夜半歌声 1937 Midnight Singing / 早期中国电影 / 俏佳人荣誉出品 / DVD Video

夜半歌声 (1937年电影)

UPC 9797884080877 / UPC: 883629124186

REGION 0 NTSC DVD

Black and White

Running Time: 119'

Made in China    

Chinese Classic Old Movie Vintage Cinema

This earlier DVD edition by the Guangzhou Beauty Culture Communication Co. Ltd was released on December 1, 2006, in the United States.

导演: 马徐维邦
主演: 金山, 胡萍

Details:

• Black and White
• MPEG-2
• NTSC
• DVD-5
• Audio: Chinese 
• All Region DVD (Region 0)
• 4:3
• DOLBY AC-3DIGITAL

《夜半歌声》（英语：Midnight Singing）是一部改编自法国作家加斯东·勒鲁所著爱情惊悚小说《歌剧魅影》的中国电影，1937年上映。

创意

法国《歌剧魅影》故事在1925年已在美国被拍成电影，并且更在中国上演，造成轰动。此套电影引起了一位名叫马徐维邦的中国人兴趣，他把此电影拍成华语版，不单引起更大的轰动，而且更为中国电影史上第一部恐怖电影。1937年它于春节时安排在上海金城大戏院上映，本来已是非常成功，但是新华影业为加强宣传，在南京路挂上一张活动的僵尸海报，据称吓死了一个小女孩，于是各报章立即刊登严禁6岁以下小童入场，但是无数观众更因此争著入场观看。

剧情介绍

故事讲述在民国初年北方的一座小城市，革命战士金子坚隐姓埋名为宋丹萍，藉话剧表演宣扬革命，然而他与大地主的女儿李晓霞相恋，却遭到大地主的迫害，而恶霸汤俊为求得到李晓霞，不惜以漒水把他毁容。于是丹萍只有虚报已死，并隐居於戏院的阁楼内，可是晓霞却因此而精神失常，丹萍惟有月圆之夜引吭高歌把她安慰。

10年后，安琪儿剧团在这座荒废了的戏院演出，青年演员孙小鹏偶然间认识到宋丹萍，并得到他在艺术的协助，于是也代他去安慰晓霞。但不久小鹏的爱人绿蝶为汤俊看上，而且更被枪杀死掉。丹萍遂与汤俊博斗，汤失足摔死，可是丹萍也在被官兵发现为当年的革命党时，被官兵追捕时跳进大海中，生死未卜。

票房

1937年3月25日，电影在上海金城大戏院上映，连映34天，有10万馀名观众入场观看。

Song at Midnight (simplified Chinese: 夜半歌声; traditional Chinese: 夜半歌聲; pinyin: Yèbàn gēshēng, also known as Midnight Song, Singing at Midnight or literally "Midnight Voice") is a 1937 Chinese film directed by Ma-Xu Weibang, a director best known for his work in the horror genre. Often referred to as the first Chinese horror film, or as the first horror-musical, Song at Midnight draws influence from the 1923 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, as well as the 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera (Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) by Gaston Leroux and its 1925 film adaptation of the same name.

Song at Midnight was released five months prior to the eruption of the Second Sino-Japanese War in China. The film's primary subplot concerns the activities of Chinese leftist revolutionaries, and did not easily evade the film censorship of Kuomintang, along with its serious punishment to films dealing with themes of horror, gods, spirits, or "superstition and heresy" at that time. With a passion to maintain his creation, and in order to successfully circumvent the censorship laws in China at the time, director Ma-Xu Weibang visited "Yiyong jun jinxing gu" (March of the Volunteers) writer Tian Han several times while writing the script. The pair met to ensure that the script would be approved under censorship.

Plot

One dark and stormy night in 1926, a group of itinerant actors—known as the Angel Theatre Troupe—arrive at an abandoned theatre slated for demolition, which the troupe has rented to put on a play. While initially daunted by the ghastly and unkempt nature of the building, the actors set about rehearsing for their show. One night, the play's lead, Sun Xiao’ou, has trouble with the lines for the play's titular number, "Romance of the Yellow River," and requests to be alone in the theatre. As he continues to rehearse, a mysterious and disembodied voice begins to sing the lines along with Xiao’ou, effectively teaching him the part. Upon inquiring with the theatre's haggard caretaker, Xiao’ou learns that the voice belongs to a once famous actor long thought to be deceased - Song Danping. The voice of Danping teaches Xiao’ou the song, and the play is a great success. After the show, the young Xiao’ou hopes to thank Danping for his help, and follows his voice to a room atop the theatre, where Danping sits in a baggy robe and large hood. After some prodding, Xiao’ou convinces Danping to tell his story.

In flashbacks, Danping reveals that prior to his acclaim as a theatre actor, he was a revolutionary fighter in the Second Chinese Revolution, after which he was forced to go into hiding and develop a new identity. While living as Danping, the clandestine revolutionary fell in love with Li Xiaoxia, whose father did not approve of the couple. At the encouragement of Danping's rival Tang Jun, Danping was tortured and ultimately attacked with acid by Tang's accomplices. Although he survived the attack, Danping was horribly disfigured by the acid burns and became too embarrassed to show himself to Xiaoxia. Instead of facing her, Danping started a rumour of his death, which in turn drove Xiaoxia to the point of insanity.

Back in the present day, Danping explains that he now lives in the seclusion of the theatre attic, only coming out to sing every midnight, comforting a mentally unstable Xiaoxia with his song. Upon hearing Danping's tragic story, Xiao’ou agrees to help comfort the distressed Xiaoxia, whose condition improves markedly after meeting Xiao’ou, who poses as Danping.

As a parallel to Danping's resurrection through Xiao’ou in the eyes of Xiaoxia, the Angel Theatre Trouple puts on a production of Danping's old play, Hot Blooded, with Xiao’ou playing Danping's lead part. He does so with great success, as many people flock to the theatre to see the play. Unfortunately for the protagonists, one of the people in attendance is Tang Jun, Danping's old rival and now owner of the theatre. He takes a liking to the girlfriend of Xiao’ou, fellow actress Lu Die, which leads to Tang Jun accosting Die in her dressing room. As Tang tries to force himself on Die, Xiao’ou arrives and pulls Tang away from her. Tang aims his pistol at Xiao’ou, but in order to protect her boyfriend, Die jumps in front of the shot, and is killed.

It is at this precise moment that Danping, hearing the gunshot, comes out of hiding to finally face Tang. The pair fight their way to the top of the tower while Xiao’ou does his best to unsuccessfully calm the rising anger of the audience, the excited theatregoers quickly becoming an angry, torch-wielding mob. Upstairs, Danping concludes his fight with Tang, as Danping kills his rival by throwing him out of a window. The mob sets its sights on Danping, who they assume to be a monster, due to his ghastly appearance.

The mob chases Danping to a different abandoned tower, as Xiao’ou goes to Xiaoxia. Cornered in the burning building, Danping jumps to his death in the river. At this very moment, Xiaoxia regains her sanity. The film closes with Xiao’ou promising to fight to achieve Danping's ideals, finally showing both him and Xiaoxia standing together, greeting the sunrise, while a recording of Danping's "Song at Midnight" plays.

Cast: