The Cave of the Silken Web (1927 film)

The Cave of the Silken Web (traditional Chinese: 盤絲洞; simplified Chinese: 盘丝洞; pinyin: Pan Si Dong) a.k.a. Journey to the West - the Spiders Cave (西遊記-盤絲洞; 西游记-盘丝洞) a.k.a. Spiders is a 1927 Chinese film directed by Dan Duyu and starring Yin Mingzhu as the first spider spirit.[1] It is based on an episode of the shenmo fantasy novel Journey to the West, a Chinese literary classic written in the Ming Dynasty.

The Cave of the Silken Web
Directed byDan Duyu
Screenplay byGuan Ji'an[1]
Based onJourney to the West
by Wu Cheng'en
StarringYin Mingzhu
CinematographyDan Ganting[1]
Release date
  • 2 February 1927 (1927-02-02)
Running time
60 min[2]
CountryRepublic of China
LanguageSilent (Chinese intertitles)
Full film
Still from The Cave of the Silken Web (1927)
Still from The Cave of the Silken Web (1927)

The ten-reel silent film was produced by Shanghai Yingxi Company.[1]

It was thought to be a lost film until 2011, when an original copy of The Cave of the Silken Web was discovered in the archives of the National Library in Mo i Rana, Norway.[3][4][5] The film was presented at the 2013 Films from the South festival in Oslo.[2] Roughly three-quarters of the film is preserved, the first reel and a section in the middle is lost.[citation needed] The Norwegian copy has retained the original Chinese intertitles, but includes additional jokes in Norwegian written for the local audience.

Cast

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Sequel

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The film was followed by a sequel in 1930 titled The Cave of the Silken Web II (續盤絲洞; 续盘丝洞; Xu Pan Si Dong), a.k.a. Spiders II, also directed by Dan Duyu and starring Yin Mingzhu.[6] The sequel is believed to be a lost film.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "The Cave of the Silken Web (1927)". A Journal of Chinese Film History. The Chinese Mirror. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  2. ^ a b "The Cave of the Silken Web - Film fra Sør". web page. Films from the South 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  3. ^ Anders Grønneberg (13 October 2013). "Sensasjonell filmskatt funnet i Norge". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  4. ^ Lyndsey Smith (7 October 2013). "Lost Chinese film found in Norway". Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  5. ^ "The Cave of the Silken Web". Getty Conservation Institute. 24 August 2016.
  6. ^ "《The Cave of the Silken Web II》(1930)". A Journal of Chinese Film History. The Chinese Mirror. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  7. ^ "Yin Mingzhu (Pearl Ing): "Miss FF"". A Journal of Chinese Film History. The Chinese Mirror. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
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