Lu Hsiao-fen (Chinese: 陸小芬) is a Taiwanese actress known for her roles in the woman's revenge subgenre within Taiwanese social-realist cinema (also called Taiwan Black Movies or Taiwan Pulp).[1][2] In the later years of her career, she was critically acclaimed as an actress in adaptations of Taiwan nativist novels, most prominently A Flower in the Raining Night (Chinese: 看海的日子, 1983).
Lu Hsiao-fen | |
|---|---|
| 陸小芬 | |
| Born | 9 October 1956 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1981–present |
Early life
editLu Hsiao-Fen was born in 1956 and her given name was Chang Shu-Fen (Chinese: 張淑芬).[3] She was born and lived in Jiufen until she graduated from elementary school.[4] After graduating from vocational school, she attended singing school and performed as a singer on television and at night clubs.[3] She also participated in a singing contest held by Chinese Television System (Chinese: 華視) and Hai Shan Record (Chinese: 海山唱片) and won first place.[4] In 1980, Lu Hsiao-Fen was cast by Wang Chu-Chin to star in On the Society File of Shanghai (Chinese: 上海社會檔案, 1981), which gave her overnight stardom.[citation needed]
Career
editLu Hsiao-Fen's debut in film was On the Society File of Shanghai (Chinese: 上海社會檔案, 1981), directed by Wang Chu-Chin. The film was an adaptation from the Chinese Scar Literature (Chinese: 傷痕文學). In the film, Lu Hsiao-Fen portrays a rape victim of a high-ranking official and his son. In an interrogation scene, Lu Hsiao-Fen briefly opens her shirt, revealing her breasts for about five frames on the screen.[5][needs context] Another shocking scene in the film is when Lu Hsiao-Fen cuts across her chest with a knife. The film became sensational because of these visually stimulating scenes.[5] After the success of On the Society File of Shanghai, Lu Hsiao-Fen became a signed actress of the Yung Sheng Film Company, starring in over 10 films with them.[6]
Lu Hsiao-Fen’s performance in On the Society File of Shanghai also led to the production of similar films, such as Woman Revenger (1981), Queen Bee (1981), and The Lady Avenger (1981).[7] These films became a popular subgenre of Taiwan’s Social-Realist Films and were called Woman’s Revenge Films (Chinese: 女性復仇片)[8] and later Taiwan Black Movies.[9] The most famous female stars of the Woman's Revenge Films were Lu Hsiao-Fen, Lu Yi-Chan (Chinese: 陸一嬋), Lu Yi-Feng (Chinese: 陸儀鳳), and Yang Hui-Shan (Chinese: 楊惠姍), and they were called “Three Lu and One Yang” (三陸一楊).[8]
In 1983, Lu Hsiao-Fen starred in A Flower in the Raining Night (Chinese: 看海的日子, 1983), an adaptation from the short story of Taiwanese Nativist writer Hwang Chun-Ming (Chinese: 黃春明). In the film, Lu Hsiao-Fen portrays a prostitute, Pai-Mei (白玫), who decides to change her destiny and celebrate life by returning to the farming life in the rural area and gives birth to a son. Lu Hsiao-Fen won Best Actress Award of the Golden Horse Award with her performance in A Flower in the Raining Night and transitioned from a sexy film star to a critically acclaimed actress.[10] After the film, Lu Hsiao-Fen starred in many adaptations from Taiwanese Nativist literature, such as Oxcart Filled with Dowry (Chinese: 嫁妝一牛車, 1984), The First Stitch (Chinese: 在室男, 1984), and The Scalper (Chinese: 母牛一條,1986).
In 1988, Lu Hsiao-Fen starred in Osmanthus Alley (Chinese: 桂花巷, 1988), directed by Chen Kun-Hou (Chinese: 陳坤厚). The film is adapted from the novel of the same title by Hsiao Li-Hung (Chinese: 蕭麗紅), an important Taiwanese female writer in the 1970s. In 1989, she starred in Richard Chen Yao-Chi (Chinese: 陳耀圻)’s Spring Swallow (Chinese: 晚春情事, 1989). She won at the Best Actress Award in the Asia-Pacific Film Festival in her performances in both films.
In the 1990s, Lu Hsiao-Fen studied performance in the U.S. and gradually faded out from the silver screen. She still appeared in some Taiwanese-language TV dramas, such as Jin zhi yu ye (金枝玉葉, 2021). In 2003 and 2007, she published two books about practicing Yoga, Lu Hsiao-Fen’s Zen of Life (陸小芬生活禪, 2003) and Zen of Aroma and Happiness (芳香樂活禪, 2007).
