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Street Angel

Original title: Ma lu tian shi
  • 19371937
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
853
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Ma lu tian shi (1937)
  • Comedy
  • Drama
In old Shanghai, two sisters, a prostitute and a singer, tried to escape from the local scoundrels with the help of a trumpet player and a newspaper seller.In old Shanghai, two sisters, a prostitute and a singer, tried to escape from the local scoundrels with the help of a trumpet player and a newspaper seller.In old Shanghai, two sisters, a prostitute and a singer, tried to escape from the local scoundrels with the help of a trumpet player and a newspaper seller.
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
853
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Muzhi Yuan
  • Writer
    • Muzhi Yuan
  • Stars
    • Dan Zhao
    • Heling Wei
    • Xuan Zhou
Top credits
  • Director
    • Muzhi Yuan
  • Writer
    • Muzhi Yuan
  • Stars
    • Dan Zhao
    • Heling Wei
    • Xuan Zhou
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win

    Photos

    Ma lu tian shi (1937)
    Ma lu tian shi (1937)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Dan Zhao
    • Xiao Chen (Musician)as Xiao Chen (Musician)
    Heling Wei
    • Lao Wang (Newspaper Seller)as Lao Wang (Newspaper Seller)
    Xuan Zhou
    • Xiao Hong (Singing Girl)as Xiao Hong (Singing Girl)
    Jiting Wang
    • Qin Playeras Qin Player
    Zhicheng Feng
    • Gangsteras Gangster
    Yiting Chen
    • Henchmanas Henchman
    Qianli Qian
    • Barbershop Workeras Barbershop Worker
    Chaofu Tang
    • Barbershop Owneras Barbershop Owner
    Jun Shen
    • Young Peddleras Young Peddler
    Yuanyuan Qiu
    • Unemployed Personas Unemployed Person
    Meishao Yuan
    • Young Widowas Young Widow
    Huishen Zhao
    • Xiao Yun (Prostitute)as Xiao Yun (Prostitute)
    Jinyu Liu
    • Brothel Madamas Brothel Madam
    Jing Sun
    • Lawyeras Lawyer
    Jun Xie
    • Misfortunate Manas Misfortunate Man
    Liying Liu
    • Misfortunate Womanas Misfortunate Woman
    Yun Han
    • Police Officeras Police Officer
    Diyuan Li
    • Rent Collectoras Rent Collector
    • (as Dizhi Li)
    • Director
      • Muzhi Yuan
    • Writer
      • Muzhi Yuan
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    In old Shanghai, two sisters, a prostitute and a singer, tried to escape from the local scoundrels with the help of a trumpet player and a newspaper seller.
    • escape
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Drama
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Xiao Yun does not speak for the first half of the film.
    • Connections
      Featured in Electric Shadows (2004)

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    Warmth and playfulness in an early Chinese classic
    Two sisters having fled from the war in northeast China come to Shanghai looking for a better life. Xiao Yun (Zhao Huishen) is forced into prostitution while her younger sister Xiao Hong (Zhou Xuan) becomes a singer and dancer at a local brothel. Though enslaved to the musician Wang, they are aided by the friendship of a young street musician Xiao Chen (Zhao Dan) and his friend Xiao Wang (Wei Heling) who help the sisters fend off the brothel owner and local thugs. Considered an early Chinese classic, Yuan Muzhi's lyrical Street Angel depicts the daily struggles of those who made up Shanghai's underclasses in 1935 at the time of the Japanese occupation: the street walkers, news vendors, fruit sellers, musicians, barbers, and the like. The film blends comedy with social realism and shows Chinese women as victims of a ruthlessly commercial society.

    Unlike Flowers of Shanghai by Hou Hsiao-hsien which depicted the world of the courtesan behind closed doors, Street Angel shows the open world of Shanghai's street prostitutes, girls that have no status, are bought and sold, and allowed little individuality. Like the prostitutes in Hou's film, however, they are equally entrapped and their only escape is by marrying or running away. In spite of its theme, the film is never heavy handed but comes alive through the superb acting of Chen and the magnificent singing of then 18-year old Zhou Xuan. Zhou's songs and Chen's trumpet playing and magic tricks give the film a warmth and playfulness that transcends the bleak conditions and makes it universal in its appeal.
    helpful•30
    0
    • howard.schumann
    • Sep 1, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • 1937 (China)
    • Country of origin
      • China
    • Language
      • Mandarin
    • Also known as
      • Ma lo thien su
    • Production companies
      • Mingxing Film Company
      • Star Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    A Century of Chinese Cinema (Event)
    Jun 4AsianMoviePulse

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