View source for The Legend of the White Serpent (film)

{{moresources|date=November 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Legend of the White Serpent
| image          = The Legend of the White Serpent.jpg
| alt            =
| caption        =
| native_name    = <!-- {{Infobox name module|language|title}} or {{Infobox name module|title}} -->
| director       = [[Shiro Toyoda]]
| producer       = {{plainlist|*[[Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
* [[Run Run Shaw]]{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}}}}
| screenplay     = Toshio Yasumi{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}}
| story          =
| starring       = {{plainlist|*[[Ryō Ikebe]]
* [[Kaoru Yachigusa]]
* Yoshuko Yamaguchi
* Nijiko Kiyokawa}}
| music          = [[Ikuma Dan]]{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}}
| cinematography = [[Mitsuo Miura]]{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}}
| editing        =
| production_companies = {{plainlist|*[[Toho]]
* [[Shaw Brothers]]{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}}}}
| distributor    = Toho (Japan)<br>Shaw Brothers (Hong Kong)
| released       = {{Film date|df=yes|1956|6|22|Japan|1957|||Hong Kong}}
| runtime        = 102 minutes{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}}
| country        = {{plainlist|*Japan
* Hong Kong{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}}}}
| language       = Japanese<br>Mandarin<br>Cantonese
| budget         =
| gross          =
}}
{{nihongo|'''''The Legend of the White Serpent'''''|白夫人の妖恋|Byaku fujin no yōren|{{Lit.|''The Love of Madame White''}}}} is a 1956 [[Romance film|romantic]] [[fantasy film]] directed by [[Shirō Toyoda]], with special effects by [[Eiji Tsuburaya]].{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}} The film is based on the Chinese fairy tale ''[[Pai-she Chuan]]'' and the stories ''[[Story of a White Snake]]'' and ''[[White Woman's Magic]]'' by [[Fusao Hayashi]].{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}}
== Plot ==
{{Long plot|date=June 2017}}
Xu Xian was a poor young man living by West Lake. One rainy day, he got drenched because he didn't bring an umbrella. Bai Niangzi lent him her umbrella and later proposed to him. Xu Xian received two packets of silver coins as wedding preparation money. When he opened them, he found that the silver was stolen goods. After being accused of a crime, Xu Xian was flogged and sent to prison in Suzhou. Fortunately, his brother-in-law spent money to spare Xu Xian from imprisonment. Xu Xian worked at an inn in Suzhou, and Bai Niangzi followed him to Suzhou to express her true feelings and seek Xu Xian's forgiveness. Later, the two lived happily together.
One day, a Taoist priest from Maoshan warned Xu Xian that he had been bewitched by a demon, and his wife was the White Snake spirit. Bai Niangzi punished the Taoist priest. Later, she revealed her true form after drinking realgar wine on the Dragon Boat Festival, which scared Xu Xian to death. Bai Niangzi obtained the elixir of life, but Xu Xian, due to the Taoist priest's instigation, did not trust Bai Niangzi and fled to Fahai for refuge. Bai Niangzi and Xiaoqing used their magic to flood Jinshan Temple. Bai Niangzi was exhausted. In the end, Xu Xian suddenly realized the truth and committed suicide, reuniting with Bai Niangzi in heaven.
== Cast ==
* [[Ryō Ikebe]] as [[Xu Xian]], the young man
* [[Yoshiko Yamaguchi|Shirley Yamaguchi]] as [[Bai Suzhen|Bai Niang]] (Madame White Snake)
* [[Kaoru Yachigusa]] as [[Xiaoqing (character)|Xiao-Qing]]. Bai-niang's servant, a green snake
* [[Musei Tokugawa]] as the selfish Taoist monk
* [[Kichijiro Ueda]] as Wang Ming, the moneylender
* [[Nijiko Kiyokawa]]
* [[Haruo Tanaka]]
* [[Eijirō Tōno]]
* [[Yoshio Kosugi]] as leader of the guard
* [[Akira Tani]]
* [[Ikio Sawamura]] as a guardsman
* [[Bokuzen Hidari]]
==Release==
''The Legend of the White Serpent'' was distributed theatrically in Japan as '''''Byaku fujin no yoren''''', where it received a [[roadshow theatrical release]] on 22 June 1956.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}} The film was released in Hong Kong as '''''Pai-she Chuan''''' in 1956.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}} The film was released in the United States as '''''Madame White Snake''''' by Toho International with English language subtitles in 1965.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}}
==Reception==
[[Mitsuo Miura]] won the award for Best Cinematography at the [[Mainichi Film Concours]] for the work done in ''The Legend of the White Serpent'' and ''Shozo, a Cat, and Two Women''.{{sfn|Galbraith IV|2008|p=122}} At the [[6th Berlin International Film Festival]], it won the Honourable Mention (Colour) award.<ref name="Berlinale 1956">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1956/03_preistr_ger_1956/03_Preistraeger_1956.html |title=6th Berlin International Film Festival: Prize Winners |access-date=2009-12-26 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[List of media adaptations of the Legend of the White Snake]]
* ''[[The White Snake Enchantress (film)|The White Snake Enchantress]]'', a 1958 [[anime]] film
== References ==
===Footnotes===
{{reflist}}
===Sources===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Galbraith IV |first=Stuart |title=The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography |publisher=Scarecrow Press |date=2008 |isbn=978-1461673743 |authorlink=Stuart Galbraith IV}}
{{Refend}}
== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|id=0051439|title=The Legend of the White Serpent}}
{{Eiji Tsuburaya}}
{{Legend of the White Snake}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Legend Of The White Serpent, The}}
[[Category:1950s fantasy films]]
[[Category:1956 films]]
[[Category:Films based on the Legend of the White Snake]]
[[Category:Films directed by Shirō Toyoda]]
[[Category:Films produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka]]
[[Category:Hong Kong romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:Shaw Brothers Studio films]]
[[Category:Toho films]]
[[Category:Japanese romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Ikuma Dan]]