China’s first domestically-produced movie, 《定军山》 Mount Dingjun, was filmed in 1905, making this year the centennial of China’s film industry. To mark the occasion, a new version is being readied for screening at the end of the year.
This new version won’t be a remake, however. The original was a five-minute silent, black-and-white clip of a scene from the Peking opera of the same name, while the new Mount Dingjun will tell the story of the making of that movie. Naturally it will be updated for today’s audiences, who like their history served with a side of romance; a love interest is being written in to link the main characters together. Says the scriptwriter:
If it’s only the simple story of three men, tell me what audience will want to see it? She opens up the men’s story, and the film is more interesting for it.
The 1999 movie Shadow Magic 《西洋镜》 told the story from the point of view of the cinematographer.
The image on the left comes from an archive on Zhejiang Metropolitan Online of movie posters and stills throughout the century. A still from Moung Dingjun, used in most news reports on the new movie, is here.