Love and Duty (1931 film)
| Love and Duty | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Traditional Chinese | 戀愛與義務 |
| Simplified Chinese | 恋爱与义务 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Liàn'ài yǔ yìwù |
| Directed by | Bu Wancang |
| Written by | Zhu Shilin |
| Based on | La symphonie des ombres Chinouses by S. Horose |
| Produced by | Lo Ming Yau |
| Starring | Ruan Lingyu Jin Yan |
| Cinematography | Huang Shaofen |
Production companies | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 153 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Languages | Silent film Written Chinese and English intertitles |
Love and Duty is a 1931 Chinese silent film, directed by Bu Wancang and starring Ruan Lingyu and Jin Yan. Long considered lost, it was accidentally rediscovered in Uruguay in the 1990s, and almost immediately hailed as one of the greatest Chinese silent films. Like many Chinese silent films, it features both Chinese and English intertitles.
Ruan Lingyu portrays two different characters, who are Yang Nei Fang, the mother, and Huang Koon Ying, Nei Fang's daughter. The split screen technology is used for scenes where both characters appear.[1]
Production history[edit]
Based on a novel, Love and Duty by a Polish expatriate, S. Horose, who had given the English version of her novel to Lo Ming Yau, the producer of the film. Then, the producer thought that this novel, with its sophisticated plot, should be adapted to be filmed. However, he didn't have enough resources to film it. After eight years and after Lianhua appeared in 1930, the film was finally made, which was also attributed to the filming industry's growth. This advancement in filming made the production of new types of films, like Love and Duty, possible. In the end, Love and Duty became one of the first films produced by the leftist United Photoplay Service.
The film was very popular for its day, in no small part due to the pairing of Ruan, who was already a darling of the Shanghai film industry, and Jin Yan, a Korean-born actor who was one of the major leading men in early Chinese cinema.
Plot[edit]
The plot of the film first starts in a town, called Kiangwan, in Shanghai of China, which is a place that is inhabited by families of great wealth, including the ones of the two protagonists, Yang Nei Fang (played by Ruan Lingyu) and Li Tsu Yi (played by Jin Yan). The film starts with Tsu Yi wakes up from bed and is preparing to go to school. Then, because of how Tsu Yi slept in for half an hour, he meets the girl of his life at the entrance of his home whom he had always missed because of schedule difference. Tsu Yi falls in love at first sight of Nei Fang and starts to pursue Nei Fang intensely by following her around. Nei Fang, however, ignores the intention of Tsu Yi, until Tsu Yi uses a piece of his shirt to bandage her wounded leg after a car accident. After this incident, Nei Fang finally falls in love with Tsu Yi. Graphic matching of a piece of Tsu Yi's shirt in Nei Fang's hand and Nei Fang's handkerchief, which he obtained by accident, in Tsy Yi's hand shows that they has exchanged objects that represent love. Just after this, Nei Fang's father arranges a marriage for his daughter with a young man of good background, called Huang Ta Jen. Even though Nei Fang is reluctant, she still submits to her father's authority. Years of dull marriage life follows for Nei Fang.
Time flies by, Nei Fang and Tsu Yi is united again. With each time that they spend with each other, Nei Fang and Tsu Yi's relationship becomes increasingly intimate. As revealed, Ta Jen is also in love with another woman without Nei Fang knowing. Finally, one day, Nei Fang leaves her family to live with Tsu Yi. After this betrayal, Ta Jen takes care of their children on his own. In addition, he also severes his bond with the other woman.
On the other hand, even though Nei Fang and Tsu Yi enjoy a happy time with each other for a short while, it becomes difficult for Tsu Yi to find a job, with the rumor about their relationship. Tragically, Tsu Yi then dies because of working too hard on a cheap job. Nei Fang, who has no other options, takes care of their daughter, Ping Erh, on her own without anyone's help.
When Nei Fang becomes an old lady, she meets again her first two children, without revealing her identity because of shame. In the end, Nei Fang decides to commit suicide to liberate Ping Erh's life from the negative influence of Nei Fang's past and to put Ping Erh in the hands of Ta Jen. Ta Jeng is moved by Nei Fang and agrees to take care of Ping Erh. The film ends with the act of filial piety from the three children to Nei Fang.
In summary, the film tells the story of Yang Nei Fan (played by Ruan Lingyu) who runs from her arranged marriage to be with her true love, Li Tsu Yi (played by Jin Yan) and the consequences that come after.
Rediscovery[edit]
For many years the film was believed to be lost, until a complete print was discovered in Uruguay in the 1990s.[2] The rediscovered print was shipped over to Taiwan in 1993 and is now housed at the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute. Since its rediscovery, the film has made its rounds in film festivals and Chinese cinema retrospectives around the world. In 2014, Love and Duty underwent a 2K digital restoration under Italy's L'Immagine Ritrovata, after which it was screened at the Shanghai Film Festival that same year.
Remakes[edit]
Love and Duty has been remade twice, in 1938 and 1955. The first was from the wartime Shanghai "Orphan Island" studio Xinhua Film Company, again directed by Bu Wancang, with Jin Yan reprising his earlier role and Yuan Meiyun in the role originally created by Ruan Lingyu. The second remake was by the Hong Kong Shaw Brothers Studio. Both remakes were Mandarin dialect sound films.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Harris, Kristine (2013). "Ombres Chinoises: Split Screens and Parallel Lives in Love and Duty". In Rojas, Carlos; Chow, Eileen (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Cinemas. Oxford University Press. pp. 39–61. ISBN 978-0-19-976560-7.
- ^ Thomas Kampen (30 June 2004). "Film "Love and Duty"". Institute of Chinese Studies, University of Heidelberg. Archived from the original on 4 September 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2007.
External links[edit]
- Love and Duty (1934): Full film with English subtitles representing text not translated in the original intertitles
- Love and Duty at IMDb
- 2013 Restored version trailer on YouTube
- "A Century Of Chinese Cinema"
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