Maiden Love

Humiliation for Sale

Dir/Prod: Yan Jun
Scr: Li Han-hsiang
Prod Co: Kam Lung
Co-starring: Yan Jun, Ku Wen-chung, Jin Quan (aka King Hu)
1958 | B&W | DCP | Mandarin | Chinese Lyrics | 110min

Soon after Lin Dai shot to fame with her first film Singing Under the Moon (1953), Yan Jun and Li Han-hsiang quickly worked on this movie, based on the plot of an earlier Li Pingqian film titled Laughter and Tear (1945). The original title of the film was The Man Who Gets Slapped, but due to various reasons, it was renamed Humiliation for Sale and not released in Hong Kong until 1958. ‘The Man Who Gets Slapped’ refers to the character of an old accountant played by Yan Jun, who, just before his promotion, is fired for witnessing the adultery deeds of his manager's wife. His children begin to complain about their father’s inability to meet their financial and material desires. To earn money to support the family, the old man secretly works as a clown at an amusement park, enduring humiliation and slapping on the face. Lin Dai portrays a vain and pleasure-seeking city girl, exemplifying her youthful vitality and refreshing charm through several musical numbers in the film. This film also marks King Hu's first acting role on screen, playing Lin's younger brother, with an impressive performance.

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