Little Toys (1933)

Original title

小玩意

Directed by

Sun Yu

Genre

drama film, silent film

Country

Republic of China

Runtime

1h 54m

Rating

7.3 of 10 from 11 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A village toy-maker named Sister Ye encourages her community to keep making traditional toys even as foreign factories and modern industry threaten their way of life. The film shows the struggle to hold onto local culture during a time of war and rapid change.

heartfeltnostalgicmelodramaticpatrioticurgentpoignantbleakdramatic

What happens

Playthings (Chinese: 小玩意; pinyin: Xiǎo wányì), also known as Little Toys or Small Toys, is a 1933 silent film directed by filmmaker Sun Yu. It is one of two films Sun Yu directed in 1933. (the other film being Daybreak). This film was released on October 10th, which is on the eve of National Day and before WWII. Sun Yu is also famously known for the films Wild Rose (1932) and Daybreak (1933). The film stars popular Chinese actress Ruan Lingyu, and was produced by the leftist film production company Lianhua Film Company. The film contains the elements of drama, melodrama, war, westernization, motherhood and sacrifice. The story follows a village toy-maker, Sister Ye, who urges a group of villagers to continue making traditional playthings despite immense competition from foreign toy factories. Synonymous to many other films made during the same time period, Playthings is a patriotic propaganda film that expresses skepticism towards China's rapid urbanization and industrialization. Having been made after Japan's invasion of China, Playthings is considered a Marxist war melodrama that contains strong nationalist sentiment while still reflecting Western influences. Today, the film is recognized as one of the best Chinese films of the 20th century. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

• Daybreak (1933)
• The Light of Maternal Instinct (1933)
• Night in the City (1933)
• The Big Road (1934)
• Spring Silkworms (1933)
• The Goddess (1934)
• Twin Sisters (1934)
• The Little Angel