The screening will be introduced by ethnomusicologist Professors Nancy Guy (UC San Diego) and Liu Nanfang (National Cheng Kung University).
Rediscovered in 2013, restored by the TNNUA, and subtitled in English specially for this event, Xue Pinggui and Wang Baochuan is the smash hit gezaixi opera film whose release in 1956 launched Taiwanese-language film industry. Less than 200 of these low-budget popular films survive, and the early opera films are especially rare. To mark the 70th anniversary of the industry, we are delighted to offer London audiences their first opportunity to watch this archive classic.
Set in the Tang dynasty, this love story between a destitute young man and the daughter of the prime minister’s themes of marriage freedom and ambition resonate with the era when Taiwanese were determined to modernize and raise themselves out of poverty. The film captures a transitional moment in Taiwanese cinema between operatic conventions and experiments with cinematic techniques, including location shooting. The rediscovered print was dubbed in the Hakka minority language using Hakka music. It rewrites Taiwanese film history, revealing circulation between linguistic communities via adaptation and dubbing.
The screening is co-presented by The Taiwanese-Language Cinema 70th Anniversary Project, the Taiwan Ministry of Culture, The Tainan National University of Arts (TNNUA), and King’s College London.
