Dream of the Red Chamber (1944 film)
1944 Chinese film by Bu Wancang
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dream of the Red Chamber (traditional Chinese: 紅樓夢; simplified Chinese: 红楼梦; pinyin: Hónglóu mèng) (also known as Dream of the Red Mansions and The Red Chamber Dream) is a 1944 Chinese film directed by Bu Wancang.[1] It is an adaptation of the classic 18th century Qing-era novel by Cao Xueqin. The film follows Yue Opera tradition of casting a female actor in a male role.[2]
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| Dream of the Red Chamber | |
|---|---|
DVD cover for Dream of the Red Chamber (1944) | |
| Traditional Chinese | 紅樓夢 |
| Simplified Chinese | 红楼梦 |
| Literal meaning | Dream of the Red Mansions |
| Directed by | Bu Wancang |
| Written by | Bu Wancang |
| Based on | Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin |
| Starring | Zhou Xuan Bai Hong Wang Danfeng Yuan Meiyun |
| Cinematography | Yu Xingshan |
Production companies | Chinese Movie Joint Company Ltd. 中華電影聯合股份有限公司 |
Release date |
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Running time | 137 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Language | Mandarin |
It is the third known film adaptation of the novel. The earliest was a short film made in 1924 starring male Peking Opera singer Mei Lanfang as Lin Daiyu,[3] and the second a silent film made in 1927, directed by Ren Pengnian and Yu Boyan.[4]
Cast
- Yuan Meiyun as Jia Baoyu (cross-gender acting)
- Zhou Xuan as Lin Daiyu
- Wang Danfeng as Xue Baochai
- Bai Hong as Wang Xifeng
- Ouyang Sha-fei as Hua Xiren
Release
The film was released into the public domain 50 years after it was published, under copyright laws in the People's Republic of China.[5]
It was distributed as a double feature with Empress Wu Zetian by Cinema Epoch in 2008, as part of their Chinese Film Classics Collection.
