Taiwan Today

A digital restoration project seeks to protect and showcase Taiwan’s rich cinematic heritage.

More than half a century after it first graced Taiwan’s movie theaters, black-and-white drama “The Husband’s Secret” returned to the big screen Oct. 25, 2017, at an event in Taipei City celebrating UNESCO World Day for Audiovisual Heritage. The re-release marked the culmination of four months of painstaking digital restoration work. It also brought fresh attention to efforts by the Taiwan Film Institute (TFI) under the Ministry of Culture (MOC) to introduce forgotten classics to modern audiences.

“The Husband’s Secret,” a lesser-known tale of love and betrayal, is noteworthy for its unflinching examination of women’s roles in society and use of Holo, also called Taiwanese and the language of the country’s largest ethnic group. Holo-language cinema thrived from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s before suffering a sharp decline due to factors including the government’s focus on promoting Mandarin, lack of industry investment and weak demand in overseas markets. Of the roughly 1,000 Holo-language films produced during the genre’s golden age, only about 160 remain, according to TFI Director Chen Pin-chuan (陳斌全). All of those that survive are preserved by the institute, he added.

Digital restoration of “The Husband’s Secret” was completed by the Multi-media Center at Tainan National University of the Arts in southern Taiwan. The team responsible for the project was led by Ray Jiing (井迎瑞), a professor in the school’s Graduate Institute of Studies in Documentary and Film Archiving. “In the past, we simply rescued film negatives, but now we are bringing movies back to life and back to audiences using digital techniques,” he said at the screening of the film.

Jiing has long been a key figure in the preservation of Taiwan’s cinematic heritage. From the late 1980s to mid-1990s, he served as the head of a national film archive that was the forerunner of TFI. During his tenure, he launched various initiatives to restore Holo-language films using traditional techniques. A major milestone in these efforts was achieved in 2006 when 25 reconditioned classics were screened at theaters nationwide as part of the Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards, the leading event on the country’s cinematic calendar comprising a major film festival and prize ceremony.

According to Chen, the adoption of traditional restoration techniques was a crucial step in fostering awareness of the country’s cinematic heritage. Early Taiwan films have unique aesthetic, historical and linguistic value, he said, adding that these qualities can provide insight and inspiration to the emerging generation of filmmakers. “Promoting classic movies reinforces efforts to craft a coherent cinematic identity.”

Modern Processes

TFI moved from traditional to modern techniques with the launch of the Taiwan Cinema Digital Restoration Project in 2013. Funded by the MOC and Ministry of Science and Technology, the initiative selects movies for restoration and contracts the work to academic institutions or companies at home and abroad. To date, more than 20 films have been re-released through the program. “Digital techniques are more effective than traditional approaches, offering audiences sharper views of classic works,” Chen said.

In addition to “The Husband’s Secret,” Holo-language films revived under the project include “Dangerous Youth,” a poignant social critique of greed and lust by director Hsin Chi (辛奇‬). Demonstrating a high level of sophistication in technique and visual style, the 1969 movie is widely considered a masterpiece of the genre. Another of Hsin’s works, “The Bride from Hell,” is among those slated for digital restoration. The acclaimed 1965 thriller is an adaptation of the English-language Gothic novel “Mistress of Mellyn” by Victoria Holt.

At the end of the 1960s, the golden age of Holo-language cinema came to an abrupt end, with the number of releases falling from more than 120 in 1969 to less than 20 the following year. “These works vanished so rapidly, and as a result they are not well understood by present-day audiences,” Chen said. “Although this once mainstream genre quickly gave way to Mandarin films for political and ideological reasons, many experienced Holo-language directors and technicians continued working in the film and television industry.”

Among those who made a smooth transition to Mandarin productions was Lee Hsing (李行). The director made the hit black-and-white Holo-language comedy “Wang and Liu Tour in Taiwan” (1958) before going on to direct similarly popular color movies in Mandarin such as romantic drama “The Young Ones” (1973). Both of these works have been digitally restored by TFI. Other Mandarin films re-released under the project include martial arts classics “Dragon Inn” (1967), “A Touch of Zen” (1971) and “Legend of the Mountain” (1979) by renowned director King Hu (胡金銓).

International Collaboration

International exchanges have played a vital role in TFI’s efforts to breathe new life into classic Taiwan films. When the institute contracts out digital restoration work to foreign companies, it often sends officials to provide assistance and study related processes. Such was the case with “A Touch of Zen” and “Wang and Liu Tour in Taiwan,” which were restored by L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna, Italy, and Imagica Corp. in Tokyo, respectively.

In 2016, international collaboration initiatives entered a new phase with the signing of a cooperation agreement between the MOC and the French national film center. Under the accord, sealed during MOC Minister Cheng Li-chiun’s (鄭麗君) visit to Paris in November that year, Taiwan restoration specialists receive training at the French institute.

After several years spent accumulating equipment and expertise, TFI launched in-house digital restoration in July 2017. Its first completed works comprise some of the earliest existing newsreels about Taiwan, shot shortly after the end of Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945), as well as a documentary filmed in 1966 about local youths. An ongoing project aims to restore another of Hu’s martial arts classics, “Raining in the Mountain” (1979).

Race Against Time

According to Chen, restoration projects are typically a race against time due to the challenges of preserving aging negatives. “Precise temperature and humidity controls are required,” he said. “Plus, directors sometimes hold on to their works rather than place them in an archive, not realizing the difficulties of keeping them in usable condition.”

Even production companies often have inconsistent or inadequate preservation practices, said Lin Wen-chi (林文淇), head of the Film Studies Center (FSC) at National Central University in northern Taiwan’s Taoyuan City. “Some negatives are stored in poorly managed basements, where they can easily deteriorate.”

A case in point is “Super Citizen Ko,” a 1995 film centered on a former political prisoner searching out the tomb of a friend he inadvertently betrayed during interrogation. Its director, Wan Jen (萬仁‬), was one of the first local filmmakers to call for the preservation and restoration of classic Holo-language movies. He was subsequently shocked to learn about the poor state of the negatives for his own comparatively recent work due to inadequate storage practices. The film, considered a modern classic, underwent digital restoration in 2015 and returned to theaters the following year.

Chen noted that in addition to cultural benefits, restoration projects can have significant commercial potential. Taiwan has a rich cinematic heritage comprising countless classic films waiting to be recovered and re-evaluated, he said. “We’re also working to help local companies with related skills obtain accreditations and build overseas connections so they can provide services in foreign markets.”

Emerging economies in South and Southeast Asia such as India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam are seeking to expand their use of digital restoration, offering opportunities for Taiwan firms. “With its growing competency in this field, Taiwan could grab a slice of the market,” the TFI director said.

As the country works to foster its film and TV sector, restoration projects can also serve as an important source of educational materials. FSC is among the organizations working to cultivate interest in classic Taiwan cinema, presenting collections of reconditioned movies including “Wang and Liu Tour in Taiwan” and some of Hu’s works during film festivals at university campuses across the country in 2016 and 2017. “It’s essential that local students learn about the history of Taiwan cinema and the way in which native works, whether mainstream or art house movies, can move local audiences,” Lin said. “Courses exploring Taiwan’s cinematic heritage can inspire students and deepen the nation’s filmmaking talent pool.”

Write to Pat Gao at cjkao@mofa.gov.tw