Move over, James! There's a New Bond in Town

No, I'm not staging a comeback tour. But I was recently roused out of retirement by the Infernal Brains (aka Tars Tarkas and 4DK), who strong-armed me into participating in their podcast about Hong Kong cinema's "Jane Bond" films of the 1960s.

You can find the podcast HERE. Do check out the slideshow version for lots of cool screengrabs from the films we talk about. Or download the mp3 and listen to it on your iPod as you save the world from evil hooded villains.

Since I'm pretty excited about this (mostly because I don't sound as stupid as I feared), I'm going to post some "Jane Bond" goodies here and at Soft Tofu in the coming week.

If you're not yet familiar with these kick-ass films, I hope our enthusiasm will pique your interest!

P.S. The "Jane Bond" at the top of this post is Connie Chan from her 1966 film Spy with My Face.

Barbara Yung: Legend of Burlesque

Belated congratulations to Barbara Yung on her recent induction into the Burlesque Hall of Fame. During the late 1940s, Barbara was one of the reigning queens of the Bay Area's Chinese nightclub scene. Last month in Las Vegas she graced the stage once again to accept the 2011 Legend of Burlesque Award.

I've been unable to discover much about her career, but evidently Barbara started dancing in San Francisco in the early 40s. By 1949 she was headlining the "Chinese Girls-a-Peekin'" Revue at Fong Wan's Club Oakland and the "China Darlings of 1950" Revue the following year at Fong's Club Shanghai across the bay. In 1952, she was back in Oakland at the legendary El Rey, where she starred in "Chinatown after Midnite". And according to IMDB, Barbara even made an appearance, along with Chinese Skyroom owner Andy Wong, in the Frank Sinatra film Pal Joey (1957). Unfortunately, when I watched the film on DVD, both of them were nowhere to be seen.

I did manage to find a couple of choice tidbits about Barbara in the Oakland Tribune's nightlife gossip column "Going Places" that at least give us a little taste of what her performances were like.

"Barbara looks very much like something you might see in Terry and the Pirates. Tall, shapely as a Varga girl, and dances beautifully to music like "Rhapsody in Blue" and other intricate symphonic arrangements." (June 11, 1949)

"Barbara Yung is one of the cleverest tall, willowy dancers in show business today. Quite rare to see a Chinese girl with her elevation. Her routines these eves at Fong Wan's Club Oakland are sophisticated yet quite artistic." (June 25, 1949)

It was also noted in "Going Places" that Barbara made her own costumes and was "something of an outstanding couturier when it comes to sequin needlework" (October 15, 1949). Go ahead and click on her glamor shot at the top of this post for a closer look at how amazing she was with a needle.

It's heartening to see Barbara honored in her lifetime as one of burlesque's trailblazers, alongside such luminaries as Josephine Baker, Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Tempest Storm. At the age of 92 Barbara Yung still bedazzles (that's her in the photo on the right with contemporary burlesquer Shanghai Pearl) and reminds us to forge our own paths with courage, passion, and style!

A great big thanks to Shanghai Pearl for the photos. The Club Oakland ad comes from the August 20, 1949 edition of the Oakland Tribune.

Diana Chang: Flaming Doll

Movie flyer courtesy of HKMDB

Da jia hao! I just stumbled on the following compilation of scenes from Diana Chang's 1959 movie Flaming Doll (噴火女郎) — aka The Blazing Charmer aka She Sets My Heart on Fire — and I couldn't in good conscience keep it selfishly to myself. If you're only familiar with Diana from the Shaw films released by Celestial, then you are in for a real surprise. Just press play and see for yourself why she was called "The Most Beautiful Creature in Free China". Warning: Diana Chang is extremely hot and may cause spontaneous eyeball combustion.



P.S. There are lots more Chinese movie clips — some quite rare — at the hosting site.

Soft Film Transmigrates to Tumblr

As I slooooowly wind down my blog, I still get the urge to post a piece of ephemera — a recent acquisition or an old favorite — but sans the clumsy words that always seem to take so long to wrestle from my indolent brain. Since by nature I'm more inclined towards images, starting a tumblr seems the best way for me to continue sharing what I love without the pain of writing about it.

I'm happy to announce the birth of Soft Tofu 豆腐花, the beautiful deaf mute child of Soft Film.

