Mandarin movies took another long step forward at the end of October with the award of Kinma (Golden Horse) trophies to the top productions and film workers of the last year. Premier C. K. Yen presented the awards in ceremonies presided over by James Shen, director of the Government Information Office, the sponsor of the competition.
The 1965 Mandarin film festival attracted a record 34 features and 10 documentaries from 18 producers of Taiwan and Hongkong. All 44 films were shown during a four-day period, and there was a unanimous reaction: "Mandarin films are better than ever—fast reaching a point of excellence comparable with American and European productions."
Accolade as the best picture of the year went to The Beautiful Duckling, a wide-screen, color feature of the Republic of China's Central Motion Picture Corporation. It is a realistic treatment of contemporary Chinese life. The Beautiful Duckling, starring Tang Pao-yun, is an accurate reflection of present-day rural life in Taiwan.
The story is a rural epic of the island people who raise ducks, and of the beautiful foster daughter of one of them. Virtue and adopted filial piety triumph-along with the beauty of the Taiwan countryside. The film drew a million people in its Taiwan showings.
Top Performances
Ke Hsiang-ting won the best actor's award for his portrayal of the duck farmer. In real life, Ke, 49, is the father of seven children. He has been in drama and the films for 28 years.
Film awards were presented by Premier C.K. Yen (File photo)
The best actress prize went to Miss Li Li-hua of Shaw Brothers, Hongkong, for her role in Between Tears and Smiles, a story of the early years of the Republic of China.
Miss Li, a native of Shanghai, is one of China's veteran actresses. She has been in the movies for more than 20 years and has starred in about 100 productions.
Top documentaries were the China film Studio's Double Tenth Celebration of 1964, its Wuchang Exercise, and the Taiwan Film Studio's Shihmen Dam.
Other winners were the Hongkong's Cathay Organization's Four Brave Ones, Father and Son, and Romance of the Forbidden City; the Shaw Brothers' The Warlord and the Actress; Taiwan Wallman Cinema Picture Company's Agent No. 88 and the Chung Shih Film Company's Last Judgment.
Four Brave Ones tells of Chinese intelligence operations during the Sino-Japanese war.
Romance of the Forbidden City relates romance and tragic death of Tung Hsiao wan, beloved concubine of Emperor Shun Chih of the Ching dynasty.
Chinese moviemaking is nearly half a century old. The first silent picture. The Orphan Who Saved His Grandfather, was produced by the Ming Hsing Motion Picture Corporation in Shanghai in 1922. Nine years later Songstress Red Peony opened the era of sound.
Film Festival
Improvement has been slow but steady. Despite the Sino-Japanese war of 1937-45, standards of production were raised and performances greatly improved. After World War II, Chinese movies should have come of age. Instead, the Communist rebellion disrupted the industry. Many of those with film-making experience reached Hongkong and Taiwan to start all over again.
To encourage moviemaking in free China, the Government Information Office in 1958 began to accord recognition to outstanding films and their makers. By 1962 this practice had grown into the Chinese Film Festival.
Today the free Chinese movie industry centers in Hongkong and Taipei. The Shaw Brothers and Cathay Organization, Ltd., of Hongkong produce approximately 50 features a year.
Taiwan's output is 52 Mandarin features, plus newsreels and documentaries from several studios. The Central Motion Picture Corporation, owned by the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party), has two sound stages and produces pictures in color as well as black and white.
Newsreels and documentaries are produced by both the China Film Studio, under the Political Department of the Ministry of National Defense, and the Taiwan Film Studio of the Taiwan Provincial Department of Information.
Cinema Training
Leading independent film producers in Taiwan are the Grand Motion Picture Co., Ltd., and Shaw Brothers (Taiwan), a branch of the Shaw Brothers' enterprises of Hongkong. Many smaller film companies specialize in films in the Amoy dialect. These independent producers usually rent the studio facilities of CMPC or TFS.
As of October, 1965, there were 404 movie theaters on Taiwan. Annual box office receipts amount to nearly 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 profession training. The National Academy of Arts and the Political Staff College in the outskirts of Taipei offer cinema courses. The Central Motion Picture Corporation has been conducting year-long dramatic classes for the last six years.
Ke Hsiang-ting smiles with best-actor trophy (File photo)
The CMPC trainees start with a survey of the motion picture, then go on to acting, singing, and speaking. Later comes specialization: make-up, driving, horsemanship, swimming, shooting, and dancing. Examinations are held frequently and those who pass continue their training. Contracts await the best of those who survive the year. Miss Tang Pao-yun, the leading actress in The Beautiful Duckling, was graduated from the CMPC training class four years ago.
Bright Future
A bright future seems to lie ahead for the Chinese film industry. Eighteen producers entered their work in this year's contest, a substantial increase. Quality is improving, too. The Beautiful Duckling was praised abroad for its beautiful photography.
Addressing the award winners October 30, Premier Yen said great moving pictures must reflect the spirit of our times. "They should be representative of the national culture and reflect patriotism," he said.
Government Information Office Director James Shen said the awards encourage workers spiritually as well as materially. He urged further efforts to make truly great films.
Movies about Chinese history, life, and culture are winning favor at the box offices all over the world, and with foreigners as well as Chinese. Singapore and Malaysia are good markets for Chinese films. When the Chinese mainland is liberated, 600 million people will be added to the audience. Mainland studios of today are mere propaganda mills and their output is banned in Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines as well as in the Republic of China.