- Ma-Xu Weibang
-
Ma-Xu Weibang (simplified Chinese: 马徐维邦; traditional Chinese: 馬徐維邦) (1905–1961) was a Chinese film director active in the mainland during the 1920s through 1940s, and later in Hong Kong, perhaps best known for his work in the horror genre, the most important unarguably being the Phantom of the Opera-inspired, Song at Midnight. Ma-Xu was also known for a few acting roles early in his career, as well as for being a screenwriter. The director of 33 known films, much of Ma-Xu's early work has been lost.
Ma-Xu was born Xu Weibang in 1905 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Little is known of this early period except that his parents died while Ma-Xu was still a child, which was said to influence his decision to incorporate his wife's surname, "Ma".[1]
Contents
Career in film
Ma-Xu studied at the Shanghai Institute of Fine Arts in the early 1920s. Following his graduation, he began working as an actor for the Mingxing Film Company, his first film being Zhang Shichuan's The Marriage Trap in 1924.[1] Following a brief stint in the short-lived Langhua Film Company where he directed his first film in 1926, Ma-Xu returned to Mingxing where he began serving as assistant directors for some of the more established talent.[1] His thriller, The Cry of Apes in a Deserted Valley is the only one of these directorial efforts to have survived.[1]
Ma-Xu's first real success, however, did not come until 1937 with Song at Midnight, often referred to as China's first horror film. Based on Gaston Leroux's classic novel, the film is now seen as part of the canon of early Chinese cinema, and was also remade as The Phantom Lover by Ronny Yu in 1996. Ma-Xu followed up Song with two additional horror films, Walking Corpse in an Old House (1938) and The Lonely Soul (1938). In 1941, he made a lackluster sequel to Song at Midnight (during the height of the war with Japan), and also co-directed with Bu Wancang the controversial Japanese propaganda film Eternity (also known as The Opium War).
Like Bu, Ma-Xu suffered for his work on The Opium War after the Japanese were defeated and was eventually forced to move to Hong Kong where he continued to work in the film business until 1961, when he was killed in a road accident.
Filmography
Note: in most early Chinese films, there often were no official English translations, leading to a sometimes confusing lack of consistency in titles.
Year English Title Chinese Title Notes 1926 The Love Freak Qing chang guai ren Presumed lost 1928 Freak in the Night Hei ye guai ren Presumed lost 1929 The Devil Incarnate Hun shi mo wang Presumed lost 1930 The Cry of Apes in a Deserted Valley Kong gu yuan sheng 1934 Pear Blossom in the Storm 暴雨梨花 Presumed lost 1934 Prison of Love Ai yu Presumed lost 1935 Han jiang luo yan 1937 Song at Midnight 夜半歌声 1938 Walking Corpse in an Old House Gu wu xing shi ji 1938 The Lonely Soul Leng yue shi hun 1939 Ma feng nu 麻疯女 1940 Diao Liu shi 1941 Song at Midnight, Part II 夜半歌声续继 1941 Xian dai qing nian 1942 Yuan yang lei 1943 Eternity 万世流芳 1943 Qiu Haitang 1947 Tian luo di wang 1947 Chun can meng duan 春残梦断 1949 Mei yan qin wang 1949 A Maid's Bitter Story 琼楼恨 Also known as The Haunted House 1954 Blood Stained Flowers Bi xue huang hua 1955 Xin yu guang qu 1956 Wo xin chang dan 1956 Ghost at Midnight 午夜魂归 Also known as Foggy Night, Fright Night 1957 The Resurrected Rose Fu huo de mei gui 1957 Booze, Boobs, and Bucks 酒色财气 1958 Young Vagabond 流浪儿 Also known as The Vagabond Boy 1958 Hong fu si ben 1959 The Lovers and the Python 毒蟒情鸳 Notes
External links
- Ma-Xu Weibang at the Internet Movie Database
- Ma-Xu Weibang at the Chinese Movie Database
Cinema of China 
Categories:- Chinese film directors
- Chinese actors
- Chinese screenwriters
- 1905 births
- 1961 deaths
- People from Hangzhou
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
