Asian filmdom has bestowed the accolade of "best picture of the year" on Oyster Girl, a wide-screen, color production of the Republic of China's Central Motion Picture Corporation. This marks the first time a Chinese movie has been so honored by the Asian Film Festival of the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia (FPA). The 11th Festival was held in Taipei June 15-19 and was acclaimed one of the most successful in the series.
Asia's top film of 1964 is a realistic treatment of contemporary Chinese life, replete with Jove, conflict, and hope for a better tomorrow. The oyster girl is played by Miss Wang Mo-cho, brought to stardom a couple of years ago in a Sino-Japanese picture Rainbow Over the Taiwan Straits. With other girls, she tends the oyster beds off the picturesque Taiwan coast. The community is poor but hard-working. Her lover has to go to sea to earn the betrothal money that will support her father and younger brother.
Actress Wang Mo-cho and Wu Chia-chi in a love scene from Oyster Girl (File photo)
Complications ensue. She is pursued by a villain who wants to marry her even though she is carrying her lover's child. She flees the village to escape gossip, then almost dies in childbirth. Her lover returns, she recovers and a happy life stretches ahead, not only for the couple, but for their progressive village.
The spectacle of oyster-laden carts is unique to moviemaking. Beautiful scenery and the folk songs of the fishing people add to the interest and impact of Oyster Girl.
Award for the best actor went to Yungkyoon Shin of Korea for his portrayal of an air force major in Red Scarf, a production of Seoul Shin Films. The character he plays hates war, yet dies a hero's death in the Korean conflict.
Ivy Ling Po as Lady General Hua Mu-lan (File photo)
Best actress is fragile-looking Ivy Ling Po of the Shaw Brothers in Hongkong, who plays the title role in Lady General Hua Mu-lan, a story of China's Joan of Arc. It is a wide-screen musical in color and with the opera-style Huangmei score of which she is the vocal master.
Hongkong, a three-time best film winner, also won the awards for best supporting actor and actress. Japan, always one of the principal winners, received awards for best color and black and white photography, sound, and scenario writing. Korea won for direction and editing. Art direction honors went to China and the music laurels to Hongkong.
Documentary of the year is Korea's Nirvana, telling the story and revealing the beauty of Buddhist temples. Japan's Power for Progress was best in documentary photography and the Industry of Free China was the most professionally planned.
Malaysia bagged four of the eight subsidiary awards—comedy, child performance, Asian progress, and love of freedom. Korea had the top tragedy, China the best choreography and non-dramatic music, and Hongkong the outstanding song.
Non-FPA honors for documentary films included the Chinese Education Ministry's award for social education, won by Malaysia's Mata Permata (Eyes of Envy); the Eric Johnston award for promotion of international understanding, won by the Birth of Malaysia; the Rotary Club award for humanitarian service, won by the Philippines' Managandingay—A Place of Happiness; and the Taipei Newspaper Publishers Association award for promotion of social justice, won by Thailand's Diamond Finger.
Guest entries included Oscar-winning William Holden's Seventh Dawn and the Vietnamese Year of the Tiger and Message from Vietnam. They received citations.
There were 48 entries: 21 features, 19 documentaries in competition, and 4 features and 4 documentaries for exhibition. Japan had the most: five features and five documentaries.
A ten-member jury of two persons each from China, Hongkong, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia screened and judged the 305,122 feet of film, enough to span 60 miles. The jurors conferred in a locked room until two hours before the closing ceremony. The jury's oath pledges choices "free from fear or favor."
Attendance of 238
Winners' trophies are Jade Phoenix plaques mounted on a wooden base bearing a Golden Harvest emblem. The phoenix design is copied from a 2,500-year-old bronze mirror of the Tang Dynasty. In Chinese legend, the phoenix is a sacred bird symbolizing beauty and vitality. Unlike Oscars, the Golden Harvest awards are designed by the host country. Past designs have included cup, bottle, gong, tiger, cow, and statue of an ancient Korean ruler.
Attending the Festival were 238 producers, directors, actors, and actresses from China, Hongkong, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The host country provided the largest delegation—84.
Observers included Irving Mans and Irving Levin representing the Motion Picture Export Association of the United States. A last-minute arrival was Holden, who came from location in Singapore.
Two dazzling public shows were given at the Taipei Cultural and Sports Stadium to capacity audiences of 15,000. Radio and television relayed the events to millions. Asia's night featured stars of every participating country in songs, dances, comedy, and a parade of feminine pulchritude.
China's night was dedicated to the stars of China and Hongkong. Proceeds went to Madame Chiang Kai-shek's Hua Hsing orphanage. Guest stars from Korea, Malaysia, and Vietnam also appeared.
The star-studded event gave indication that Asian pictures are attaining new level of excellence. As proclaimed by Henry Kung, chairman of the Festival committee, the Asian goal is to overtake the world's best in moviemaking.
A message from President Chiang Kai-shek congratulated producers for having produced a "far reaching effect in enhancing our faith in our way of life as free people." Welcoming the first Festival on Chinese soil, Premier C. K. Yen urged the industry to "maintain and guard" the freedom that has made possible their achievements.
