Even though no one knew it then, the first Golden Age of Chinese cinema was quickly coming to a close when director Yuan Muzhi released his July 1937 "Street Angel." One major contributing factor to the era's demise was an incident at Marco Polo Bridge near Beijing on July 7, 1937, between Chinese and Japanese soldiers, sparking the Second Sino-Japanese War. The brutal conflict swallowed the country's 'Hollywood of the East,' the city of Shanghai in the following month. When released, "Street Angel" quickly became one of the most popular movies produced in China in the 1930s. Yuan's movie served as a commentary on the state of Chinese urban life at the cusp of dramatic political changes.
"Street Angel" was the second film of Yuan's, an actor-turn-director. His joie de vivre personality seen on the screen was transferred to his directed movies, as witnessed in his first film, 1935's "Scenes of City Life." In "Street Angel," Yuan mixes comedy with tragedy to describe two sisters who had fled Manchuria when the Japanese invaded the region in the early 1930s. An opportunist, sadistic couple, owners of a tea house, have taken in the sisters. The older sister, Xiao Yun (Zhao Huishen), is forced to walk the streets to pay her way, while the younger sister, Xiao Hong (Zhou Xuan), is a singer at the tea house working for tips. Chen Shaoping (Zhao Dan) is a fun-loving trumpet player living next door to the tea house who is attracted to Xiao. His friendship with three nearby barbers, acting like Hollywood's The Three Stooges, provide the movie's levity, mimicking many of the Stooges' pranks.
As a Chinese 'left-wing' film during this Golden Age of Cinema, "Street Angel" illustrates the wide gap between the rich and the poor struggling in a major city. Typical of these 'left wing' movies has fat cats (rich males) take advantage of the vulnerable, especially women living in poverty, only to see a savior rescue those less fortunate. Chen and another friend whisk the two sisters away from their oppressive home. As a co-author to "Angel Street," Yuan gleaned his movie's title and its theme from Janet Gaynor's 1928 silent film of the same name as well as director Frank Borzage/Janet Gaynor's motion picture, 1927 "7th Heaven." Shanghai was one of the fortunate cities in China to receive a number of Hollywood films during the 1930s. Yuan's and Gaynor's two movies are centered on the psychological and physical effects of prostitution.
Yuan survived the brutal Japanese occupation as well as the subsequent Communist takeover of China after World War Two. He producied movies for the state-controlled Dongbei Film Studio, the company which Yuan helped establish. Actor Zhao Dan, who played Chen Shaoping, also remained in China, but was swept up by the 1966 Cultural Revolution, where he served five years in prison. And actress Zhou Xuan, as the young singer Xiao Hong, belted out two songs in "Angel Street," 'The Wandering Songstress' and the 'Four Seasons Song,' which became instant classics in China, while the film made her a major star and popular singer. She's best known as a member of China's 'Seven Singing Stars,' and appeared in over 40 movies. Despite her stardom, her life wasn't all roses. She suffered through several abusive marriages, birthing a handful of illegitimate children and committing a number of suicide attempts. She died in a mental asylum at 37. Her best known film: "Street Angel."
"Street Angel" was the second film of Yuan's, an actor-turn-director. His joie de vivre personality seen on the screen was transferred to his directed movies, as witnessed in his first film, 1935's "Scenes of City Life." In "Street Angel," Yuan mixes comedy with tragedy to describe two sisters who had fled Manchuria when the Japanese invaded the region in the early 1930s. An opportunist, sadistic couple, owners of a tea house, have taken in the sisters. The older sister, Xiao Yun (Zhao Huishen), is forced to walk the streets to pay her way, while the younger sister, Xiao Hong (Zhou Xuan), is a singer at the tea house working for tips. Chen Shaoping (Zhao Dan) is a fun-loving trumpet player living next door to the tea house who is attracted to Xiao. His friendship with three nearby barbers, acting like Hollywood's The Three Stooges, provide the movie's levity, mimicking many of the Stooges' pranks.
As a Chinese 'left-wing' film during this Golden Age of Cinema, "Street Angel" illustrates the wide gap between the rich and the poor struggling in a major city. Typical of these 'left wing' movies has fat cats (rich males) take advantage of the vulnerable, especially women living in poverty, only to see a savior rescue those less fortunate. Chen and another friend whisk the two sisters away from their oppressive home. As a co-author to "Angel Street," Yuan gleaned his movie's title and its theme from Janet Gaynor's 1928 silent film of the same name as well as director Frank Borzage/Janet Gaynor's motion picture, 1927 "7th Heaven." Shanghai was one of the fortunate cities in China to receive a number of Hollywood films during the 1930s. Yuan's and Gaynor's two movies are centered on the psychological and physical effects of prostitution.
Yuan survived the brutal Japanese occupation as well as the subsequent Communist takeover of China after World War Two. He producied movies for the state-controlled Dongbei Film Studio, the company which Yuan helped establish. Actor Zhao Dan, who played Chen Shaoping, also remained in China, but was swept up by the 1966 Cultural Revolution, where he served five years in prison. And actress Zhou Xuan, as the young singer Xiao Hong, belted out two songs in "Angel Street," 'The Wandering Songstress' and the 'Four Seasons Song,' which became instant classics in China, while the film made her a major star and popular singer. She's best known as a member of China's 'Seven Singing Stars,' and appeared in over 40 movies. Despite her stardom, her life wasn't all roses. She suffered through several abusive marriages, birthing a handful of illegitimate children and committing a number of suicide attempts. She died in a mental asylum at 37. Her best known film: "Street Angel."