Fei Mu facts for kids

Fei Mu (born October 10, 1906 – died January 31, 1951) was a famous Chinese film director. He made movies before the Communist Party took power in China. His film Spring in a Small Town (1948) was called the greatest Chinese film ever made by film experts in Hong Kong.

Who Was Fei Mu?

Fei Mu's family came from Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu Province in China. He was born in Shanghai, China, in 1906. Before he became a director, he worked as an assistant to Hou Yao, an important early filmmaker.

His Early Life and First Films

Fei Mu was known for his unique artistic style and for making historical dramas. He made his first film, Night in the City (1933), when he was only 27 years old. This movie was made by the Lianhua Film Company. It was very popular and praised by film critics, but sadly, the film is now lost.

Becoming a Famous Director

Fei Mu continued to make films with Lianhua throughout the 1930s. He became a major talent in the movie industry. Some of his films from this time include Blood on Wolf Mountain (1936). This movie is often seen as a hidden message about the war with Japan. He also directed Song of China (1935), which celebrated old Chinese traditions. This film was even shown a little bit in the United States.

His Most Famous Work and Later Years

Fei Mu's reputation as one of China's best directors was cemented with Spring in a Small Town (1948). This film tells the story of a love triangle in China after a big war. It was so good that director Wong Kar-wai called Fei Mu the only "film poet" he knew in China. In 2005, Spring in a Small Town was officially named the greatest Chinese film ever by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society.

Fei Mu also directed China's first color film, A Wedding in the Dream (1948). This movie included parts of traditional Beijing Opera and starred the famous opera performer Mei Lanfang. After the Communist revolution in 1949, Fei Mu and many other artists moved to Hong Kong. There, he started a film company called Longma Film Company with Zhu Shilin and Fei Luyi. They produced Zhu Shilin's film The Flower Girl (1951).

Fei Mu passed away from a heart attack in Hong Kong in 1951. After his death, his work was forgotten for a while. Many of his films were ignored in mainland China. It wasn't until the 1980s, when the China Film Archive reopened, that people rediscovered Fei Mu's amazing movies. A new copy of Spring in a Small Town was made from the original film, allowing new audiences to enjoy his masterpiece.

Fei Mu's Films

Fei Mu worked on many films as a director, screenwriter, and producer.

As a Director

As a Screenwriter

As a Producer

See Also

In Spanish: Fei Mu para niños

• Lianhua Film Company