Wild Rose
A central pillar of politically progressive Chinese cinema, director Sun Yu addresses the urban-rural divide, inner-city squalor, and the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in Wild Rose. A love story that bridges social class, the film explores the strictures that bind its central couple, Xiao Feng and Jiang Bo. Xiao, a strong-willed, disobedient village girl, captivates Jiang, a wealthy painter from Shanghai. After Jiang attempts to introduce Xiao to his family with mixed results, the couple are cut off, forced to eke out a meager living in a Shanghai slum, and later compelled to separate. Amidst the couple’s love story, the specter of Japan’s invasion of Manchuria looms large, and ultimately determines the couple’s destiny. Wild Rose foreshadows much of Sun Yu’s later career, with its themes of classism and commitment to a national cause. Acclaimed for bringing a previously unknown level of artistry and dramatic cohesion to the filmmaking community of the time, Wild Rose is technically first-rate and an important example of Chinese silent cinema. With a live piano accompaniment by Donald Sosin
Cast & Crew
Director: Sun Yu
Editor: Lu Hanzhang
Screenwriter: Sun Yu
Cinematographer: Yu Xingsan
Principal Cast: Jin Yan, Wang Renmei, Ye Juanjuan, Zheng Junli, Wei Langen
Filmography: The Legend of Lu Ban (1958); The Life of Wu Xun (1950); The Big Road (1935); Daybreak (1933)
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