Three Charming Smiles

Director: Li Pingqian
Scriptwriter: Yi Fang (aka Yip Yut-fong)
Cast: Chen Sisi, Hsian Chun, Wen Yimin, Kung Chiu-hsia, Qiu Ping
Production: The Great Wall Movie Enterprises Ltd.
1964 | Colour | Mandarin | Chi & Eng subtitles | 109min

One of the most cherished love stories in Chinese culture, the scholar Tang Bohu's romantic pursuit of the maid Qiuxiang has been adapted into different media forms from the Ming dynasty to the present day. In Three Charming Smiles, Chen Sisi, one of Great Wall’s ‘Three Princesses’, brings to life the lovely spunkiness of the handmaiden, which goes a long way to convince the audience that famous scholar Tang would fall in love immediately with her and willingly sell himself as a servant to court her. Tang is played by Hsian Chun, a female Yue opera performer, and her feminine qualities provide the perfect foil to the character’s arrogance.

Three Charming Smiles was Great Wall’s first widescreen colour film, and its production values are evident in its beautifully crafted sets, costumes, songs and music, as the studio pulled out all the stops to evoke the elegance and resplendence of the Jiangnan region. An opera musical, most dialogues are delivered in songs, and director Li Pingqian sought out Shanghai composer Shen Liqun (who also dubbed the singing of Tang) to write the score. Shen deftly adapted traditional Jiangnan folk tunes to produce over forty songs, infusing the film with jovial grace.

This is a Chinese opera film that is an adaptation of a traditional folktale. It is appropriate for secondary students as it helps enhance their cultural knowledge.

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