Spring in a Small Town

One of the last major films produced in China before the Communist takeover, Fei Mu's 1948 melodrama is both deceptively simple and deeply profound. The beautiful young Yuwen (Wei Wei) is unhappily married to the sickly Dai Liyan (Yu Shi), and living in the ravaged shell of Liyan's once-grand family mansion, where a single elderly butler and Liyan's precocious kid sister also reside. The monotony of Yuwen's life is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of Liyan's childhood friend Zhang Zhichen (Wei Li), who recently graduated from medical school, and—unknown to Liyan—was Yuwen's lover years before the marriage. Spring in a Small Town examines this emotionally tense love triangle, raising questions about fidelity, suppressed emotions, and the balance between love and responsibility. Yuwen maintains the appearance of well-groomed stoicism, but is roiled inside—equal parts bitter and hopeful—all perfectly conveyed by Wei Wei in a fascinating and ultimately heartbreaking performance that anchors this remarkable work of Chinese cinema. DVD extras include an essay by film critic Wade Major. [Note: Cinema Epoch has also released three other new titles in their Chinese Film Classics Collection: the double features The Big Road/Queen of Sports and Street Angel/Twin Sisters, and a two-disc special edition of The Spring River Flows East.] Highly recommended. (P. Hall)