Don't listen to the negative reviews

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

This early Chinese silent was based on a classic Chinese literature. What I understand is those Chinese classic novels are usually extremely long, so I was curious about if the running time of approximately 45 minutes will encompass the whole story. After seeing it and did some reading on the web, I realized that the movie did amazingly told a bare bone of the entire story.The setup was about a scholar, in ancient China, on his way to the Imperial city to take his exam and took a stop at a temple. There he found a beautiful girl also visiting and staying there with her mother and her maid. Of course, he and the girl felt in love. However, there was a gang leader who also wanted the girl. So the story was if the scholar was able to get the girl and how.The story seemed simple, but I thought the presentation was effective. The acting was very theatrical which was necessary for the silence. The only problem was the battle scene was just flashing and swiping of blade among of groups people in fast motion, which was nothing epic about that. I guess it was okay since this wasn't an action film. Overall, the movie was a worthy primer to this classic literature.

This silent movie was my first silent movie and I was fortunate enough to see it in a classical movie theater accompanied by live classic music (Debussy). The movie was played during the China - Amsterdam festival in Amsterdam. I really liked the story and the way it was played. The facial expressions are obvious and humorous (and you don't need 'sub'titles). There are some 'special effects' in the movie which I really enjoyed. I didn't know they could perform such effects in 1927. For me it was a great way to experience Chinese cinema and see a silent movie. Add the classical music and you have a super experience. Great movie, so if you got a chance: go see it.

This film has survived thanks to a foreign print, with French intertitles. Made for foreign export, it is nevertheless one of the most traditionally Chinese of the silent films still available. It is based on a popular drama by the same name, 'Romance of the Western Chamber'. Set during the Tang dynasty, it is a typical tale of love across class boundaries, a poor scholar and a wealthy woman.There is a lot to commend in this film: The temple where most of the action takes place is a lovely building, and the costumes and interiors of the temple are also detailed and quite fascinating. There are also nice touches of humour, and also some impressive action sequences consisting of both duels and battles, though without the excesses of martial arts films. The actors do well, though the scholar-hero does wear some unusual (and less-than-flattering) facial expressions at times.No time is wasted in the telling of the tale, for it flies past in less than 45 minutes, and although the film could have benefited from being presented at a slower film speed (which with silent films is quite variable), I doubt this would have lengthened it greatly (some sites list it at 49 min, which would probably be its length if played at a slower speed). The print I viewed is quite clean and clear, even in interior shots, which is another plus. I enjoyed this film immensely and heartily recommend it. HERE FOLLOWS A PLOT SUMMARY WITH SPOILERSThe story, in greater detail for the benefit of non-French readers, is one of a poor scholar (Zhang Junrui), who, on his way to the capital for the imperial examinations, sees and falls in love with Yingying, the daughter of the late prime minister, for whom she has come to offer incense. He contrives to offer incense for his own parents so as to meet Yingying. Their meeting is restrained by etiquette, though it seems she may fancy him. Yingying's maid Hongniang does, however, begin to help then exchange love letters and poems, and then meet secretly in the western chamberFurther developments are soon curtailed by Sun Feihu, a brigand chief who has heard of Yingying's beauty and her wealth and besieges the temple with his followers. In temple, Yingying's mother offers her daughter in marriage to anyone that can drive away the brigands. Zhang, by means of a brave monk, has a message delivered to his friend, an army general, who immediately comes to the rescue and vanquishes the brigands.Yingying's mother offer a large sum of money in thanks to Zhang, but not her daughter's hand. Zhang is disappointed and while trying to study falls asleep. Suddenly the brigand Sun comes in and, in spite of Zhang's efforts carries Yingying away. Zhang's brush magically swells in size, and Zhang rides it after Sun, uses it as a spear against the bandit, and rescues Yingying. He embraces her eagerly, but he wakes to discover she is only his servant boy and he has been dreaming.Hongniang, Yingying's maid continues to help the two in their amorous affairs. After Yingying's mother discovers her daughter's true feelings, she reluctantly gives her consent to their marriage on condition that Zhang passes the imperial exams with high honours. Zhang leaves for the capital, and comes back, a successful graduate, to finally receive his beloved.

This movie is based on the famous ancient Chinese play written several hundred years ago, and the film crew did an excellent job of keeping the originality of the original work. It is rather sad that there is not a sounded version of this famous ancient play, but the silent version was good enough for its time: Remember, the era of 1920's China is dominated by martial arts flicks that guaranteed the box office success, and most non-martial arts flicks at the time met miserable failure in the box office. The film crew took a very huge risk in venturing into something that is not mainstream of the time, and surprisingly, they succeeded, this romance was a box office success, just like the martial arts flicks.