Behind the Scenes at a Chinese Motion Picture Studio

From the Moving Image Research Collections at the University of South Carolina comes an extraordinary piece of Chinese movie history: rare newsreel outtakes shot in January 1934 showing the production of a film at what is believed to be the Tianyi studio. Founded in Shanghai in 1925 by four brothers named Shaw (you may have heard of them), the Tianyi Film Company (天一影片公司) was a pillar of Chinese moviemaking during the 1920s and 30s (just like the family's Shaw Brothers studio some 30 years later). You can read more about the studio at The Chinese Mirror, my top one-stop shop for information about early Chinese cinema. But let me just point out that, as far as I know, none of the approximately 120 films made by Tianyi between 1925 and 1939 have survived, which makes this newsreel footage very precious indeed.

I've not had any luck in positively identifying the film or its stars. But I'm going to hazard a guess — even though I always fall on my ass whenever I go out on a limb — that the leading lady seen in the footage might be Fan Xuepeng (范雪朋), 1920s wuxia queen and star of Red Heroine / 红侠 (1929), one of the earliest surviving Chinese martial-arts movies. She worked at Tianyi from 1934 to 1937 and made a half-dozen or so films for the studio. One of them, Spring Dreams in the Dance Hall / 舞宫春梦 (1934), seems likes a possible match for the production shown in these outtakes.

Needless to say, I'm seeking the help of anyone who might be able to shed some light on this mystery film. Okay, enough talking. Click HERE to watch the clip.

Soft Film Video Jukebox: Wonfu Jr.

I totally missed the news last December about my favorite Taiwan band Wonfu's reincarnation as Wonfu Jr. (not to mention their appearance at SXSW last month). Inspired by their 2009 visit to the Rock ’n’ Roll Camp for Girls in Portland, Oregon, Wonfu decided to append a "Jr." to their name and make an album geared towards children — which I think is pretty cool. They sound as bright and fabulous as ever. And I'm very much looking forward to hearing their new album. Here's the title track, guaranteed to make you hit replay!


"Flying to You, Flying to Me"

Coming Soon: Pearl Chang Ling

Wuxia Sweethearts 2

Li Ching (courtesy of penangantiques)


Pearl Chang Ling (stay tuned!)

Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words

Earlier today I saw Yunah Hong's new documentary Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words (2010) at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival. I deliberately went in with modest expectations after my tepid response a few years ago to Elaine Mae Woo's documentary, Anna May Wong: Frosted Yellow Willows (2007). Woo's documentary struck me as being a little too reverent for such a groundbreaking individual as Anna May. Besides some rare footage, there wasn't much to recommend for those already familiar with her work.

Hong's documentary also features similarly rare footage: a young Anna May doing the Charleston; her 1936 trip to China, including a shot with Shanghai movie queen Hu Die; and scenes from the rarely screened Song (1928), her first European film. There are lots of great still photos as well. My favorite — and one I've never seen before — shows Anna May in boxing gloves, shorts, and a tank top with the initials HR, which must have been taken when she was working for the Hal Roach Studio in 1927.

The talking heads include actor James Hong, biographers Graham Hodges and Karen Leong, and cinematographer Jack Cardiff. Most surprising were Conrad Doerr (who rented an apartment from Anna May during the 1950s) and Susan Ahn Cuddy (who, along with her brother, actor Philip Ahn, grew up in the same Los Angeles neighborhood as Anna May).

But the heart of Hong's film — although most reviewers so far emphatically regard it as a glaring distraction — is the reenactment of Anna May by actress Doan Ly. She performs, in interview fashion, excerpts from Anna May's voluminous correspondence (evidently, much of it taken from letters to her dear friend, the noted photographer Carl Van Vechten), as well as songs from her European stage shows (the Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower", "Parlez-moi d'amour", and Noel Coward's "Half-Caste Woman"). At first, Doan Ly's lack of resemblance to Anna May proved a stumbling block for me, but as soon as I let go of that unrealistic expectation, I began to appreciate her sensitive performance and Hong's use of this technique.

Anna May Wong is such an icon that it's often difficult to get a sense of her as a flesh-and-blood person. The performance of her letters and songs gives Hong's documentary an emotional depth that is quite touching. Incidents that I'd read about, such as Wong's absence from her mother's funeral because of her decision to keep working during the Broadway run of On the Spot (1930-31), are brought to life with great poignancy.

Yunah Hong's Anna May Wong: In Her Own Words paints a remarkably vivid portrait of one of the 20th century's most fascinating icons and is highly recommended to fans and strangers alike. It is screening one last time at the SFIAFF this coming Wednesday evening and will undoubtedly be making the festival rounds. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a not-too-distant DVD release (with lots of extras, please!).

Wuxia Sweethearts

Polly Shang Kuan Ling Feng


Connie Chan Po Chu