Husband and Wife

Overview

An absorbing example of genre filmmaking in the People’s Republic of China, Husband and Wife could at first glance be mistaken for any other romantic melodrama chronicling the rise and decline of a married couple’s love; here, though, that love takes place in (and is entirely defined by) a realm of political upheaval and Maoist ideology. A Shanghai intellectual marries an illiterate peasant woman–turned–collectivist hero, with outcomes both universal (differences emerge) and specific (revolutionary self-critiques). At first a popular hit, the film (and Zheng himself) was soon critically attacked for counterrevolutionary, pro-bourgeois thought. Zheng even penned a confessional autocritique, but the damage to his career was done. (BAMPFA)

Details

Status

Released

Release date

March 2, 1951

Original language

Chinese

Spoken languages

Chinese

Cast

Wen Ming,Wang Guiling,Jiang Tianliu,Zhao Dan,Wu Yinyan

Director

Zheng Jun-li

Writer

Zheng Jun-li

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

tt0339917