The Lost Kingdom - Kung Yue Society
Year 1999, Film
Length: 98 min.
Screening
location
The Lost
Kingdom - Kung Yue Society tells the story of an once glorious
Koa-a-hi (Taiwanese Traditional Opera) troupe, Kung Yue
Society, of its ascending prominence during the1950s and '60s, of how Mr.
Tan, Teng-San, the owner of the troupe, changed Taiwan's drama and film history,
and how it declined into oblivion after society turned to more various
entertainment while the Taiwanese language itself was discriminated
against. Many of the nowadays-still-famous TV Koa-a-hi actresses were once
main characters of the Kung Yue Society before Taiwan's first TV
station.
This film was shown
in the San Diego International Film Festival in May, 1999, and was nominated in
the Best Documentary category in the 1999 Hawai'i International Film Festival,
as well as the1999 Taipei Golden Horse Award in Taiwan. Comments and a
photo by film critic Sidney Louie can be found here.
Ms. Hsiang-Hsiu Lee, the director and producer of this film,
graduated from Temple University with a master's degree in Film and Media
Arts. Her works have been acknowledged with several awards,
including three "Golden Grain Prizes" in Taiwan.
Location of
U. Penn Music Department
See Mandarin (big-5) intro and article for
further details.
More info about the film:
San Diego International Film
Festival
Taipei Golden Horse
International Film Festival
Taiwanese Collegian speech
tour series
