New Friend

New Friend (Chinese: 新客; pinyin: Xin Ke; lit.: 'The Immigrant') was the first Singaporean film shot entirely in Singapore and Malaya. It was produced by Nanyang Low Pui-kim's Self-made Motion Picture Company (南洋劉貝錦自製影片公司), in association with Low Pui-kim (劉貝錦, 1902 to 1959), who served as the producer and Kwok Chiu-man (郭超文), who was both the director and cinematographer. The film production company originally planned to produced its second film production , silent movie "(行不得也哥哥)", however, as the film production company was closed on 10 May 1927, this film is pending.[1]

New Friend (新客)
Directed byKwok Chiu-man (郭超文)
Produced byLow Pui-kim (劉貝錦, 1902 to 1959)
StarringCheng Chao-jen (鄭超人 (鄭連捷))
Luk Chao-yuk (陸肖予)
Wee Mong-may (黃夢梅)
CinematographyKwok Chiu-man (郭超文)
Release date
  • 29 April 1927 (1927-04-29)
Running time
99 minutes
Country
Languagesilent film with Chinese and English subtitles
a film still of 1927 silent movie "New Friend (新客)"
Singapore local actress Ms. Luk Chao-yuk (陸肖予) is the heroine in 1927 silent movie " New Friend (新客)".
silent movie "New Friend (新客)" showing advertisement in the "Gaiety Picture Place (牙池電影戲)', the cinema was located in front of a Chinese temple - "(太師公廟)", the junction between Albert Street (芒果律) and Bencoolen Street (小坡五馬路), Singapore.
silent movie "New Friend (新客)", also known as "(唐山來客)" in Chinese, its showing advertisement in "Chung Wo Cinema (中和影畫場)", the cinema was located in Kau U Fong (九如坊), Central (中環), Hong Kong.

The silent film New Friend (新客) is a melodrama about a newly arrived Chinese immigrant to Singapore. It was first screened in Singapore at the Victoria Theatre (維多利亞戲院) on 4 March for a public test,[2] entertained more than 500 guests, just showed 6 reels of film, two erotic dances (Chinese sword dance and Malay butterfly dancer) were also shown in the showed film.[3] Its official premiere was at Marlborough Pub and Theatre (曼舞羅戲院) on Beach Road (小坡海墘十二間), and Gaiety Picture Place (牙池電影戲), the cinema was located in front of a Chinese temple - "(太師公廟)", the junction between Albert Street (芒果律) and Bencoolen Street (小坡五馬路), Singapore. After public showing in Singapore, it was reported that it used another Chinese film title as "(唐山來客)", released in the "Chung Wo Cinema (中和影畫場)" in Kau U Fong (九如坊), Hong Kong, from 29 April 2017, Friday to 2 May 1927, Monday, totally four days, so it is the first film production of Singapore, and the first export film production too.[4]

Erotic dances in the film

the film has two erotic dances:

  • 17 years old Shanghai sexy actress Ms. Chen Meng-ju (陳夢如) wore ancient Chinese dress to perform Chinese sword dance. Taiwanese scholar believed that she is the principal actor Mr. Cheng Chao-jen (鄭超人)'s real wife Ms. Chou Tsing Hwa (周清華);[5]
  • Singapore Cantonese actress Ms. Wee Mong-may (黃夢梅), she was dishevelled, and showed off her neck and arms, performed Malay style butterfly dance.[6]

