Song of the Fishermen

Song of the Fishermen (Chinese: 渔光曲; pinyin: Yú guāng qǔ) is an early Chinese silent film directed by Cai Chusheng in 1934, and produced by the Lianhua Film Company.

A successful film, Song of the Fishermen played for 84 straight days in Shanghai. In 1935, the Song of Fishermen with a Chinese film delegation participated Moscow International Film Festival in the Soviet Union and won an honorable mention award. It was the first Chinese film to win a prize in an international film festival (Moscow Film Festival in 1935). In addition, for the director of the film, Cai Chusheng, who born in January 12th, 1906 and was one of the foremost progressive Chinese directors of the time, Song of the Fishermen, is one of his most critically acclaimed films, allowed him to become the first Chinese director to win an international award during the Moscow International Film Festival in 1935.

The film, like many of the period, details the struggle of the poorer classes, in this case a family of fishermen who are forced to sing on the streets in order to survive. The story was made possible by the fact that Cai Chusheng, who also worked as a screenwriter of this film, ever since he had begun developing his skill for playwriting, had been involved in the social rights movements of his time, like his involvement in the workers' union in China at the age of just 19. Subsequently, as we see in the Song of the Fishermen as well, many of the films part of his larger body of work frequently delve into societal issues present in China during the early 20th Century, namely New Women (1935) and Dawn over the Metropolis (1933).

Plot Summary
Fisherman Xu Fu has a pair of twin children, Xiaomao (Kitten) and Xiaohou(Monkey). Xu Fu perished in a storm while fishing at sea. To repay the debts, their mother, Xu's wife, with no other choice, had to leave her own child and become a maid for the He Renzhai, the owners of a privately-owned shipping fleet. Unfortunately, she was fired from her job for accidentally breaking an antique from the He family. Shortly afterward she lost her eyesight due to illness. However, He Ziying, the He family's young master (少爷), grew up with Xiaomao Xu and Xiaohou Xu, and they became close friends.

Ten years later, Xiaomao and Xiaohou are still renting the He family's fishing boats to fish, while Ziying is preparing to study abroad to major in Fishing industry. Before his departure, the three friends gather, and He Ziying vows to reform the Chinese fishing industry when he returns from his studies. After Ziying leaves, He Renzhai, in partnership with foreigners, established a fishing company. This made life increasingly difficult for the Xu family. Unable to sustain themselves by fishing, they returned their boat and moved to Shanghai to live with their uncle. In Shanghai, Xiaomao and Xiaohou earn their living by selling songs on the streets under the guidance of their uncle. One day, they encounter Ziying while they were selling songs. Ziying, out of pity for his old friend, gifted one hundred RMB, but he didn't expect that this one hundred RMB would lead to the siblings being falsely accused of robbery and sent to jail. However, this money leads to the siblings being falsely accused of robbery and imprisoned. After their release from prison, a fire broke out in the Xu household, their mother and uncle were buried in the fire, and Kitten and Monkey were left homeless.

The siblings return to their hometown to resume fishing. Meanwhile, due to the manager embezzling funds and fleeing, the He family's fishing company went bankrupt. He Renzhai suicided. He Ziying gave up his ambitions and turned to fishing for a living with his two siblings. Tragically, Xiaohou was severely injured on the boat and on the brink of death. In his deathbed, Xiaohou requested Xiaomao to sing "Song of the Fishermen" for him one last time.

Cast
In order of appearance in the film:

Background
Between September 19th and 24th, 1933, dozens of filmmakers, led by director Cai Chusheng, and his fellow workers were in the area of Shipu, Ningbo, Zhejiang, shooting the Song of Fishermen. The filming of the movie went through a lot of difficulties, such as Shanghai's typhoon weather, which led to many bumps on the sea, as well as diarrhea caused by unaccustomed to the climate of a new place. In a letter to Lu Hanzhang, Cai Chusheng recounted the experiences of the entire cast and crew over the past five days. However, he has always been full of enthusiasm and tenacious will into the movie work.

Theme Music
"Song of the Fishermen" (《渔光曲》)

Music composed by: Ren Guang (任光) Songs by: An E (安娥) Sing by: Wang Renmei (王人美)

Lyrics Clouds scud across the ocean sky Fish hide down in the seas Nets hang in the morning sun to dry Blown by the ocean breeze The tide is rising Waves crash and surge Fishing boats sailing every which way Cast the net lightly Pull the ropes tightly Laboring in heavy fog to land fish today The fish are scarce, and the boat rent is high The fate of the fishermen is to be poor Take care with that torn net Grandpa left when he died We’ll need it to live one winter more

Theme & Influence

As an interlude, "the Song of Fishermen" is an excellent accompaniment to the film's narrative, telling the story of the suffering lives of the poor fishermen. "The fish are scarce, and the boat rent is high / The fate of the fishermen is to be poor", which pouring out the fishermen swinging in the sea all day long and working hard, but always can not escape the miserable situation of poverty, but also reveal the hidden in the hearts of the working people can not be stopped resentment. The song matches the movie screen, cutting from the morning scenery of the East China Sea to the narrative of the movie, and the scene is blended with the sound and picture. An E's skillful use of words and phrases makes "the Song of Fishermen" a song with the spirit of classical Chinese poetry and the simplicity and freshness of modern language. Ren Guang adopts the traditional Chinese Pentatonic scale, which makes the music's rhythm subdued and soothing, and the melody is graceful and smooth, with a strong sense of life.

The director, Cai Chusheng, knew that the singer, Wang Renmei could convey the music in an empathetic way, thus conveying the agonizing lives of these working-class people. The music of the film was also very successful, with its theme song becoming a widely sung classic.

Cultural Impact
Song of the Fishermen undoubtedly marked a milestone for Chinese cinema at the time, becoming the first Chinese film to win an international award at the 1935 Moscow International Film Festival. It was a revolutionary take on the traditional Chinese opera form, choosing to adopt a more bleak tone, slower overall rhythms, and an overall more realistic approach to making the film. Song of the Fishermen went on to inspire a whole series of left-wing realist films following its release.

Beyond just its artistic achievements, Song of the Fishermen brought nearly unprecedented commercial success along with it. It ran for 87 days straight upon release, with the first round of screenings at the Jincheng Theatre lasting for more than 40 days. This level of success eventually rendered it the most profitable Chinese film of the 1930s.

More Information

 * Producer: Lo Ming Yau (罗明佑)
 * Production Manager: Lu Hanchang (陆涵章)
 * Set Design: Fang Peilin (方沛霖)
 * Script Manager: Meng Junmou (孟君谋)
 * Dubbed using: Denton Co. China-made Three Friendships Style Audio Recorder （电通公司, 国产三有式录音机)
 * “Lighting technician Jin Fusong passed away during the filming of Song of the Fishermen. The Lianhua cast and crew hereby dedicate this film to Mr. Jin’s memory.”