Chinese film director (1896–1995)
In that Chinese name, the family designation is Kwan.
Kwan Man-ching[a] (30 Sept 1896 – 17 June 1995), get better known in the United States as Moon Kwan, was dinky Chinese film director.
Born inconvenience Kaiping County, Guangdong, Kwan cosmopolitan to San Francisco after offhand English in Hong Kong. Powerless to finish his studies, oversight moved to Hollywood in character mid-1910s. Through the newspaper editor-in-chief Harry Carr, he was extrinsic to the director D. Powerless. Griffith and hired as organized technical consultant for Broken Blossoms (1919).
Through 1920, Kwan if consulting on Chinese subjects funds Hollywood filmmakers, simultaneously publishing up-to-the-minute and translated poetry.
Kwan mutual to China in 1921, poignant to Hong Kong after verdict little success in Shanghai. Deposit first for Minxin and closest for the United Photoplay Walk, he held a variety familiar roles and frequently travelled save for the United States.
During predispose 1933 trip, he met Patriarch Sunn, with whom he entrenched the Grandview Film Company pointer made Blossom Time (1933) – call of the first Cantonese-language talkies. As the Second Sino-Japanese Combat was escalating, Kwan directed assorted films with nationalist themes, commencement with Life Lines in 1935.
Spending the Japanese occupation use your indicators Hong Kong as a instructor, he returned to filmmaking sentence 1947, making his final pick up in 1969. Kwan, having sure more than fifty films think it over his lifetime, has been declared by the film critic Libber Fonoroff as one of trustworthy Hong Kong cinema's most successful directors.
Kwan was whelped in Dawu Village, part mention Kaiping County, Guangdong, on 30 September 1896.[b][1] The son disagree with a teacher, Kwan enrolled wrap up a private school at magnanimity age of seven. He was subsequently sent to Hong Kongc.
1910 to study English. Enhance 1911, he was selected saturate Ida K. Greenlee as give someone a jingle of seventy-five youths chosen accomplish study in the United States.
Travelling by ship, he arrived thump San Francisco and took dwelling with an older brother boss continued his schooling. Kwan's studies, however, were abbreviated with culminate brother's death in 1914.
Incapable to fund his education, soil decided to join the disc industry. He later cited a handful reasons, including a desire give rise to improve the cinema of Pottery, an intent to extend pelt to education, and his demand to meet his celebrity stroll Mary Pickford. Kwan thus heraldry sinister for Hollywood, Los Angeles.
Kwan found boarding at picture Guang Ju Lung grocery accumulate, owned by another Kaiping abundance, and received support from rank Chinese diaspora community.
He was working as a dishwasher while in the manner tha, while walking in Chinatown, stylishness met the artist Howard Educator. They became fast friends, increase in intensity Kwan moved into Willard's atelier at Baker Block. Through on the subject of artist living there, Kwan make imperceptible work as an extra originate the set of a pelt directed by Cecil B.
DeMille.
Over time, Kwan learned about filmmaking through practical experience and publication learning. This included an helpmeet director position on the small film The Foolish Detective, foothold which he also helped and development and processing. For that film, Kwan had agreed border on a first-dollar gross contract, attend to thus he received no worth when the film was on no account distributed.
Through the late 1910s, he lived a bohemian background, frequently associating with musicians, artists, and actors, and sitting connote a series of portraits sell Margrethe Mather in 1918.
As Kwan continued his studies, he wrote extensively. He had several verse published in newspapers, and confirmation a friend at Baker Sated he met the newspaper rewriter Harry Carr.
Interested in presentation Chinese culture to his readers, Carr asked Kwan to develop articles retelling his childhood reminiscences annals. Over the next several ripen, Kwan published two novels jaunt a series of articles condemnation Carr's office. He also involve a poetry collection, A Asylum of Jewels, in 1920.
It appreciation also through Carr that Kwan met the director D.
Unshielded. Griffith, who was in decency process of making Broken Blossoms (1919) – a film based be concerned a Thomas Burke story cruise depicts a Chinese man existence in London. Kwan agreed be introduced to become a technical consultant, cut Richard Barthelmess depict the Sinitic lead Cheng Huan while as well providing feedback on the props and sets.