FPA President Masaichi Nagata of Japan thanked the people in all member countries for their contributions to the industry. However, he stressed the need of overcoming the "difficulties confronting the Asian movie industry. "
The first Festival was held in Tokyo in 1954. The membership of FPA then comprised China, Hongkong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaya, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Four Festivals have been held in Tokyo, two in Manila, and one each in Hongkong, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, and Taipei. Japan will host the 1965 festival in Tokyo or Kyoto next May.
Although FPA stands for Asian film unity, differences are not unknown. Thailand balked at entering two previous festivals. The Philippines boycotted FPA last February to protest Japan's restrictions against distribution of its award-winning pictures. Indonesia complained about having the Festival in the Republic of China, and although invited, did not attend.
Actually, Taipei was selected as site of the 1963 Festival. But the Central Motion Picture Corporation was then in the process of reorganization and yielded to Japan on condition the 1964 Festival be held in Taipei.
Mediating Role
As host, Chinese moviemakers sought to restore the FPA united front. Festival committee chairman Henry Kung toured Asia in March and April to resolve conflicts and assure a successful, well-attended meeting.
His mediating role is reflected in an FPA resolution that award-winning pictures should be imported and distributed in all member countries. An ad hoc committee was established to seek elimination of national restrictions. South Vietnam's application for membership was unanimously approved.
A late comer in the 1930s, the movie industry of Asia is now as profilic and colorful as those of other regions. As far as number of films is concerned, Tokyo and Hongkong rank among the film capitals of the world. Hollywood films still dominate the Asian screen, however, and Asian pictures are yet to make an appreciable impact on Western audiences.
Japan leads in both quantity and quality. Its annual output averages more than 350 features and many short subjects. Epics such as the romantic Rashomon and The Mistress have been acclaimed the world over. In 1963, Harakiri won the silver award at Cannes and the Cruelty of Bushido the golden award at the Berlin film festival. Despite strong television competition, movies draw 500 million into Japan's 5,700 theaters annually. The box office take topped US$200 million last year.
Film making in South Korea has grown rapidly since the Korean armistice of 1953. The industry won its best Asian film award in 1957. Some 140 features were made in 1963 and more than 150 are scheduled this year. One of every three Koreans is a habitual movie goer. Stories are about evenly divided between historical romances and contemporary drama.
In the Philippines, there are nine major studios producing about 120 features a year plus documentaries. Because of the distribution dispute, the Philippines did not enter the 1964 competition.
Hongkong's Place
The South Vietnam industry has been handicapped by war. However one government and three private studios are turning out eight features and a dozen documentaries annually.
The movie business of Malaysia is unique. Chinese films from Hongkong studios controlled by Malaysian Chinese dominate the market. People of South China origin make up nearly a third of the multi-racial Malaysian population, and Chinese films also are popular with Malays and Indians.
Leading companies of Malaysia itself are Malay Film Productions and Cathay Keris Productions. The former is owned by a member of the Hongkong Shaw Brothers family and the latter was a property of Dato Loke Wan Tho, who also was involved in the Hongkong Motion Picture and Investment Corporation. Malay Film and the Cathay-Keris now concentrate on films voiced in Malay and Hindi. Twenty-four features were made last year. The Malayan Film Unit, a government studio, makes about 60 documentaries annually.
Hongkong has become the center of the Chinese movie industry by blending overseas Chinese capital with resident talent. When the Communists overran the mainland, many freedom-loving Chinese moviemen moved to Hongkong. Mainland studios have become propaganda mills and their output is banned in Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam as well as the Republic of China.
The big two of Hongkong Shaw Brothers and the Motion Picture and General Investment Corporation, make about 50 Mandarin pictures a year. Small independent producers produce 200 to 300 B-grade films voiced in Cantonese, Amoy, and Hakka dialects. This industry thrives on sales to the overseas Chinese audience. About 60 per cent of earnings come from Malaysia and 30 per cent from Taiwan. Hongkong and other areas make up the rest.
The industry in the Republic of China had its beginnings in 1922 with The Orphan Who Saved Grandfather. A new start had to be made in Taiwan after 1949. Of the 223 films made last year, 15 were Mandarin features, 137 features in the Amoy dialect, and the rest documentaries and educational short subjects. Leading producers are the Central Motion Picture Corporation, of which Henry Kung is the general manager, the China Film Studio, and the Taiwan Film Studio.
Training Emphasis
Annual box office receipts from the 320 theaters throughout the island amount to less than US$10 million. Low admission prices have made movies a popular form of entertainment but have saddled producers with financial problems. Overseas markets are being sought for Taiwan-made films.
Emphasis is placed on professional training. The National Academy of Arts and the Political Staff College offer cinema courses. The Central Motion Picture Corporation has been conducting year-long dramatic classes for the last' five years.
The free Chinese movie industry actually is made up of Taiwan and Hongkong together. Though separately represented at the Asian Film Festival, their entries were Chinese Mandarin pictures and their delegations entirely Chinese.
