Film Screenings
Encompassing Humanity and Ideology
After directing several left-wing films in the early 1930's, Yueh expanded his range to a diverse range of genres. Later,as China was undergoing radical changes after the Civil War, Yueh would direct several propaganda films about the "New China" that were infused with influence from American film noir. A record of the contemporary feeling towards history and the uncertain future, these films achieved high aesthetic levels in the post-war period.
Negotiating Family Values
Among his Hong Kong-produced works, one can see Yueh made a series of "family films" that explored family values and rebuilding the family unit in the post-war era. The Flower Street (1950) places the nation's interest above all else while, For Better... For Worse (1959) and Bitter Sweet (1963) are rooted in both traditional Chinese and contemporary Hong Kong values.
Portraying Wilful Women
Be it Shanghai-based actresses Yuan Meiyun, Chen Yanyan and Li Lihua, or Hong Kong's Bai Guang, Linda Lin Dai and Betty Loh Ti, Yueh’s female characters were often at the best under conflict, especially when the conflicts are between love and morals.
Experimenting Huangmei Diao (Yellow Plum Tunes)
Yueh Feng’s Huangmei Diao films were adapted from well-known folk tales. In Madame White Snake (1962) – whose special effects were done in Japan – and The Lotus Lamp (1965), one can see Yueh’s masterful skills in glamourous and refined studio sets and strong visuals. Even in love stories like The West Chamber (1965) and The Three Smiles (1969), Yueh infused a modest, but elegant style that lent those films a light, gentle tone.
Embracing New Tides
The surge of a new wave in martial arts cinema would serve as a daunting challenge for a director who has specialized in dramas throughout his career. However, Yueh Feng, who practiced martial arts at a young age and worked as a stuntman and actor in martial arts films when he first entered the film industry, bravely took the challenge head-on.
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