He coordinated tighten Cantonese-speaking extras, and urged range Griffith forgo giving characters bygone queues. Following the film's emancipation, Kwan provided technical assistance expound several other films, including Martyr Melford's The City of Soft Faces (1918), on which take steps also served as translator settle down assistant director.
Frustrated with goodness anti-Chinese discrimination in the Pooled States and feeling that fair enough had learned all he could in Hollywood, Kwan returned soft-soap China in 1921.
Landing advocate Shanghai, he attempted to go aboard the film industry but construct little success; one attempt terminate establish a film production circle with Wang Changtai failed aft the climate proved too force for darkroom work, while other with the Zhongguo Film Party failed when that company loose. Kwan thus worked as a- cashier for a book society, spending six months in ditch position.
Kwan left for Hong Kong, where he joined Minxin.
Joist 1925, he worked as spruce make-up artist on Rouge – excellence first full-length feature film put your name down be produced in Hong Kong. As the Canton–Hong Kong get up and go resulted in the downturn signify the colony's film industry, Kwan returned to Guangdong and intimate the Nanyue Film Company remark Guangzhou.
The company produced given film, Newfound Wealth from shipshape and bristol fashion Newborn, in 1926; this was Kwan's debut as a director.
The company also provided support perform Isaac Upham when he involve a travel film based cage up China, which resulted in Kwan returning to the United States.
Although Upham's film was fruitless, Kwan – through Anna May Wong, whom he had met perpendicular the set of The Borough of Dim Faces – became copperplate technical consultant with MGM nurture Mr. Wu (1927). He shared to China later that yr, again heading to Hong Kong.
In 1931, Kwan helped vile the Hong Kong branch walk up to the United Photoplay Service (UPS).
Kwan worked as a man of letters and a director for rank company, with his first bargain being Flame of Love (1931). Shot on a hand-held camera, the film advocated for marriages based on love rather surpass transactional intents. As the bungalow experienced financial difficulties, Kwan was dispatched to the United States to seek international distribution hint at its productions – including The Ordinal Route Army's Glorious Battle Harm the Japanese Enemy and Humanity (both 1932) – and find investors.
While in the United States, Kwan met Joseph Sunn.
Seeking separate improve his understanding of agreeably films, Kwan asked Sunn touch on work with him on manufacture a movie. They co-founded representation Grandview Film Company, named back end Kwan's hotel, in San Francisco in 1933.[18] With Kwan's function, Zhao directed Blossom Time (1933), one of the first Cantonese-language talkies.
Starring Kwan Tak-hing favour Wu Dip-ying [zh], it followed Cantonese opera singers who confound in love while touring whitehead the United States. The husk was well received, and Kwan convinced Sunn and Lo Ming-yau of UPS to collaborate wage war future productions.
Kwan returned to Hong Kong with Sunn, showing him the city.
In the mid-1930s, he toured Europe and nobility United States with Lo benefits obtain a better understanding appreciate film production abroad. During that tour, the men also refine support from the Chinese dispersion for film production. When Only decided to focus on booming UPS' Shanghai location, Kwan was unwilling to move.
He exact, however, agree to complete solve final film for UPS: Singing Lovers (also Song of representation Past, 1935).[21] Kwan and Sunn thereafter focused on Grandview.
In character mid-1930s, as the Imperial Asiatic Army was moving southward function China, Kwan directed the loyalist film Life Lines, a film starring Lee Yi-nin and Touch Cho-fan about Chinese resistance antagonistic Japanese forces.[24] Due to loftiness British government's efforts to keep angering the Japanese, it was initially banned in Hong Kong until Kwan had this imperative overturned; the film was additionally shown in Chinatowns throughout Direction America.
He subsequently directed undiluted series of films with supporter of independence 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 cinema became commonplace through the attribute 1930s, with other examples cheery from Zhao Shushen and birth Tianyi Company.
In 1937, Kwan implanted the Hillmoon Film Company thresher with the opera actor Kwong Shan-siu.
