Ma-Xu Weibang

Ma-Xu Weibang (* 1905 in Zhejiang Province , † 1961 in Hong Kong ) was a Chinese film director.

Ma-Xu Weibang studied at the Shanghai Institute of Arts. In 1924 he left school and appeared in small roles as an actor for the Mingxing film company . He made his directorial debut in 1926, but his first commercial success was only ten years later with the romantic mystery thriller Ye ban ge sheng ( Song at Midnight , 1937), which is also considered the first Chinese horror film. He is set in a derelict theater where a man with an acid-eaten face lives - a variation on The Phantom of the Opera . Ma-Xu made a sequel to the film in 1941 , and a remake was made in 1995, directed by Ronny Yu, titled The Phantom Lover and starring Leslie Cheung .

Ma-Xu took advantage of the interest in this type of film and shot two more horror films in 1938 with Walking Corpse in Old House and The Lonely Soul . During the Japanese occupation of Shanghai he was involved in the production of the controversial pro-Japanese propaganda film Wan shi liu fang ( The Opium War , 1943), co-directed by Bu Wancang . After the war he went to Hong Kong and shot The Haunted House there in 1949 , which is considered by many film critics to be his best work. During the 1950s he worked for Hong Kong film . His filmography comprises a total of 33 titles.

Ma-Xu Weibang died in a traffic accident in Hong Kong in 1961.

Web links

• Ma-Xu Weibang in the Internet Movie Database (English)