Wutai Jiemei
1964 / 112m - China
Drama
1.5*/5.0*
Two Stage Sisters poster

Watches

April 04, 2021

1.5*/5.0*

A typical classic Chinese stage drama. Throughout the years this type of film has resurfaced several times in Hong Kong, generally helmed by respected directors. I'm not really a fan of the overdone drama, nor of the Chinese musical scenes that films like these tend to thrive on, and it seems Two Stage Sisters is one of the pivotal films in the genre.

Zhu is a poor, rural girl who is sold as a bride. She escapes and joins a theater group, where she meets Yuehong. The two become sworn sisters. When the troupe is disbanded they travel to Shanghai where they become lauded actresses. But then Yuehong marries Tang, a wealthy man and their friendship gets tested.

There are a handful of scenes that still manage to leave an impression, especially because of their bright visuals, but the drama is pretty predictable and the musical scenes were more than a little grating. Add to that the mediocre performances and you have a pretty poor film.