A Spray of Plum Blossoms
Encyclopedia
A Spray of Plum Blossoms is a 1931 silent Chinese film directed by Bu Wancang
and starring Ruan Lingyu
, Wang Cilong and Jin Yan
. It is a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare
's The Two Gentlemen of Verona
. The film is one of several collaborations between Bu Wancang and two of the top Chinese movie stars of the day Ruan Lingyu
and the Korean-born Jin Yan
and was produced by the Lianhua Film Company
.
The film is noted for its attempted "Westernized stylings" including its surreal use of decor, women-soldiers with long hair, etc. The film also had English-subtitles, but as some scholars have noted, since few foreigners watched these films, the subtitles were more to give off an air of the West rather than to serve any real purpose.
DVD
by Cinema Epoch
as a packaged disc (along with Shi Dongshan
's Two Stars in the Milky Way). The disc was released on September 11, 2007.
Bu Wancang
Bu Wancang was a prolific Chinese film director and screenwriter active between the 1920s and the 1960s. He is also known by his Cantonese name, Baak Maan Chong, and his English name, Richard Poh. He was born in Anhui.-Career:...
and starring Ruan Lingyu
Ruan Lingyu
Ruan Lingyu , born Ruan Fenggen , was a Chinese silent film actress. One of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s, her death at the age of 24 led her to become an icon of Chinese cinema.- Career :...
, Wang Cilong and Jin Yan
Jin Yan
Jin Yan was a Korean-born actor who gained fame in China during that country's golden age of cinema, based in Shanghai. His acting talents and good looks gained him much popularity in the 1930's. He was dubbed "The Emperor of Cinema" and "The Rudolph Valentino of Shanghai".- Filmography :-...
. It is a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
The Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1590 or 1591. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as his first tentative steps in laying out some of the themes and tropes with which he would later deal in more...
. The film is one of several collaborations between Bu Wancang and two of the top Chinese movie stars of the day Ruan Lingyu
Ruan Lingyu
Ruan Lingyu , born Ruan Fenggen , was a Chinese silent film actress. One of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s, her death at the age of 24 led her to become an icon of Chinese cinema.- Career :...
and the Korean-born Jin Yan
Jin Yan
Jin Yan was a Korean-born actor who gained fame in China during that country's golden age of cinema, based in Shanghai. His acting talents and good looks gained him much popularity in the 1930's. He was dubbed "The Emperor of Cinema" and "The Rudolph Valentino of Shanghai".- Filmography :-...
and was produced by the Lianhua Film Company
Lianhua Film Company
The Lianhua Film Company was one of two major production companies based in Shanghai, China during the 1930s, the other being the Mingxing Film Company.-Names:...
.
The film is noted for its attempted "Westernized stylings" including its surreal use of decor, women-soldiers with long hair, etc. The film also had English-subtitles, but as some scholars have noted, since few foreigners watched these films, the subtitles were more to give off an air of the West rather than to serve any real purpose.
Cast
- Ruan LingyuRuan LingyuRuan Lingyu , born Ruan Fenggen , was a Chinese silent film actress. One of the most prominent Chinese film stars of the 1930s, her death at the age of 24 led her to become an icon of Chinese cinema.- Career :...
as Hu Zhilu (Julia) - Jin YanJin YanJin Yan was a Korean-born actor who gained fame in China during that country's golden age of cinema, based in Shanghai. His acting talents and good looks gained him much popularity in the 1930's. He was dubbed "The Emperor of Cinema" and "The Rudolph Valentino of Shanghai".- Filmography :-...
as Hu Luting (Valentine) - Wang Cilong as Bai Lede (Proteus)
- Lam Chocho as Shi Luohua (Silvia)
- Gao Zhanfei as Liao Di'ao (Tiburio)
- Chen YanyanChen YanyanChen Yanyan is a female Chinese swimmer, who competed for Team China at the 2008 Summer Olympics.-Major achievements:*2002/2003 National Champions Tournament - 4th 50 m free/1st 4×100 m medley relay;...
as A Qiao (Lucetta) - Liu Jiqun as Fatty Liu
- Wang Guilin as General Shi
- Shi Juefei as Li Yi, the chief bandit
Plot
Hu Luting (Valentine) and Bai Lede (Proteus), two graduates of Shanghai's military academy are best friends. While Hu Luting is sent to the far south to serve under General Shi, Bai remains in Shanghai, falling in love with Hu's sister, Hu Zhilu (Julia). Meanwhile Hu Luting has fallen in love with General Shi's daughter, Shi Luohua (Silvia). When Bai is also sent south, tensions rise as Bai also begins to feel attractions to Luohua.DVD release
A Spring of Plum Blossoms was released on all-regionDVD region code
DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...
DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by Cinema Epoch
Cinema Epoch
Cinema Epoch is an independent film distribution & production company based in the U.S. It was founded by distribution veteran and filmmaker Gregory Hatanaka. The company specializes in foreign, independent and cult cinema. The company's first release was the martial arts classic Master of the...
as a packaged disc (along with Shi Dongshan
Shi Dongshan
Shi Dongshan was a prominent Chinese film director throughout the 1920s and 1950s. Shi directed several films that have gained in stature in the intervening years, most notably Eight Thousand Li of Cloud and Moon....
's Two Stars in the Milky Way). The disc was released on September 11, 2007.
External links
- A Spray of Plum Blossoms from the Chinese Movie Database (incorrectly referred to as The Peach Girl)
- Cinema Epoch's collection of Chinese and other foreign films