2020 CTS Film Week: "Six Suspects" (六個嫌疑犯) Film Screening, Introduced by Professor Chris Berry (KCL)

Professor Chris Berry (KCL)

Date: 11 February 2020Time: 6:00 PM

Finishes: 11 February 2020Time: 9:00 PM

Venue: Senate House Room: SALT

Type of Event: Film Screening

2K Restoration

1965∣108min∣ B&W∣ Narrative Feature∣ Taiwanese

2018 Woman Make Waves Film Festival, Taiwan

Synopsis

TENN Kong-Hui is a private detective who uses people’s shady pasts to blackmail them. Tai-Giok is a secretary to a steel company’s chairman, and a dangerous character. When she and Kong-Hui break up, he begins collecting evidence against her, and in the process unearths the dirty secrets of the people associated with her. One day, Kong-Hui is found dead in his apartment. There are five suspects but all of them have alibis. Just when the police seem to have hit a dead end, a sixth suspect emerges….

After the success of May 13th, Night of Sorrow (1965), LIN Tuan-Chiu adapted a Japanese film into this gripping detective mystery of love affairs, greed and murder. However, LIN was not satisfied with the finished film, so it never received a theatrical release. But its’ complicated relationships in a modern society, and its riveting plot twists, still resonate today. All aspects from the characters, performances, costume and makeup to production design is well-executed, and the elaborate interior sets, expressionistic lighting and smooth jazz soundtrack turn 1960’s Taipei into an exciting, bourgeois metropolis.

Director Biography: LIN Tuan-Chiu

Born in 1920 to a wealthy coal-mining family, LIN studied in Japan. He became a playwright, active in Taiwan’s New Drama Movement, and a writer-director for Taiwanese-language films. After working at the Toho Company in Japan, he became one of the first Taiwanese filmmakers with hands-on studio experience. In 1958, LIN established Yufeng Pictures and Hushan Film Studio. His films are well known for their detailed psychological portraits, especially the portrayals of female characters. Using compelling stories, diverse camera movements and carefully-designed composition, LIN shot many classics, notably The Husband’s Secret (1960), May 13th, Night of Sorrow (1965) and Six Suspects (1965).

This screening is part of 'Taiyupian: Taiwan's Lost Commercial Cinema'

Did you know regular filmmaking on Taiwan only started in the 1950s? With a Taiwanese-language film industry? 1,000-plus Taiwanese-language features were made up to the 1970s. But the budgets were miniscule, the companies short-lived, and there was no archive. They were quickly forgotten, and only 200-plus survive. Now, Taiwan’s lost commercial cinema is being recovered and restored by the Taiwan Film Institute. Our 2020 edition follows the successful 2017 edition to bring 7 scholars together for a symposium at King’s College London on 8 February 2020, launching a screening tour of 7 newly restored and subtitled dramatic films and 4 contemporary short films.

This event and tour are a collaboration between the Cultural Divsision of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, Taiwan Film Institute, and Kings College London. For more information, visit Taiyupian.uk