In 2023, Lu Hsiao-Fen returned to film acting after 20 years as the lead in Day Off (Chinese: 本日公休, 2023), directed by Fu Tien-Yu (Chinese: 傅天余).[11][12]
Personal life
editIn 2005, Lu Hsiao-Fen married Chen Jun-Yuan (Chinese: 陳俊源), a former Taipei City council member.[13] She is a devoted Buddhist and a practitioner of yoga and aromatherapy.[14]
Filmography
editFilm
edit- 1981 On the Society File of Shanghai (Chinese: 上海社會檔案)
- 1981 The Lady Avenger (Chinese: 瘋狂女煞星)
- 1982 The Pink Thief (Chinese: 女賊)
- 1982 The Sexy Lady Driver (Chinese: 糊塗女司機)
- 1982 Exposed to Danger (Chinese: 冷眼殺機)
- 1982 Kill For Love (Chinese: 癡情奇女子)
- 1982 The Anger (Chinese: 失節)
- 1982 Crazy Youth (Chinese: 瘋狂年輕人)
- 1983 Crisis (Chinese: 黑玫瑰)
- 1983 Temptation (Chinese: 誘惑)
- 1983 Women Warriors of Kinmen (Chinese: 金門女兵)
- 1983 A Flower in the Raining Night (Chinese: 看海的日子)
- 1984 Oxcart Filled with Dowry (Chinese: 嫁妝一牛車)
- 1984 The first Stitch (Chinese: 在室男)
- 1985 Wu Nu (Chinese: 舞女)
- 1985 The Pawned Wife (Chinese: 典妻)
- 1985 Love, Lone Flower (Chinese: 孤戀花)
- 1986 Rosa (Chinese: 神勇雙響炮續集)
- 1986 Drifters (Chinese:流浪少年路)
- 1986 The Scalper (Chinese: 母牛一條)
- 1986 Secondhand Goods (Chinese: 二手貨)
- 1986 Lao Hu Lai Liao (Chinese: 老虎來了)
- 1986 Echo of Sea (Chinese: 海潮的故事)
- 1988 Osmanthus Alley (Chinese: 桂花巷)
- 1989 The Digger- For Whom the Suona Blows (Chinese: 陰間響馬吹鼓吹)
- 1989 Spring Swallow (Chinese: 晚春情事)
- 1989 Boss Noballs (Chinese: 沒卵頭家)
- 1990 Song of the Exile (Chinese: 客途秋恨)
- 1990 A Woman and Seven Husbands (Chinese: 販母案考)
- 1993 18 (Chinese: 十八)
- 1999 Top Gear (Chinese: 小卒戰將)
- 2023 Day Off (Chinese: 本日公休)
Television Drama
edit- 1999 Fu gui zai tian (Chinese: 富貴在天), Formosa Television
- 2000 Da jiao a ma (Chinese: 大腳阿媽), Formosa Television
- 2001 Jin zhi yu ye (Chinese: 金枝玉葉), Formosa Television
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 20th Golden Horse Awards | Best Leading Actress | A Flower in the Raining Night | Won | [15] |
| 1993 | 30th Golden Horse Awards | 18 | Nominated | [16] | |
| 2023 | 60th Golden Horse Awards | Day Off | Nominated | [17] |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | 33th Asia-Pacific Film Festival | Best Actress | Osmanthus Alley | Won | [18] |
| 1988 | 34th Asia-Pacific Film Festival | Spring Swallow | Won |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 18th Osaka Asian Film Festival | Yakushi Pearl Award for Best Performance | Day Off | Won | [19][20] |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 25th Taipei Film Festival | Best Actress | Day Off | Won | [16] |
References
edit- ^ Cho, Ting-Wu. "Taiwan Pulp! The Emergence and Consumption of Taiwan Exploitation Film in the Trans-Asian Cultural Cold War (1970s-1980s)". ProQuest. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ "Taiwan Black Movies". Subway Cinema. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ a b 國家電影及視聽文化中心. "陸小芬". Retrieved 2023-05-05.
- ^ a b 田, 古 (1982-12-26). "脫與不脫陸小芬的抉擇". Ttv電視周刊 (1055): 85–103.
- ^ a b 蔡, 登山 (2013). 電影問題・問題電影：性・暴力・電檢. 台北: 秀威. p. 23.
- ^ 侯季然，台灣黑電影（2005）
- ^ 林, 妏霜 (2017). "【20世紀台灣文學故事1981】傷痕有傷痕的允許". 人間福報. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
- ^ a b 卓, 庭伍 (2020). "教壞臺灣電影：臺灣黑電影". 國影本事 (10).
- ^ Elley, Derek (2005-11-15). "Taiwan Black Movies". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ 卓, 庭伍 (2023). "女性復仇與母性回歸". 電影欣賞 (194): 35–36.
- ^ Wilmot, Tom (2023-03-15). "Film Review: Day Off (2023) by Fu Tien-Yu". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ "Lu Hsiao-fen wins award in Osaka for film 'Day Off'". Taipei Times. 2023-03-22. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ 陳珈螢 盧宏昌 (2005). "演藝圈再傳喜訊 陸小芬低調結婚". TVBS新聞網. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ 張, 孟瑞 (2007). "復仇女變身芳療師——亞太影后陸小芬". 台灣光華雜誌. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
- ^ Tsai, Ventine (July 1992). "Lu Hsiao-fen Returns from Study Abroad". Taiwan Panorama. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ a b "金馬影后陸小芬重出江湖 《本日公休》「演完我都內傷，三天不能動彈」" [Golden Horse Best Actress Lu Xiaofen makes her comeback in "Public Holiday Today" "I was internally injured after the performance and couldn't move for three days."]. Tianxia Magazine (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2023-03-23. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Nominees & Winners - 台北金馬影展 Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival 2023". Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "她是台灣女性的縮影！6件事認識影后陸小芬，息影20年後強勢復出，問鼎金馬60最佳女主角" [She is the epitome of Taiwanese women! 6 things to know about actress Lu Xiaofen, who made a strong comeback after 20 years of retirement and nominated the 60th Golden Horse Best Actress]. Marie Claire Taiwan (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 24 November 2023. Archived from the original on 26 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "Osaka Asian Film Festival 2023: The list of award winners". www.oaff.jp. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ^ "Taiwanese actress Lu Hsiao-fen wins Yakushi Pearl Award at Osaka film Festival". Focus Taiwan - CNA English News. 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
External links
editLu Hsiao-Fen in Hong Kong Movie Database