‘Journey to the West’ 1927 – blockbuster that was banned from screening
China“Ban To Cave”, the first film to adapt the novel “Journey to the West”, was once banned for being “provocative”.
Ban To Cave was born in the 1920s in Shanghai, in the silent film era, the work is now 95 years old. According to ThepaperAccording to experts, this is the first film to adapt a mythical novel by Ngo Thua An, also known as Journey to the west 1927.
The work caused a stir when it was released and was the first Chinese film to hit Norwegian theaters. The director is Dan Do Vu and the female lead is played by An Minh Chau – Dan Do Vu’s wife. Other actors include Ngo Van Sieu (as Sun Wukong), Chiang Mai Khang (Tang Tang Tang), Chu Hong Tuyen (Tru Bat Gioi), Chiem Gia Loi (Sa Tang)…
The film adapts act 72 of the novel, revolving around Tang Sanzang being surrounded by spiders, tricked into Ban To Cave, and forced into a body with a beautiful host. Thanks to the attractive content, beautiful form, Journey to the West 1927 achieved great revenue, helping the couple Dan Do Vu – An Minh Chau receive a remuneration of 50,000 yuan. At that time, an average family of five in Shanghai spent about 30 yuan a month. The couple used this money to buy film equipment and a car.
Then, in 1929, Dan Do Vu filmed the sequel of the work. By 1930, both films were banned because of “actor wearing bold”. Some scenes of goblins seducing Tang Tang were said to be “destroying fine customs”.
Lost works in China. Researchers can only learn about the film through newspapers and photos. In 2012, Tina Anckarman – an employee working at the National Library of Norway – discovered a copy of Journey to the West 1927. Two years later, the work was restored, the Norwegian side donated a copy to the China Film Documentation Museum. At that time, film researchers were surprised and excited when the seemingly lost silent film was replayed in theaters and film festivals…
Journey to the West 1927 considered as treasures and important documents of Chinese cinema. Thang Duy Kiet – associate professor of the Institute of Humanities and Humanities of Tongji University, Shanghai, said that the film belongs to the “blockbuster” of the 1920s, marking breakthroughs in the use of techniques and artistic effects. After 95 years, character creation is not outdated. At that time, the female lead An Minh Chau was a famous trendy woman in Bund.
In the 1930s, husband and wife Dan Do Vu – An Minh Chau went to Hong Kong to film and live, they had five children, including four girls and one boy. The director died in 1972 from cancer, the actress died in 1989.
Their daughter – Judy Dan – succeeded her mother. She won the Miss Hong Kong pageant in 1952, then participated in the Miss Universe contest for the first time in history, winning the 3rd runner-up. Judy Dan currently lives in the US.
Nghinh Xuan
at Blogtuan.info – Source: vnexpress.net – Read the original article here