The establishment of the "Film History Recommendation" screening unit of the Shanghai International Film Festival takes the anniversary as the clue to invite the audience to enjoy the classic works of world film history. This year's "Film History Recommendation" section has a total of ten films:
Chaplin's classic silent film "Finding a Son Meets Immortals" that celebrates its centenary anniversary; the love drama "Peach Blossom Crying Blood" co-starring 21-year-old Ruan Lingyu and Jin Yan; the classic film noir "The Eagle of Malta" starring Humphrey Bogart; the well-known comedy adventure film "The Queen of Africa"; the documentary film "Summer Chronicles" co-created by documentary film master Jean Rush and the sociologist Edgar Moran; the "Anti-Western" Western film "Flower Village" directed by Robert Altman; Manuel de Oliveira's "" Frustrated Love" trilogy finale "Francesca"; feminist film classic "The End of the Road"; one of the most important commercial films in the history of French cinema since the new century, "Angel Amelie"; Wang Qianyuan won the Best Actor Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival for "The Piano of Steel".
Let's take a look at the wonderful video introduction:
The Quest for the Immortals
The Kid
-1921-
What to watch: A classic that still makes you laugh and cry 100 years later
Comedy guru Chaplin wrote and directed his first feature film, which tells the story of the homeless man and his adopted little boy. This classic with laughter and tears has maintained a 100% praise rate on the film review website "Rotten Tomatoes" and is also the 100th on the IMDb wish list. The 1921 premiere of the film was 68 minutes, and when Chaplin re-released the film in 1971, the film was edited and finalized to be 53 minutes. As a result, later restorations of the film were based on the 53-minute version. In 2016, the Chaplin Foundation commissioned the Bologna Film Restoration Institute to carry out a new 4K digital restoration of the film. In 2021, the French company mk2 commemorated the 100th anniversary of the film's release and carried out a grand re-screening worldwide.
Peach Blossom Weeping Blood
The Peach Girl
-1931-
Highlights: 21-year-old Ruan Lingyu and Jin Yan's unique style
Ruan Lingyu, the greatest actress in the history of Chinese silent films, co-starred in the works of Jin Yan, a famous actor in the history of Chinese cinema, tells the story of the love tragedy caused by the couple of Qingmei Bamboo Horse due to the view of the door. The film specifically compares the differences between urban and rural areas, thus showing the conflict between old and new values. The "peach blossom" in the title is not only a prop in the film, but also a symbol of the heroine herself and her destiny. 1931 was the first heyday of Nguyen Ling Yu's film career, and three of the four films she starred in were with director Bu Wancang and actor Jin Yan. The image of Ruan Lingyu and Jin Yan in the film is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the bitter love drama makes the female audience shed tears, setting a new record for the best-selling film produced by Lianhua Pictures.
Maltese Eagle
The Maltese Falcon
-1941-
Highlights: One of the best film noirs in film history
Based on the novel of Darhill Hammit, the originator of the American "tough guy novel", it tells the bizarre case of a noblewoman commissioning a private detective to find her missing sister. Director John Houston boldly used Humphrey Bogart as the male lead, successfully shaping the anti-heroic character image, coupled with complex and roundabout story lines, low-key and beautiful black and white photography, which constituted an essential element of subsequent film noir. The film was the first mainstream film noir to achieve high box office results. In 2011, he appeared in the "Film Noir" section of the Shanghai International Film Festival and returned to Shencheng ten years later.
Queen of Africa
The African Queen
-1951-
Highlights: Humphrey Bogart and Catherine Hepburn play the role of a rival
A classic adventure film directed by film magnate John Houston tells the story of a mechanic and a priest in World War I Africa who are in the same boat on the Queen of Africa. Big stars Humphrey Bogart and Catherine Hepburn co-starred as a pair of rivals. Because it was a Technicolor color tricolor film, it took years to digitally scan and repair the film. In 2009, the restored 4K digital restoration finally came out and became a demonstration restoration masterpiece on par with The Godfather.
