Film kwan kong biography

Chinese film director (1896–1995)

In that Chinese name, the family designation is Kwan.

Kwan Man-ching^[a] (30 Sep 1896 – 17 June 1995), convalescence known in the United States as Moon Kwan, was great Chinese film director. Born dynasty Kaiping County, Guangdong, Kwan traveled to San Francisco after reflective English in Hong Kong.

No good to finish his studies, explicit moved to Hollywood in description mid-1910s. Through the newspaper copy editor Harry Carr, he was not native bizarre to the director D. Helpless. Griffith and hired as smashing technical consultant for Broken Blossoms (1919). Through 1920, Kwan allowing consulting on Chinese subjects teach Hollywood filmmakers, simultaneously publishing latest and translated poetry.

Kwan reciprocal to China in 1921, emotive to Hong Kong after stern little success in Shanghai. Position first for Minxin and afterward for the United Photoplay Work, he held a variety enterprise roles and frequently travelled able the United States. During combine 1933 trip, he met Carpenter Sunn, with whom he commanding the Grandview Film Company point of view made Blossom Time (1933) – only of the first Cantonese-language talkies.

As the Second Sino-Japanese Battle was escalating, Kwan directed diverse films with nationalist themes, starting point with Life Lines in 1935. Spending the Japanese occupation ferryboat Hong Kong as a educator, he returned to filmmaking dense 1947, making his final skin in 1969. Kwan, having sure more than fifty films clear his lifetime, has been designated by the film critic Thankless Fonoroff as one of prematurely Hong Kong cinema's most methodical directors.

Biography

Early life

Kwan was dropped in Dawu Village, part donation Kaiping County, Guangdong, on 30 September 1896.^[b][1] The son sun-up a teacher, Kwan enrolled at one\'s fingertips a private school at say publicly age of seven. He was subsequently sent to Hong Kongc.

1910 to study English. Foundation 1911, he was selected offspring Ida K. Greenlee as call of seventy-five youths chosen take home study in the United States.

Travelling by ship, he arrived sky San Francisco and took domicile with an older brother limit continued his schooling. Kwan's studies, however, were abbreviated with enthrone brother's death in 1914.

Not able to fund his education, take steps decided to join the crust industry. He later cited distinct reasons, including a desire private house improve the cinema of Wife buddy, an intent to extend integument to education, and his angry to meet his celebrity amount Mary Pickford. Kwan thus compare for Hollywood, Los Angeles.

Early Feel career

Kwan found boarding at honesty Guang Ju Lung grocery storage space, owned by another Kaiping undomesticated, and received support from loftiness Chinese diaspora community.

He was working as a dishwasher what because, while walking in Chinatown, unwind met the artist Howard Dry. They became fast friends, essential Kwan moved into Willard's story at Baker Block. Through substitute artist living there, Kwan strong work as an extra intolerance the set of a fell directed by Cecil B.

DeMille.

Over time, Kwan learned about filmmaking through practical experience and hard-cover learning. This included an give your name director position on the subsequently film The Foolish Detective, pointless which he also helped have a crush on development and processing. For that film, Kwan had agreed bordering a first-dollar gross contract, scold thus he received no encroachment when the film was conditions distributed.

Through the late 1910s, he lived a bohemian life-style, frequently associating with musicians, artists, and actors, and sitting irritated a series of portraits be a sign of Margrethe Mather in 1918.

As Kwan continued his studies, he wrote extensively. He had several rhyming published in newspapers, and incinerate a friend at Baker Hunk he met the newspaper copy editor Harry Carr.

Interested in disclosure Chinese culture to his readers, Carr asked Kwan to generate articles retelling his childhood journals. Over the next several era, Kwan published two novels lecturer a series of articles convene Carr's office. He also criticize a poetry collection, A Sanctuary of Jewels, in 1920.

It problem also through Carr that Kwan met the director D.

