- English name：Children of Troubled Times
- Broadcast time：May 24, 1935
- Starring：袁牧之、王人美、谈瑛、陆露明
- director：许幸之
Introduction
Today, I will introduce a Chinese film which called Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm (風雲兒女fēng yǔn ér nǚ). So let us have a brief introduction.
Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm is a 1935 Chinese film, also known as Children of Troubled Times, about an intellectual who leaves to fight in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The movie was directed by Xu Xingzhi (许幸之Xǔ Xìngzhī )and the scriptwriters were Tian Han (田汉Tián Hàn) and Xia Yan (夏衍Xià Yǎn). It starred actor Yuan Muzhi (袁牧之Yuán Mùzhī ) and actress Wang Renmei (王人美Wáng Rénměi ).
Plot
The plot follows the young poet Xin Baihua (辛白华Xīn Báihuá) who flees Shanghai with his friend Liang zhifu (梁质夫Liáng Zhìfū ). However, whereas Liang soon joins the resistance against the Japanese invaders, Xin chooses to pursue a relationship with a glamorous and westernized widow in Qingdao (青岛Qīngdǎo ).
After hearing that Liang has been killed however, Xin has a change of heart and rushes to join the war effort.
The movie is amazing and the theme song of this film is also very famous.
Professional evaluation
1、”Children of Storms” has long been denied a fair and objective evaluation by the Chinese literary and art circles and the film industry. Although this film has obvious deficiencies in many aspects, such as screenwriting, directing and acting, it should at least be regarded as one of the earliest feature films in the Chinese film industry that advocates taking up arms to fight against the invading Japanese imperialist bandits. It should at least be regarded as a good start for Chinese literary and art circles’ anti-Japanese and national salvation-themed film and television works. Unfortunately, many review articles only regard it as a general progressive film or a left-wing film. When mentioning it, they are not optimistic about its due position in the history of Chinese film. Most of them just say that our national anthem “March of the Volunteers” originated from it.
2、”Children of Storms” has a clear anti-Japanese theme. It reflects the awakening and growth of educated youth in the context of the struggle for national liberation at that time, and also tortuously reflects the ardent desire of the people across the country to unanimously demand anti-Japanese resistance. The screenwriter of the film is passionate, but the ideological theme is a bit exposed; Xu Xingzhi is a new director and his skills are relatively immature; Yuan Muzhi is known as a man of many faces, but his lines have traces of drama. The theme of the film is obviously not about the emotions of children, but about the times. In particular, its theme song “March of the Volunteers” sings the voice of the times with unrestrained revolutionary enthusiasm and passionate melody, and its influence far exceeds the film itself.
