

Saturday, December 6 - 17:00 - Cinémathèque Française

The King of Masks is a moving film about a family values. Sustained by impeccable photography and empathy for its characters it tells a story of the transition and the bonds between generations. After having spent five years in the USA, WU Tianming returned to China and directed The King of Masks in 1996.
This highly acclaimed film won many awards in China and in international festivals. The film brings together three exceptional artists: the director WU Tianming, the renowned script writer and playwright for the Chuan opera known as "the writer from Szechuan of fantastic talent" and ZHU Xu, the highly esteemed actor who interprets the main role. In 1997, WEI Minglun adapts his script for a Chuan opera play.