The two areas interchange actors, directors, and technical skills. An increasing number of Hongkong pictures are being filmed in Taiwan because of its natural beauty and varied terrain. Some of these films are joint productions in terms of capital, equipment, and talent.
To encourage cooperation between Chinese movie makers, the Government Information Office holds annual Mandarin film festival in Taipei. The purpose is to raise the quality of Mandarin pictures and thus influence progress of the Chinese industry as a whole. Pictures voiced in other dialects are generally mediocre productions ground out quickly and cheaply.
The success of Mandarin pictures at Asian Film Festivals gives Chinese movie makers confidence for the future. President Run Run Shaw of the Hongkong Shaw Brothers believes Chinese pictures are not inferior to films of America and Europe, and says it is only a matter of time until they break into the world market.
On a recent trip to Europe, Shaw found European audiences tiring of films with home locales. European producers hope to make pictures in Asia based on Asian themes. Some American and European pictures already have been filmed in Hongkong utilizing Chinese studio facilities and talent. This gives Chinese movie makers a chance to enter the cinema houses of the West. Shaw is angling for joint productions with foreign film makers as the first step.
Toward Realism
Dato Loke Wan Tho, Malaysia movie magnate who was killed with his wife in an airliner crash during a sightseeing tour in Central Taiwan after the Film Festival, suggested that Chinese films need more sophisticated stories and scripts.
Chinese film subject matter usually has included history, music, comedy, and satire. A few contemporary themes have dealt with social problems, but even these are usually imitations of the West and devoid of reality for Chinese.
Korea's Yungkyoon Shin in The Red Scarf (File photo)
In recent years, many studios have filmed traditional tales already popular in the legitimate theater. Last year's big hit was the Shaw Brothers' Love Eterne, in which actress Ivy Ling Po played the male lead.
Joint Productions
Close to a million people saw the costume musical in Taipei alone to give it an all-time box office record of a quarter million U.S. dollars. In the months that followed, the traditional Huangmei songs dominated Taiwan music. Love Eterne indicated the Chinese cinema must find its expression in Chinese culture and ethos.
Oyster Girl represents another facet of Chinese movie making. It portrays the lives of ordinary people in a realistic manner. CMPC General Manager Henry Kung calls this a healthy and constructive approach. Social problems are exposed and discussed, thus making a contribution to community improvement.
One result of the Taipei meeting should be an increased number of joint productions. Japan is making its color laboratories available to movie makers of other countries. Actors and actresses from Hongkong, Taiwan, and the Philippines frequently add luster to the Japanese screen. In cooperation with the Central Motion Picture Corporation the Japanese Daiei studio made The Great Wall and Nikkatsu produced Rainbow Over the Taiwan Straits last year.
Iwao Mori of Toho, one of the big five Japanese studios, has reached a preliminary agreement with the Taiwan Film Studio for joint productions in the next two years. TFS actress Chang Mei-yao, an Elizabeth Taylor-type beauty, will play opposite Japanese star Akira Takarada and with actress Youko Tsukasa. The stories will be international and locales may include Japan, Taiwan, Hongkong, and Europe.
One of the major Korean studios, Shin Films, has cooperated with the Hongkong Shaw Brothers in making Ta Chi, the story of an ancient Chinese courtesan, and another co-production, Goddess, is on the way. Sangokk Shin has talked to Taiwan producers about cooperative ventures. Paik Wan, leader of the Korean delegation, said he has some ideas for Sino-Korean ventures.
Prisco Pascual of the Philippines has been seeking Chinese players to co-star with Liza Moreno in a story of interracial love. Malayan director S. Roomai Noor said be hopes to enter into joint productions with Taiwan studios.
The 1964 Festival provided strong evidence that Asian cinematic art, although growing, burgeoning, and striving for originality in different countries, also been gradually moving out of its former national bounds. Movies in Asia have become a unifying cultural force.
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Winners of Golden Harvest Awards, 1964
Features
Best Film—Oyster Girl (China)
Direction—The Red Scarf (Korea)
Photography: Color—A House of Shame (Japan)
Black and white—Yearning (Japan)
Editing—The Red Scarf (Korea)
Music—The Shepherd Girl (Hongkong)
Sound—The 21-Year-Old Father (Japan)
Actor—Yungkyoon Shin, The Red Scarf (Korea)
Actress—Ivy Ling Po, Lady General Hua Mu-lan (Hongkong)
Supporting actor—Wang Yin, A Story of Three Loves (Hongkong)
Supporting actress—Lin Tsui, A Story of Three Loves (Hongkong)
Documentaries
Best Film—Nirvana (Korea)
Photography—Power of Progress (Korea)
Planning—Industry of Free China (China)
Subsidiary Awards
Comedy—Rivals Three (Malaysia)
Tragedy—The Four Daughters (Korea)
Choreography—Black Forest (China)
Child performer—Bat Latiff, Eclipse (Malaysia)
Documentary music—Moonlight Over the Blooming Spring River (China)
Documentary portraying Asian love of freedom—Bapa Malaysia (Malaysia)
Documentary portraying Asian progress—Happy Homes (Malaysia)