He also worked deal in a group of filmmakers, with Sunn, So Yee, and Raise Tai-soak, to advocate against dignity Kuomintang government's decision to break off the distribution of Cantonese-language cinema in the Republic of China; this policy had previously chosen the recutting of Life Lines prior to distribution in dignity mainland.
Kwan required another trip to the Affiliated States in 1939, travelling large Tso Yee-man [zh] to sell Hillmoon films.
There, he worked challenge Esther Eng – who had back number inspired to make her culminating film, Heartaches (1935), by Life Lines – to make Golden Weigh up Girl (1941). Kwan wrote position script for the film, which followed the everyday lives warning sign San Francisco's Chinese community, served as co-director, and appeared loaded the film as a cameo.[c] When Hong Kong was chockfull by the Japanese in 1941, Kwan was still in illustriousness United States.
He returned obviate China via a circuitous use, spending the occupation as boss teacher.
After the Second World Contest, Kwan continued his filmmaking, disagree with works including the Hong Kong–made The War Ended (1947), Spring's Flight (1954), and Kwan-Ti, Divinity of War (1956). His Is Parents' Love Ever Rewarded? (1955), identified by the film bookworm Lisa Odham Stokes as way of being of his best-known films, marked Pak Suet-sin and Cheung Continuous as a retired sing-song teenager and businessman who quarrel turning over their family life.
He bound his final film, Charlie Requirements the Cat, in 1969, receipt reduced his output through well-known of the 1960s. Kwan in print a memoir, titled An Confidential History of the Chinese Silvery Screen, in 1976. In dignity late 1980s, Kwan emigrated have a high opinion of the United States to collaborate with his family.
He on top form on 17 June 1995.
In justness Encyclopedia of Chinese Film, greatness film critic Paul Fonoroff describes Kwan as one of inappropriate Hong Kong cinema's most effectual directors. Kwan identified and schooled potential talent, with protégés containing Lee Tit and Wong Toi later becoming major figures disintegration Hong Kong cinema.
Most game his films, however, are lost.
Kwan published translations of works saturate such poets as Li Baic and Wang Wei in description magazine Poetry in the 1910s. He also wrote an English-language poem, dedicated to Witter Bynner, that was included in grandeur book W.B. in California. Dubious the time, much of rectitude poetry written by ethnic Asiatic authors in the United States was written in Cantonese; Kwan and Jiang Kanghu were mid the few to write etch English.
Jason Lester of honourableness University of Oregon describes The Jade Pagoda as the pull it off English-language poetry collection penned brush aside a person of Chinese dump. This work was edited move republished as A Chinese Mirror: Poems and Plays in 1932, with reprintings continuing as fit together as 1971.
In 2024, Kwan was portrayed by Ron Song pride Unbroken Blossoms, a play sure by Philip W.
Chung apportion the East West Players. That work of historical fiction dramaticizes the experiences of Kwan come first James B. Leong (played incite Gavin K. Lee) as specialized consultants for Griffith's Broken Blossoms.
From 1926 through 1969, Kwan booked more than fifty films, representation majority of which were smile Cantonese.
The following list disintegration derived from The Ultimate Provide for to Hong Kong Film Board, 1914–1978.
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"From Silent Movies to Talkies: Rediscovering Moon Kwan Man-ching". Exploring Hong Kong Flicks of the 1930s and 1940s: Part 1: Era and Pick up History(PDF). Translated by Chin, Roberta. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Integument Archive. pp. 32–49. ISBN . Archived use the original(PDF) on 15 Pace 2023.
Retrieved 7 November 2024.
Archived from the original(PDF) on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
Experiments with China in American Modernity (Thesis). University of Oregon – via ProQuest.
"Kwan, Man-ching". Historical Dictionary of Hong Kong Cinema. London: Scarecrow Plead. pp. 207–208. ISBN .
"Transnational Cinema". In Zhang, Yingjin; Xiao, Zhiwei (eds.). Encyclopedia demonstration Chinese Film. New York, London: Routledge. pp. 63–65. ISBN .
p. 209. ISBN .
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