Evening star., 1927-04-17

The Chinese, In addltlon TO showing
decided disposition to run their own
governmental affairs and at the pres
ent time to be anything but hospitable
to foreigners, also have marked
preference for their own motion pic
lures. They are natural motion pic
ture fans, but they want films pro.
duced from Chinese scenarios and
with Chinese actors.
This is reported by the Department
of Commerce as of particular interest
to the motion picture industry of the
United States, which has enjoyed al
most a monopoly of foreign films inn
ported into China. 1t does not neces-
sarily mean, however, that there Is
no future for American films in China.
On the contrary, 1t is predicted that
the expansion of their own MIN IN
dustry will quicken their interest in
and demand for foreign films, which
will result in an increasing market
for the producers of this country.
Motion pictures were introduced
into China in 1909, the first theater
being established in that year, but IT
was not until 1919 that the Chinese
produced q film of their own. Now
they have some so producing COM
panies, 20 of these having been or
ganized last year. Shanghai seems
to be at present the Hollywood or the
Chinese motion picture industry, as
we'll as the center for the distribution
of most American films.
Al Chinese feature picture, 1t, is sald,
usually presents q curious interweav'
ing of the customs and civilizations
of East and West. The play, follow
ing a foreign theme, is carried out by
Chinese actors, and the action pre-
sents not only their own customs, but
some which are entirely foreign 10
them. For instance, in recent PIC
ture the custom where one clasps one
own hands together and bows was
used throughout instead of the Tor
eirn custom of shaking hands, but
the love theme of the story was es-
sentially foreign and entirely at Varl'
ance with Chinese customs, Wnere
marriages are still made through
"middleman." Chinese clothes We're
used throughout except for the vii
lain who wore ill-fitting foreign garb
-nossibly to stamp him unmistakably
as the bad man of the play. Chinese
productions have a tendency to be
rather overdone as to length, Gil
MAKES, acting, and, it Is reported sus-
gestively, frankness.
Real Oriental Melodrama.
In "A Secret Told at Last" real
Oriental melodrama, the story is OF
beautiful Chinese girl, niece OF pow
erful official, who Is rescued from
drowning by one Ming Wei, VINO Ialls
in love with her, secures an lntroauc.
ton to her uncle, pays her asslouous
court. and eventually wins her heart.
R,lt Ming Wei discovers that the uncle
is a traitor and it falls to his lot as
member of q patriotic society to XIII
him. This Ming dislikes to do, since
the uncle has treated him well, put
finally patriotism conquers ana tne
uncle is removed, as they say on the
other side of the Pacific, or bumped
off, as we say on this side.
Ming is captured, tried and SEN
fenced to death. The girl is persuaded
to stand by her lover by faithIul
servant who tells her that her uncle
poisoned her father to secure control
of her property, and she manages 10
secure Ming's pardon from the Presi-
dent of China. Then there is the con-
ventional and rather Occidental efrort
at a thrill by picturing the race to get
the pardon papers to the prison III
time to stay the hand of the eXecu-
TONER Happy endings being in or
der. the papers win.
In "Two Valiant Brothers" the
elded, merchant, and the younger,
student, fall in love with their
cousin, Fi-Lan. After various incl
dents In the pursuit of the 1alr
lady's affections the younger brother,
Kang Chang, wins. When the elder
brother learns of this he is broken
hearted and attempts to drown his
sorrows in drinking and gambling.
This grieves Kang Chang, who
offers to give up his love to his
brother to save him from his evil
ways, but Fi-Lan says there is
nothing doing in that line. There
upon Kang Chang decides to throw
himself into the lake as climacterlc
act of self-sacrifice. Then we cut
school teacher, who was sweet on
the elder brother and had once pre-
sented him with a sweater and in
yited him to go on a Summer vaca-
tion with her. This latter, by the
way, would never get by the cenSors
| In several States in this country. But
Kang Tao, the elder brother, had
spurned Miss Shen's affection, hop
ing that he might win Fi-Lan.
Always the Happy Ending.
Of course, as it worked out, it fell
| to Kang Tao and Miss Shen to save
Kang Chang from suicide and then
ali misunderstanding We're cleared
up. The elder brother begged Miss
! Shen's pardon for having been so
cruel to her and prevailed upon her
| to accept him as a husband, while
| the younger married Fi-Lan.
In another of these melodramas,
which ran to nine reels and was en-
titled "Three Shanghai Girls" the
william eventually marries the girl
he has wronged and everybody else