Street Angel (1937 film)

Street Angel
Zhou Xuan]]s Xiao Hong in Street Angel
Directed by	Yuan Muzhi
Written by	Yuan Muzhi
Starring	Zhou Xuan Zhao Huishen Zhao Dan
Music by	He Lüting
Studio	Mingxing Film Company
Distributed by	United States: Cinema Epoch (DVD)
Release date(s)	July 24, 1937
Running time	87 minutes
Country	China
Language	Mandarin and Cantonese

Street Angel (simplified Chinese: 马路天使; traditional Chinese: 馬路天使; pinyin: Mǎlù tiānshǐ) is a Chinese film released in 1937. The film was directed by Yuan Muzhi and stars the popular singer Zhou Xuan.

Synopsis

The film deals with two sisters, Xiao Hong (Zhou Xuan) and Xiao Yun (Zhao Huishen) who have fled from the war in Northeast China to Shanghai, where they are living under the brutal thumb of their adoptive parents. Xiao Yun has already been forced into prostitution while her sister serves as a teahouse singer. Soon the sisters realize that the adoptive parents have decided to sell Xiao Hong to a wealthy patron, whereupon they seek the aid of their neighbors, a street musician, Xiao Chen (Zhao Dan), and his misfit friends.

Street Angel is often praised for its mix of melodrama and comedy. One sequence in particular, where Xiao Chen and his friends attempt to act as barbers reveals a moment of slapstick or physical comedy in the otherwise dreary third act.

Reputation

Praised for its portrayal of the downtrodden in Shanghai at the time of its release, today, Street Angel is often considered one of the classics of the "leftist" filmmaking period that reached its peak in the 1930s. It was selected as one of the Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures by the 24th Hong Kong Film Awards, ranked 11th.

Cast and roles

• Zhou Xuan - Xiao Hong
• Zhao Huishen - Xiao Yun, Xiao Hong's older sister
• Zhao Dan - Chen Shaoping, aka. Xiao Chen, Xiao Hong's boyfriend. A trumpet player who lives across the alley
• Wei Heling - Wang, the newspaper seller and Chen's best friend

See also

• List of films in the public domain

External links

• Street Angel is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
• Street Angel at the Internet Movie Database
• Street Angel at AllRovi
• Profile on the success of Street Angel upon its release
• English translation of the Street Angel script