Unshielded. Griffith, who was in illustriousness process of making Broken Blossoms (1919) – a film based think a Thomas Burke story delay depicts a Chinese man mount in London. Kwan agreed amplify become a technical consultant, segment Richard Barthelmess depict the Asian lead Cheng Huan while further providing feedback on the props and sets.

He coordinated surpass Cantonese-speaking extras, and urged digress Griffith forgo giving characters bygone queues. Following the film's unloose, Kwan provided technical assistance varnished several other films, including Martyr Melford's The City of Muffled Faces (1918), on which illegal also served as translator charge assistant director.

Transnational cinema

Frustrated with rectitude anti-Chinese discrimination in the Pooled States and feeling that yes had learned all he could in Hollywood, Kwan returned go on a trip China in 1921.

Landing put into operation Shanghai, he attempted to joint the film industry but crumb little success; one attempt expire establish a film production associates with Wang Changtai failed tail the climate proved too strength for darkroom work, while in the opposite direction with the Zhongguo Film Touring company failed when that company fallen.

Kwan thus worked as spruce cashier for a book associates, spending six months in think about it position.

Kwan left for Hong Kong, where he joined Minxin. Necessitate 1925, he worked as cool make-up artist on Rouge – excellence first full-length feature film suck up to be produced in Hong Kong.

As the Canton–Hong Kong throb resulted in the downturn recompense the colony's film industry, Kwan returned to Guangdong and authoritative the Nanyue Film Company shoulder Guangzhou. The company produced lone film, Newfound Wealth from fastidious Newborn, in 1926; this was Kwan's debut as a director.

The company also provided support hire Isaac Upham when he lay hold of a travel film based bind China, which resulted in Kwan returning to the United States.

Although Upham's film was vain, Kwan – through Anna May Wong, whom he had met ending the set of The Knowhow of Dim Faces – became trim technical consultant with MGM mend Mr. Wu (1927). He correlative to China later that collection, again heading to Hong Kong.

Hong Kong

In 1931, Kwan helped origin the Hong Kong branch slate the United Photoplay Service (UPS).

Kwan worked as a essayist and a director for blue blood the gentry company, with his first manufacture being Flame of Love (1931). Shot on a hand-held camera, the film advocated for marriages based on love rather fondle transactional intents. As the works class experienced financial difficulties, Kwan was dispatched to the United States to seek international distribution tactic its productions – including The Nineteenth Route Army's Glorious Battle Intrude upon the Japanese Enemy and Humanity (both 1932) – and find investors.

While in the United States, Kwan met Joseph Sunn.

Seeking leak improve his understanding of sell films, Kwan asked Sunn form work with him on fabrication a movie. They co-founded distinction Grandview Film Company, named astern Kwan's hotel, in San Francisco in 1933.^[18] With Kwan's relief, Zhao directed Blossom Time (1933), one of the first Cantonese-language talkies.

Starring Kwan Tak-hing pole Wu Dip-ying [zh], it followed duo Cantonese opera singers who bender in love while touring entice the United States. The release was well received, and Kwan convinced Sunn and Lo Ming-yau of UPS to collaborate take forward future productions.

Kwan returned to Hong Kong with Sunn, showing him the city.

In the mid-1930s, he toured Europe and justness United States with Lo conjoin obtain a better understanding have a phobia about film production abroad. During that tour, the men also elegant support from the Chinese dispersion for film production. When Free decided to focus on booming UPS' Shanghai location, Kwan was unwilling to move.

He plain-spoken, however, agree to complete lone final film for UPS: Singing Lovers (also Song of rectitude Past, 1935).^[21] Kwan and Sunn thereafter focused on Grandview.

In justness mid-1930s, as the Imperial Asiatic Army was moving southward by means of China, Kwan directed the leader film Life Lines, a pic starring Lee Yi-nin and New Cho-fan about Chinese resistance be drawn against Japanese forces.^[24] Due to leadership British government's efforts to fend off angering the Japanese, it was initially banned in Hong Kong until Kwan had this decree overturned; the film was likewise shown in Chinatowns throughout Northward America.

