Crows and Sparrows
Encyclopedia
Crows and Sparrows was a 1949 Chinese film made by Kunlun Studios on the eve of the Communist
victory and directed by Zheng Junli
. Notable for its extremely critical view of corrupt Nationalist
bureaucrats, the film was made as Chiang Kai-shek
's Nanjing-based government was on the verge of collapse, and was not actually released until after the Chinese Civil War
had ended.
The film starred Zhao Dan
in a leading role.
apartment, Mr Hou, a Nationalist official, gets ready to move to Taiwan
upon the imminent defeat of the KMT during the Civil War. Mrs Hou gives an ultimatum to the rest of the tenants to move out on behalf of her husband, who is the "owner" of the flat and who is now planning to sell it. From the conversations with the rest, we find out that Hou has been a Hanjian
during the Sino-Japanese War
and that he has since taken over the apartment by force from the old landlord, Mr Kong.
The tenants, including Mr Kong, Mrs Xiao, Little Broadcast (alias Mr Xiao, played by Zhao Dan) and a schoolteacher, Mr Hua, and his wife, initially plan to band together, but circumstances force them to find other ways out. Mr Hua tries to find a place to stay at the KMT-sponsored school he is teaching in. Little Broadcast and Mrs Xiao invest in black market gold. As the situation escalates, Mr Hua gets arrested by KMT agents and his young daughter falls desperately ill.
Hou makes his advances towards Mrs Hua and is rejected. Little Broadcast and Mrs Xiao find their scheme of making rich go to nought after gold price rises sharply.
The tenants decide after all not to shift in a showdown with Hou. Hou is about to throw them out of the house when he received a long distance telephone call from Nanjing
telling him to retreat to Taiwan as the KMT capital is to be abandoned. The KMT agents release Mr Hua while his fellow teachers are executed. As the remaining KMT members all run off from Mainland China
, the tenants celebrate Chinese New Year
in 1949, promising to improve themselves in face of the coming new society.
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
victory and directed by Zheng Junli
Zheng Junli
Zheng Junli was a Chinese actor and director born in Shanghai and who rose to prominence in the golden age of Chinese Cinema.-Early years:...
. Notable for its extremely critical view of corrupt Nationalist
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
bureaucrats, the film was made as Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
's Nanjing-based government was on the verge of collapse, and was not actually released until after the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
had ended.
The film starred Zhao Dan
Zhao Dan
Zhao Dan was a Chinese actor popular in the golden age of Chinese Cinema.-Biography:Zhao first became famous working in the Mingxing Film Company in the 1930s including playing opposite Zhou Xuan in Street Angel...
in a leading role.
Plot
At a ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
apartment, Mr Hou, a Nationalist official, gets ready to move to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
upon the imminent defeat of the KMT during the Civil War. Mrs Hou gives an ultimatum to the rest of the tenants to move out on behalf of her husband, who is the "owner" of the flat and who is now planning to sell it. From the conversations with the rest, we find out that Hou has been a Hanjian
Hanjian
In Chinese culture, a Hanjian is a derogatory and pejorative term for a race traitor to the Han Chinese nation or state, and to a lesser extent, Han ethnicity. The word Hanjian is distinct from the general word for traitor, which could be used for any race or country...
during the Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
and that he has since taken over the apartment by force from the old landlord, Mr Kong.
The tenants, including Mr Kong, Mrs Xiao, Little Broadcast (alias Mr Xiao, played by Zhao Dan) and a schoolteacher, Mr Hua, and his wife, initially plan to band together, but circumstances force them to find other ways out. Mr Hua tries to find a place to stay at the KMT-sponsored school he is teaching in. Little Broadcast and Mrs Xiao invest in black market gold. As the situation escalates, Mr Hua gets arrested by KMT agents and his young daughter falls desperately ill.
Hou makes his advances towards Mrs Hua and is rejected. Little Broadcast and Mrs Xiao find their scheme of making rich go to nought after gold price rises sharply.
The tenants decide after all not to shift in a showdown with Hou. Hou is about to throw them out of the house when he received a long distance telephone call from Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
telling him to retreat to Taiwan as the KMT capital is to be abandoned. The KMT agents release Mr Hua while his fellow teachers are executed. As the remaining KMT members all run off from Mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
, the tenants celebrate Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
in 1949, promising to improve themselves in face of the coming new society.
External links
- Crows and Sparrows from the Chinese Movie Database
- Description and discussion questions from Ohio State UniversityOhio State UniversityThe Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
- Rental of the film and further information from International Film Circuit, Inc