Diaochan

Diao Chan is a 1938 Chinese sound film directed by Bu Wancang and produced by Zhang Shankun's Xinhua Film Company. The film is a portrayal of one of the "Four Beauties" of ancient China, in this case the titular Diaochan, from the late Eastern Han Dynasty era. Like Diaochan, the film is also known by the literal translation of her name, the Sable Cicada. The film, a lavish historical costume drama, represented something of a revival of Chinese filmmaking in Shanghai following the occupation of the city by Japanese forces. Under the aegis of the Xinhua Film Company, Diao Chan's success allowed for significant output of wartime films from Chinese studios during the "Solitary Island" period of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Production of...