Song At Midnight (1937 film)

Song At Midnight
Year	1937
Also known as	The Midnight song, The Song at midnight, Singing voice at midnight, Singing voice in midnight

The 1937 film "Song at Midnight" or "Ye Bange Ge Shang" is a unique Chinese take on The Phantom of the Opera. It tells the tale of a disfigured actor called Song Danping.

Plot

The film tells the tale of Song Danping.

Song was a famous opera singer who fell in love with a young woman Li Xiaoxia who was the daughter of a powerful man called Wan-Yin. Wan-Yin did not like Song and to stop his daughter from marrying him, he disfigured his face with acid. They got a doctor to see to his face wounds, but the doctor could do nothing to help him.

When Song's bandages were removed, he was so shocked at his appearance that he told them to tell Li Xiaoxia that he had died.

Song sees his disfigured face for the first time.

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Li Xiaoxia did not take the news well and nearly went mad with grief.

Song hid in the opera house were he taught a young male singer called Sung how to sing. Sung believes Song's voice to be that of a ghost. Song appeared to him in a cloak with a hood that covers his face. He told Sung about his dark past and says that every night at midnight he sings to Li Xiaoxia as a comfort (hence the title "Song at Midnight"), but he never reveals himself to her.

Song further states that, in return for teaching Sung how to sing, he must pretend to be Song come back from the dead. Li Xiaoxia believes that Sung is actually song back from the dead and is overjoyed at his "reappearance". Song watches the two and is overjoyed himself that his lover is happy again . Wan-Yin, the evil man who ruined Song's life and face, tried to rape a young chorus girl, but Song jumped in and surprised him. Song shows him his ruined face and explains who he is and how much he has waited for this moment. He had a jar of acid in his hand and he threw it Wan-Yin, but in a moment of rage he misses and they both start to fight each other. Wan-Yin gets thrown from a window. A large enraged mob goes after Song, chasing him to an old building and setting it on fire. Song escapes by jumping into the sea which is behind the building.

The film ends with Li Xiaoxia and Sung standing beside each other.

Reputation

Today the film is well regarded, and was named as one of the best 100 Chinese films by both the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2005, and by Asia Weekly in 1999.

DVD Release

As part of their Chinese film retrospective, Cinema Epoch released Song at Midnight on Region 0 DVD on May 8, 2007. The DVD includes subtitles in English.

An earlier DVD edition by the Guangzhou Beauty Culture Communication Co. Ltd was released on December 1, 2006 in the United States.

Remakes and Sequels

Song At Midnight has been remade many times.

A sequel to the original film was released in 1941: Song At Midnight 2

A Two part remake in 1962 and 1963 followed that: The Midnightmare Series

Another Remake after that: Song At Midnight (1985 film)

The most famous remake then was made: The Phantom Lover (1995 film)

A TV soap opera version: Song At Midnight (2005 TV series)

A cartoon featuring the soundtrack and voices from the original movie: Song At Midnight (2007)