The Third Generation(RTRFH 2022)

The Goddess (1934) is remade once again. In this version, Zhu Shilin tackles the anxiety concerning the clash of 20th century Chinese traditions and modern Western culture. Despite her father’s strict discipline, Fun still manages to have a boyfriend secretly and give birth to twins. After leaving her son to her father, she takes off with her daughter. Twenty years later, Fun has become a streetwalker. The three generations finally come face-to-face at the police station. Her father laments that his generation should be ousted while Fun’s generation has been sacrificed, leaving the future for the next generation to establish. Zhu carefully depicts the shame of selling one’s body without passing judgment while he finds balance and reflects on the pain in the age of progress. Even though the production was far from lavish, Zhu’s astute handling of the narrative and mise-en-scène makes this a vivid and exciting film to watch.

*Please notice that the image and sound quality are short of the ideal.

Zhu Shilin (1899-1967)
After directing films such as National Customs (1935) and Song of a Kind Mother (1937) in Shanghai, Zhu Shilin moved to Hong Kong after the victory of the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. In the next two decades, he made Sorrows of the Forbidden City (1948), Flora (aka The Flower Girl, 1951), The Eternal Love (1960), among other genre classics and deeply personal works. He also founded the pro-leftist Feng Huang (Phoenix) Motion Picture Co.

^Pre-screening Introduction