Directed by Li Minwei
Less than an hour remains of this sumptuous costume epic, at the time one of the most lavish Chinese productions ever made. Based on a scandalous Yuan Dynasty play, the film chronicles the blossoming affair between a young scholar and a courtier's daughter, set against the backdrop of a bandit siege. Featuring a few breathtaking hand-tinted sequences and replete with breakneck action, intrigue and old-fashioned romance, Romance of the Western Chamber anticipates the later "anything goes" spirit of Hong Kong New Wave director Tsui Hark.
Minxin Film Company. Screenwriter: Hou Yao, based on the play by Wang Shifu. Cinematographer: Liang Linguang. Cast: Ce Cijiang, Liu Chuchu, Li Dandan, Hu Chichang, Zhu Yaoting.
35mm, b/w, silent with French intertitles and live English translation, 45 min.
