World Festival Premiere | Out of Competition | Restored Classics
Taiwan, 1979 / restored 2024, 95’, Mandarin
Directed by: Lee Hsing
Screenplay: Chang Yung-hsiang
Cinematography (color): Chen Kun-hou
Editing: Lin Shan-liang
Art Direction: Tsai Cheng-pin
Music: Tony Wong; lyrics by Chuang Nu, sung by Teresa Teng Li-chun
Producer: Chen Ru-ling
Cast: Joan Lin, Kenny Bee, Gu Hsian-ting, Kiang Ming, Lee Lieh, Child Star Ou Di, Fu Pi-hui, Li Yun-chung, Tsui Fu-sheng, Yu Chuan
Date of First Release in Territory: May 3rd, 1980
Released on parole, Wen-hsiung decides not to return home. He is still young and expects himself to start afresh. He not only leaves his sister and brother-in-law but breaks up with his childhood sweetheart. Alone, he comes to Lai Chin-shui, a woodcraftsman in Sanyi and learns the skills from him. Unlike Wang, Chin-shui’s apprentice, Wen-hsiung does not mind making little money in wood handicraft. Instead, he works hard to improve his skills and as a result, he wins Chin-shui’s approval and Hsui’s admiration. Hsui is Chin-shui’s daughter, who is unable to speak. Nevertheless, Chou, whose father owns a handicraft store in town, is in love with Hsiu and therefore, he tricks Chin-shui into expelling Wen-hsiung. Having no choice, Wen-hsiung goes back to his sister and since his brother-in-law has stopped abusing his sister, Wen-hsiung settles down in his hometown, working as a woodcraftsman...
Unlike earlier “Healthy Realism” works with their lofty tones, The Story of a Small Town brought pop music and star power into the mix. Moreover, the distinctly Chinese motifs seen in the early films disappeared, replaced by an evocative portrayal of an idyllic small town that resonated powerfully with the audience, at a time when Taiwanese society was undergoing a rapid surge of modernisation.
In the film, wooden carving exports are decried for requiring excessively long working hours – an echo of Taiwan’s booming foreign trade in the 1960s, when public infrastructure and raw materials could not keep pace with demand, prompting the government to launch the Ten Major Construction Projects. However, these construction efforts largely focused on transport and heavy industry, thereby offering little genuine support for traditional crafts. Furthermore, this rapid development expedited the flow of people away from rural areas. As a result, Wang’s desire to seek employment in Taipei, and Chin-shui’s disdainful remark about “resignation to fate,” vividly illustrate the unrelenting struggle of modest individuals caught in a changing era, determined not to be left behind.
Contemporary audiences may no longer feel certain moral constraints, so they tend not to judge Wen-hsiung for having an extramarital affair or question Chou’s betel-nut-chewing image – originally intended to underscore his role as an antagonist. Rather, they are more likely to be intrigued by Chin-shui’s tendency to leap to conclusions in moments of crisis, or by Wen-hsiung’s shocking act of wounding his brother-in-law. Regardless of how the audience from different generations may interpret these events, director Lee Hsing begins by capturing a panoramic view of the small town, then gradually narrows his focus onto various families. Whether depicting Wen-hsiung and his sister’s married life, Chin-shui’s multi-generational household, or Wang’s sprawling nuclear family, he refrains from passing judgement. Instead, he faithfully presents the diversity of family structures and the everyday episodes they encounter.
Observe, for instance, when Wen-hsiung is wrongly accused of theft by Chin-shui, followed by the return home of Tao, Chin-shui’s daughter, with a new partner. At this point, the camera moves away from previous medium shots involving Wen-hsiung alongside multiple figures, instead positioning him in the doorway while Tao, Chin-shui, and others appear on the other side, visually conveying his exclusion from that familial circle. Once Chin-shui realises he has misjudged Wen-hsiung, the camera returns to a medium shot of the two men sitting face to face in the workshop, restoring a sense of normality. Such subtle directorial choices exemplify Lee Hsing’s command of cinematic techniques, justifying his renown as a heavyweight in Taiwan Cinema at the time.
Lee Hsing
Lee Hsing (1930-2021) moved to Taiwan in 1948, where he entered the film industry under the guidance of Tang Shao-hua. He made his debut with the two-part comedy-journey film Brother Liu and Brother Wang on the Roads in Taiwan (1959, co-directed with Fang Zhen and Tien Feng); in 2011 the film was screened at FEFF as part of Asia Laughs! Lee’s name is linked to the genre of “Healthy Realism” (Beautiful Duckling, 1964; My Silent Wife, 1965). He won seven Golden Horse Awards for Best Film during his career, and was nominated for Best Director three times.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
1964 – Beautiful Duckling
1964 – Oyster Girl
1965 – My Silent Wife
1972 – Execution in Autumn
1978 – He Never Gives Up
1979 – My Native Land
1979 – Good Morning, Taipei
1986 – The Heroic Pioneers