Long ago, well before these days of superhero fatigue, it
was perfectly reasonable to expect a film involving a league of spider-powered
witches to take on a monk and his gang of animal heroes. At least in China, in
1927, where this uncanny adventure was no doubt a huge hit. This was not the
China we know of course, a diverse country still carrying vestiges of imperial
rule and split across territories years before the communist party take over.
The Cave of the Silken Web (Pan si dong) (1927) –
or 西遊記-盤絲洞;
西游记-盘丝洞 if
you want to be precise… was based on the classic story, The Journey to the
West, which relates a monk’s pilgrimage to India during the Yang Dynasty
(618-907, our time). As with other cultures, the early films tended to call
upon the literary, artistic and performance heritage and China was clearly no
different with this startling and entertaining mix of action, adventure and
comedy; there’s a reason this story was so popular and it contains a magical
melange of religion, sexy witches and, erm, magic all illustrated by an
impressively choreographed cast.
The real delight here is the performance styles which
combine the pantomimed exaggerations you’d expect from Western cinema but also
the natural emoting you find too; just because you’re a spider-woman or a
cannibal mage doesn’t mean to say you can’t act naturally and whilst there’s a
joking knowingness there’s also a delicious matter of factness that infects
these characters who only want what they want. I mean, is eating monks really so
wrong?
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| Xia Peizhen and Yin Mingzhu |
The film was based on Journey to the West, a
Chinese novel written in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty and
attributed to Wu Cheng'en. Apparently, this it is one of the four great
classical novels of Chinese literature and predates the novel form in Britain,
we’d have to wait for Richardson and Fielding for that although we were very
good at plays at this stage. For folk of my age, another one of the great four
novels is the 14th-century book Water Margin which was made into a very
successful television series in Japan and dubbed by the great Burt Kwouk for UK
presentation. The style is very similar, rapid action, mysticism and lots of
humour.
Very little survives from Chinese cinema of this vintage
and indeed this film was considered lost until a copy was found in the
Norwegian National Library and restored with both Chinese and the Norwegian
intertitles which add extra Scandinavian flavours. The first reel is lost as is
a section in which our hero takes a bath possibly with the company of the spier
women… guess we’ll just have to use our imaginations. It feels intact and
something like a miracle, popping off the screen with so much style and energy.
The film was directed by Dan Duyu who directed some 30
films from 1922 to 1952 and who was married to the film’s leading spider woman,
Yin Mingzhu. They ended up in Hong Kong and their daughter, Judy Dan, ended up
in Hollywood with a bit part in The King and I and leading roles in War is
Hell, Stagecoach to Dancers’ Rock and others. Yin Mingzhu has a story of her
own though and she was already famous and married to a Frenchman, when she met
Duyu, playing a part in elevating him to success. She had acted in the theatre
and was also involved in the finance and production of films with the Shanghai
Shadow Play Company (love that title!) and the Shanghai Talkie Company, both
doing exactly what it says on the tin.
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| Jiang Meikang surrounded by his new pals... |
Her character certainly shines through in this film as
the leader of the seven spider women who interrupt a monk, Xuanzang (Jiang
Meikang) on a pilgrimage to India where he has been tasked by the Emperor, “the
Son of Heaven himself”, to collect sacred texts. He is accompanied on his quest
by three disciples, the clever and mischievous Monkey (Wu Wenchao), the lazy
and glutinous Pigsy (Zhou Hongquan) and Sandy (Dan Erchun) a river spirit, plus
a fourth character - the Dragon prince - who has taken the form of a white
horse (a white horse) in order to carry the holy man. All have been given their
roles in order to atone for their misdeeds, and their wayward ways have hardly
left them.
It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten a monk, let me
at him!
Xuanzang leaves his companions to beg for food and is
called into their cave by the beautiful women, who are very keen to offer the
monk their hospitality whatever that may entail… they fuss over the starving
priest but when one of them (Xia Peizhen aka second spider spirit) goes into
their kitchen she instructs are rather oily and over-excited imp who instantly
knows the aim is to eat Xuanzang and thereby give themselves a taste of his
spirit and possibly immortality. Takes all sorts.
By this time the monk’s companions are beginning to get
suspicious and Pigsy goes off to investigate. Meanwhile, back in the cave the
women offer the Monk meat which he cannot eat as he’s as vegetarian as he is
holy and then persuade him to take a bath before deciding to join him in an unexpected
twist. All thoughts of early seventies British sex comedy-style splashing about
are quickly dashed though as the focus switches to Pigsy as he forces his way
into find his master. He’s quickly trapped in a spider web as the action speeds
up.
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| Don't let this man cook for you... |
The scene shifts to a man in white, the thousand-year-old
centipede spirit (He Rongzhu) who is with a younger Yellow Flower Daoist spirit
(Chen Baoqi) reading magical texts; they look harmless enough but will soon
join the attempted feast in the cave. Meanwhile manic Monkey enters the cave,
transforms himself into one of the spider women and frees Pigsy, as the women
try to get the Monk drunk – nothing seems to work on him not even the unseen
mixed bathing…
The Spider Queen decides to marry the Monk and goes off
to invite the man in white and others to her wedding whilst Monkey, Pigsy and
Sandy are visited by Guanyin who tells them they need The True Flame and The
Three Virtues to stand a chance against the demons. But is it too late as the
wedding begins, with dozens of magical guests and The Dance of the Demons of Carnality
begins with the Monk in the position of sexual prey normally reserved for women
in Western scenarios.
There’s such a light touch to the direction and the fight
scenes are so well put together, Monkey vs the Queen in a sword fight, the
greasy cook and his huge metal mallet versus Pigsy and his rake and then all
Hell breaking loose… The costumes and make up are exceptional and the
performers presenting as relaxed and naturalistic in the context of this
comedic pantomime. Maybe this was the spirit that the authorities wanted to
suppress rather than the end product itself.
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| Wu Wenchao is the cheeky Monkey |
Richard Seidhoff and Frank Bockius had so much fun with
this, Franks’ percussive variety and energy reflecting the extremes of violence
and drama whilst Richard weaved some delicious lines over the sweet and sour
storyline.
This was another screening from Bonn and one of the biggest surprises of the week… the shock of the old! We wish there were more but what there is enough to illustrate how vivid Chinese cinema was at this period. A visual feast and an imaginative riot!
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| Xia Peizhen |
.JPG)
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