Romance of the Western Chamber

As one of the rare Chinese silent movies to receive distribution in the West, Hou Yao's 1927 adaptation of Wang Shih-Fu's landmark 13th-century play is seen at somewhat of a disadvantage today—the print appears to be missing footage (the ending, in particular, is strangely abrupt), and the intertitles are rather confusing, with a mix of Chinese characters plus French and English translations sharing a screen. Even so, this compelling tale of a young scholar falling in love with a prime minister's daughter in the midst of a brigand raid on a Buddhist temple provides a fascinating glimpse of the genesis of Chinese cinema. Romance of the Western Chamber's production values are mesmerizing, the costuming is opulent to behold, and the electrifying fight sequences are a clear model of inspiration for today's Chinese martial arts extravaganzas. One sublime contemporary touch is a new music score by Toshiyuki Hiraoka, which beautifully and subtly underscores the onscreen action (subtlety, however, is absent from many of the performances, where emotion is frequently conveyed by eye-rolling, eyebrow-wiggling, and vigorous head-shaking). While uneven, Romance of the Western Chamber—presented here on an extra-less disc—nonetheless fills an important void in the appreciation of Chinese cinema from the silent movie era. Recommended. (P. Hall)