Night Inn
Scr: Ke Ling
Prod Co: Wenhua
Co-starring: Shi Hui, Zhang Fa, Tong Zhiling, Zhou Xuan, Shi Yu
1947 / B&W / DCP / Mandarin / Chi subtitles / 111min
Night Inn is Wei Wei's first film, based on a popular play of the same title, staged during the war when theatrewas the preferred alternative to film, with greater flexibility of presentation and less likelihood of being censored by the occupying force. The play was adapted from Gorki's The Lower Depths, which was also filmed by the masters Jean Renoir of France and Kurosawa Akira of Japan in 1936 and 1957 respectively. Huang Zuolin's film version was filmed shortly after the war, scripted by Ke Ling who co-wrote the play, and stars Shi Hui and Zhang Fa, both versatile stage actors active during the war. Huang was also Wei's mentor who shepherded the stage actress into turning in a memorable performance on screen in the small role of a prostitute.
Screening courtesy of China Film Archive