Cast
  • Cheng Chao-jen (鄭超人 (鄭連捷)) as a new immigrant Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強) who is a poor orphan from Republic of China;
  • Tan Chee-eng (陳子纓) as Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫), the owner of the "Sin Teik Seng (新德成) rubber firm" in Malaya, and the father of two children: unruly Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) and naughty son Tiew Sinh-min (張新民);
  • Wo Ying (我影) as Er (余氏), she is Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫)’s wife, the parent of two children, unruly Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) and naughty Tiew Sinh-min (張新民);
  • Luk Chao-yuk (陸肖予) as Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞);
  • child actor Tan Ping-fan (陳炳勳) as Tiew Sinh-min (張新民), a naughty prepubescent child;
  • Wan Tuan-nam (雲端南) as Low Pak-tin (劉伯憩), the owner of "Chun Yuan (春源) rubber plantation" in Singapore;
  • Wan Cheng (晚成) as Ngai (顏氏), Low Pak-tin (劉伯憩)’s wife, they have an only daughter Low Kit-yuk (劉潔玉);
  • Wee Mong-may (黃夢梅) as Low Kit-yuk (劉潔玉), she is Low Pak-tin (劉伯憩)’s daughter, she performed a provocative Malay dance with disheveled hair and naked elbows;
  • Tam Min-hing (譚民興) as native hooligan Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝), he is an English clerk of Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫)’s rubber firm;
  • I Chih (一癡) as Chao (甘趙氏) as Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝)’s mother;
  • Hong Siu-pak (康笑伯) as Hong Tsz-ming (康子明), he is the Chinese clerk of Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫)’s rubber firm;
  • Hsiao Chien (笑倩) as prostitute Yuk-kuen (玉娟), an abandoned sexual partner of Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝);
  • Fong Chee-tam (方之談) as Chao Ping (趙丙), a known hooligan who is also good friends with Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝);
  • Tan Chong-eng (陳崇榮) as an old farmer Chew Ah (周勤);
  • Chen Meng-ju (陳夢如) as a social butterfly Hua Ai-hung (華愛儂), she performed a swords dance with an ancient costume in the film;
  • Chew Chee-peng (周志平) as guest A.
  • Tiew Cheng-hwa (張清華) as guest B.

Synopsis[7]

Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強) is a poor orphan from the Republic of China who moves to Malaysia hoping for a better life. He stays at his rich uncle Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫)’s residence.

Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫) operated a "Sin Teik Seng (新德成) rubber firm" in Muar, Malaysia. His family is composed of his wife, Ngai (顏氏), eldest daughter Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) and a naughty son Tan Ping-fan (陳炳勳).

Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強) is appointed into the rubber firm as a trainee; his children like to play tricks on the innocent cousin Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強), because he doesn’t know Nanyang custom.

Meanwhile, the English clerk Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝), the antagonist, is making trouble. He wants to marry Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) for her family’s wealth. However, Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) prefers the newly arrived cousin Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強).

One day, Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝) finds Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) playing the piano in the sitting room, harmonizing with Sham Hwa-kueng's (沈華強) Chinese flute. Kim Fook-sing becomes angry because of this, and decides to play a trick on Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強), so he tries to force him to resign his post, and move to Singapore. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) realizes that Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝) is a playboy and hooligan, so she goes to Singapore, and studies in a girls high school with her local friend Low Kit-yuk (劉潔玉), and falls in love with the friend's cousin, Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強).

Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝) successfully persuades Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫) to let him marry Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞). Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) refuses her dad’s decision, and escapes into the jungle, where Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝) catches her with the help of his hooligan friend Chao Ping (趙丙). Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強) enters the jungle to save his love Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞), and fights a python and crocodile for her.

Eventually, Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強) uses Chinese Kung Fu to battle Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝) and Chao Ping (趙丙). They are defeated, and drive away in an attempt to escape but they end up falling off a cliff. Finally, Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) gets her wish, and marries her cousin Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強).

References
  1. Singapore "Nanyang Siang Pau (南洋商報)", 10 May 1927, Tuesday, page 3 (第三頁).
  2. Singapore "Nanyang Siang Pau (南洋商報)", 1 March 1927, Tuesday, page 21 (第廿一頁).
  3. Singapore "Nanyang Siang Pau (南洋商報)", 7 March 1927, Monday, page 3 (第三頁).
  4. Singapore "Nanyang Sin-Chew Lianhe Zaobao (南洋·星洲聯合早報)", 9 April 2017, Sunday, a Chinese article "90 years of local movie (本地電影90年)" by Professor Foo Tee Tuan (符詩專), Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).
  5. Taiwan "Republican Literature and Cultural Studies (民國文學與文化研究)", volume 3 (第三輯), December, page 218, ISBN 978-986-94071-4-4
  6. Nangaen Chearavanont "Movie Stories" (January, 2014), ISBN 978-988-15909-5-4, page 47.
  7. Nangaen Chearavanont "Film Stories (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canton, San Francisco.)" (April, 2013), ISBN 978-988-15909-4-7, page 33 to 34.
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