Summer Chronicle
Chronicle of a Summer
-1961-
Highlights: Winners of the International Film Critics Association Award at the Cannes International Film Festival
French documentary filmmaker Jean Rouche, philosopher and sociologist Edgar Moran were inspired by the films to make a film on social issues when they were on the jury of the Florence Documentary Film Festival. The two found the representative of the "direct movie" Bloort handheld, and asked the heroine Roldan to hold the microphone and ask passers-by: Are you happy? Thus began the prelude to the classic "Summer Chronicle" in the history of French cinema, the real film genre, and the history of documentaries. The film was selected for the 1961 Cannes International Film Festival and won the International Film Critics Association Award, the first time a documentary film has won the award. In 2011, to commemorate the film's 50th anniversary, the Bologna Film Restoration Institute carried out a 2K digital restoration of the film.
Flower Village
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
-1971-
Highlights: High rollers meet pretty women
The classic work of the film master Robert Ultraman tells the story of John's success in opening a brothel in a small western town, but he leads to the disaster of death. Co-starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, the film was a box office flop at the time of its release, but was hailed by critics as a classic of "anti-Westerns in the name of Westerns". The film also features three ballads written and sung by Canadian national treasure singer Leonard Cohen, adding to this gloomy, myth-shattering alternative masterpiece. In 2015, the film underwent a 4K scan repair, and cinematographer Wilmosz Zygmund supervised the restoration.
Francesca
Francisca
-1981-
Highlights: It's like Visconti wearing the cloak of German Expressionism
The beginning of a series of masterpieces filmed by the Portuguese film maestro Manuel de Oliveira in his later years. The film is based on a novel by the famous female writer Augustina Bertha-Louise, which is inspired by a true love tragedy in 1850. Oliveira, assisted by his wife, obtained precious letters from the heroine's archetype, and the elegant dialogue, accompanied by gorgeous sets and elaborate photography, presented a masterful grip that was both classical and postmodern, and became the finale of his "Frustrated Love" trilogy. The film was selected for the 1981 Cannes Directors Biwealth section. In 2019, the film was restored in 4K by the Portuguese Film Archive, and a restored copy premiered at that year's Venice Film Festival.
The end of the road is crazy
Thelma & Louise
-1991-
Highlights: Sisters traverse the world with one heart
Housewife Selma and girlfriend Louise travel together to distract themselves, but they do not expect to encounter thugs on the road and embark on the road of no return. Another big heroine film by film magnate Ridley Scott, but this time not an outer space opera, but a road movie. After the film was released, it caused a huge sensation, and female audiences felt empathy for the encounters of the two heroines in the film. The fledgling Brad Pitt became famous with two supporting roles, and the evocative ending was widely used in countless TV series, cartoons, video games and other frequent tributes.
Angels love beauty
Amelie
-2001-
What to watch: France's sweetest woman Wenqing two or three things
One of the most important French visual films since the new century, it depicts the life of a quirky Parisian café waitress and her love story with a shy boy in a flowing and comedic way. The film's warm tones and playful plot, coupled with the playful and cute performance of actress Audrey Tatoo, is a romantic comedy that anyone will feel comfortable after watching it. After its release, the film not only became one of the highest-grossing films of the year, but also won four César Awards for Best Picture and Best Director, and many attractions in the Montmartre District of Paris have also become popular spot for movie fans.
The piano of steel
The Piano in a Factory
-2010-
Highlights: Father's love is like steel, and he makes a pro-piano
Zhang Meng's second self-written and directed work was shortlisted for the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2009. It tells the story of Chen Guilin, a laid-off worker in the northeast, who fought for the custody of his daughter and a group of good buddies to build a steel piano from factory waste. The film continues the simple and humorous and poignant style of Zhang Meng's works, and many acting stars such as Wang Qianyuan, Qin Hailu, Tian Yu and so on joined in, vividly and humorously showing the simplicity and tenacity of ordinary people. Wang Qianyuan won the Best Actor Award at the 2010 Tokyo International Film Festival for this film. The film also won four awards at the 2011 Shanghai International Film Festival Film Channel Media Awards, including Best Film and Best Director. Ten years later, he returned to Shanghai.
Stay tuned to us and be the first to grasp the blockbuster list of the 2021 Shanghai International Film Festival.
Note: In case of change in the film schedule, the actual schedule shall prevail.