Spring in a Small Town (1948)

[Randy W]

Fei Mu’s 1948 masterpiece “Spring in a Small Town” was condemned to obscurity for decades after its release. But 75 years later, it has finally won recognition as the best Chinese film ever made and is receiving a new wave of attention.

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How China’s Greatest Ever Film Was Rescued From Oblivion
Fei Mu’s 1948 masterpiece “Spring in a Small Town” was condemned to obscurity for decades after its release. But 75 years later, it has finally won recognition as the best Chinese film ever made and is receiving a new wave of attention.

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For decades, the film was effectively buried under the weight of history. Released in 1948, while the Chinese Civil War was still raging, it quickly disappeared from screens under the shadow of the swirling politics of that era.

During the Maoist period that followed, productions with patriotic themes were totally dominant. “Spring in a Small Town” — an achingly romantic study of a complex love triangle — remained out of favor and shunted to the background.

 . . .

But for “Spring in a Small Town,” Fei decided to do something different. He took three emerging stars in Wei Wei, Shi Yu, and Li Wei, and he specifically told them to play down their emotions. The goal was to unfold the story of a love triangle at a languid, almost dreamlike pace — a departure from the more dramatic style that had previously dominated in Shanghai’s film industry.