Soap opera avant-la-lettre? Hmm.. Lifestyles of the (lesser) Rich and Famous? In a way.. Half-way screwball comedy? I don't find a perfectly fitting label for this quite entertaining film.
It's about two families in Shanghai after 1945, but (of course) before "liberation" in 1949, presided by father in one, and mother in the other, cross-joined by one married couple, while their siblings plan to marry too.
So we get shown quite some views of bourgeois life - lying, cheating, adultering, embezzling, founding a company and bankrupting it, divorce, etc. The dialogs are sometimes vitriolic, yet fun for their outspokenness. I liked the scene best when the cheated wife settles accounts with the mistress - that exposed a strong acting energy.
In general, an enjoyable society study from a short pre-"liberation" peace period, which ends like a romantic comedy. Not much action, but fun because of the dialogs. 7/10.
It's about two families in Shanghai after 1945, but (of course) before "liberation" in 1949, presided by father in one, and mother in the other, cross-joined by one married couple, while their siblings plan to marry too.
So we get shown quite some views of bourgeois life - lying, cheating, adultering, embezzling, founding a company and bankrupting it, divorce, etc. The dialogs are sometimes vitriolic, yet fun for their outspokenness. I liked the scene best when the cheated wife settles accounts with the mistress - that exposed a strong acting energy.
In general, an enjoyable society study from a short pre-"liberation" peace period, which ends like a romantic comedy. Not much action, but fun because of the dialogs. 7/10.
