The Legend of the White Serpent (1956)

Original title

白夫人の妖恋

Directed by

Shirō Toyoda

Genre

fantasy film

Country

Hong Kong, Japan

Runtime

1h 43m

Rating

6.1 of 10 from 8 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A medicine shop apprentice in Song-dynasty China falls for a mysterious woman with supernatural powers. Their romance draws conflict from villagers, a Taoist monk, and a moneylender.

romanticmysteriousmagicalmelodramaticslow-pacedmorally complexvisually ornatefolkloric

What happens

The Legend of the White Serpent (Japanese: 白夫人の妖恋, Hepburn: Byaku fujin no yōren; lit. 'The Love of Madame White') is a 1956 Japanese romantic fantasy film directed by Shirō Toyoda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Adapted from the Chinese fairy tale Pai-she Chuan and the stories Story of a White Snake and White Woman's Magic by Fusao Hayashi, it stars Ryō Ikebe as Xu Xian, Shirley Yamaguchi as Bai-niang, and Kaoru Yachigusa as Xiao-qing. Set during the Song dynasty, the film follows Xu Xian, a young medicine shop apprentice, who becomes involved with Bai-niang, a mysterious woman with supernatural abilities. Their relationship leads to magical and moral conflicts involving villagers, a Taoist monk, and a local moneylender. The film was released in Japan in 1956 and in the United States in 1965 as Madame White Snake. It won awards for cinematography and received international recognition at the Berlin International Film Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• The Enchanting Shadow (1960)
• A Chinese Tall Story (2005)
• House of Flying Daggers (2004)
• In the Mood for Love (2000)
• Ugetsu (1953)
• A Touch of Zen (1971)
• Golden Lotus (1956)
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)