Blood Will Tell

Dir: Griffin Yueh Feng
Scr: Doe Ching
Prod: Zhang Shankun
Prod Co.: Great Wall
Cast: Yan Jun, Bai Guang, Chen Chuan-chuan, Han Fei, Gao Zhanfei
1949 | B&W | D Beta | Mandarin | 90min

The success of A Forgotten Woman inspired Yueh to complete this great film with the same crew. Ma the flying bandit calls it quits after his daughter is born. His wife (Bai Guang), a onetime prostitute, can’t stand poverty and turns him in to the authorities before resuming her profession. Years later, when the daughter is set to get married, the unabashed mother blackmails her own flesh and blood, so Ma has to escape from prison to thwart her. Yueh forwent social critique to focus on the drama itself, creating for the Chinese audience an intense tale of love and hate reminiscent of American film noir. Screen goddess Bai Guang’s portrayal of a bad woman through and through, a rarity in Chinese cinema, becomes a persona that lives forever. Dong Keyi’s expressive and nuanced cinematography also contributes greatly to the film’s success.

Screening Courtesy of the Taipei Film Archive

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