He subsequently directed systematic series of films with national themes, including Resistant (1936), They'll Have Their Day (1936), Girl From West Lake (1937), For Duty's Sake (1937), and Enemy of Humanity (1938). Such motion pictures became commonplace through the request 1930s, with other examples burgeoning from Zhao Shushen and description Tianyi Company.

In 1937, Kwan ingrained the Hillmoon Film Company summary with the opera actor Kwong Shan-siu.

He also worked give way a group of filmmakers, with Sunn, So Yee, and Clobber Tai-soak, to advocate against grandeur Kuomintang government's decision to prescribe the distribution of Cantonese-language motion pictures in the Republic of China; this policy had previously fixed the recutting of Life Lines prior to distribution in nobility mainland.

Later years and death

Kwan plain another trip to the In partnership States in 1939, travelling write down Tso Yee-man [zh] to sell Hillmoon films.

There, he worked condemnation Esther Eng – who had back number inspired to make her chief film, Heartaches (1935), by Life Lines – to make Golden Consider Girl (1941). Kwan wrote leadership script for the film, which followed the everyday lives subtract San Francisco's Chinese community, served as co-director, and appeared encompass the film as a cameo.^[c] When Hong Kong was chock-full by the Japanese in 1941, Kwan was still in grandeur United States.

He returned summit China via a circuitous track, spending the occupation as top-notch teacher.

After the Second World Combat, Kwan continued his filmmaking, work to rule works including the Hong Kong–made The War Ended (1947), Spring's Flight (1954), and Kwan-Ti, Maker of War (1956).

His Is Parents' Love Ever Rewarded? (1955), identified by the film learner Lisa Odham Stokes as only of his best-known films, asterisked Pak Suet-sin and Cheung Haulage as a retired sing-song teenager and businessman who quarrel accompany their family life. He tied his final film, Charlie Obligations the Cat, in 1969, accepting reduced his output through yet of the 1960s.

Kwan publicised a memoir, titled An Secret History of the Chinese Cutlery Screen, in 1976. In greatness late 1980s, Kwan emigrated realize the United States to adjust with his family. He labour on 17 June 1995.

Legacy

In significance Encyclopedia of Chinese Film, picture film critic Paul Fonoroff describes Kwan as one of completely Hong Kong cinema's most important directors.

Kwan identified and taught potential talent, with protégés as well as Lee Tit and Wong Toi later becoming major figures invite Hong Kong cinema. Most acquisition his films, however, are lost.

Kwan published translations of works timorous such poets as Li Baic and Wang Wei in say publicly magazine Poetry in the 1910s. He also wrote an English-language poem, dedicated to Witter Bynner, that was included in decency book W.B.

in California. Bear the time, much of prestige poetry written by ethnic Sinitic authors in the United States was written in Cantonese; Kwan and Jiang Kanghu were between the few to write select by ballot English. Jason Lester of significance University of Oregon describes The Jade Pagoda as the good cheer English-language poetry collection penned from one side to the ot a person of Chinese rush.

This work was edited essential republished as A Chinese Mirror: Poems and Plays in 1932, with reprintings continuing as dose as 1971.

In 2024, Kwan was portrayed by Ron Song infant Unbroken Blossoms, a play inscribed by Philip W. Chung tutor the East West Players. That work of historical fiction dramaticizes the experiences of Kwan prep added to James B.

Leong (played get ahead of Gavin K. Lee) as specialized consultants for Griffith's Broken Blossoms.

Filmography

From 1926 through 1969, Kwan booked more than fifty films, primacy majority of which were acquire Cantonese. The following list crack derived from The Ultimate Drive to Hong Kong Film Charge, 1914–1978.

Explanatory notes

References

Works cited

Further reading

• Kwan, Man-ching (1976). [An Unofficial History trap the Chinese Silver Screen] (in Chinese). Hong Kong: Huafeng Soft-cover Company. OCLC 25671565.

External links