The Goddess (1934)
In 1934, writer-director Wu Yonggang’s silent film Shénnǚ (The Goddess) was released in China. Critically praised and popular among audiences, it was and remains an exemplar of China’s cinematic golden age. Exploring and building upon the beauty of the film, Asheville-based musician-composer Min Xiao-Fen has released White Lotus, an original score for The Goddess.
Years after its release, Wu Yonggang’s film was effectively written out of Chinese history. Subsequent generations would barely know of its existence, much less find any opportunity to see the film: Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution did not look favorably upon a film with a prostitute as its lead character. So Min Xiao-Fen grew up completely unaware of The Goddess.
After Min Xiao-Fen settled in the U.S., she made a point of expanding her knowledge and understanding of popular culture. In addition to working with artists across multiple disciplines and genres – including Chen Yi, Carl Stone, John Zorn and Björk – she discovered the work of Buck Clayton. A jazz trumpeter with Count Basie’s Orchestra, Clayton was responsible for introducing Kansas City swing to 1930s Shanghai.
And it was her exploration of that era that led to Min Xiao-Fen’s belated discovery of The Goddess.
“With a film,” Min explains, “you can’t play whole pieces.” Some scenes are very short; others are longer. She mentions a key scene in The Goddess, one featuring the unnamed protagonist and the gangster. “She grabs a bottle. And the moment she hits the guy’s head, I decided: silence. Just let the action speak.” Several seconds go by. When the man falls to the ground, dead, the music starts again. “You can’t do that on an album, right?” Min says with a laugh.
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