Daybreak (1933 film)

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Daybreak (Chinese: 天明; pinyin: Tianming) is a 1933 Chinese silent film, directed by Sun Yu.^[1] It was released by the Lianhua Film Company (United Photoplay Studio). The film follows Lingling, a young country girl from a rural fishing village,  as she moves to the glittering city of Shanghai with her boyfriend Zhang. As Zhang drifts into revolutionary circles, Lingling falls into an unfortunate path. Sold to a corrupt boss who intoxicates and rapes her by her own sister, Lingling is forced into prostitution before eventually becoming a martyr for the oncoming revolution.

The film was stars Li Lili, one of the biggest silent film stars of the period. It was a star vehicle for Li Lili in the early stages of her career, and the seventh film of director Sun Yu, who was the best-known auteur of Shanghai cinema during the 1920s.

The film was also created in commemoration and celebration of the KMT Party's successful completion in the Northern Expedition. Director Sun Yu's films were intended for nationalist propaganda and presents a narrative of redemption as a soft film - the concept where cinema is created as a form of entertainment and a means of aesthetic presentation above all else. The narrative openness encourages and allows for cinematic audiences to develop their own political interpretations and, in this film, for 'left wing' or 'pro-CCP' messages to emerge from its mise en abyme.

The film begins in a tranquil rural fishing village where a young, innocent girl named Lingling (played by Li Lili) lives. She is depicted as a cheerful, lively girl, symbolizing the purity and simplicity of rural life.

Lingling's rural fishing village is devastated by war, prompting her to move to the bustling city of Shanghai in search of a better life. Upon arriving in Shanghai, Lingling is mesmerized by the city's lights, especially those on the Bund. She eventually secures a job working at a factory, which brings a brief period of stability and hope into her journey/life.

Betrayed by her sister, Lingling's life is turned upside down when she is sold to a corrupt boss who drugs and rapes her. Subsequently, Lingling is sold to a brothel, marking the beginning of her tragic descent.

Ironically, it is her role as a prostitute that allows her to climb into a higher social class, becoming a high-class sex worker. In this role, Lingling begins to accumulate wealth and social status, which she hopes to use to help others, including her former factory friends and those less fortunate.

Lingling seizes the opportunity to help her former lover, Zhang, by providing protection and shelter during the turmoil and hiding him from the warlord's investigators. As a result, Lingling is framed as a revolutionary and sentenced to death. Despite her dire circumstances, Lingling's spirit remains unbroken. Her actions demonstrate her enduring compassion and courage.

The executioner, Luo Peng, explains that executing Lingling would only make her a martyr for the people and fuel their revolutionary fervor, but his voice is ignored, and he is ordered to proceed with the execution by his superiors. At the end of the film, Lingling requests the firing squad to shoot only when she is smiling her best. This final act of defiance and dignity highlights her resilience and courage.

Lingling's actions inspire Luo Peng and encourage the firing squad to turn their guns towards the oppressive warlord instead, but Luo Peng fails and is shot by his superior. Lingling's last words are that revolutions are endless: when one falls, another will rise. She is executed next to Luo Peng, becoming a powerful symbol of sacrifice and the unyielding spirit of revolution.

• Li Lili as Lingling: The film's heroine, an innocent, pure, and hopeful young girl from a rural fishing village who experiences the darker side of Shanghai.
• Gao Zhanfei as cousin Zhang: Lingling's country lover who becomes involved in revolutionary activities.
• Ye Juanjuan as Lingling's sister: The sister who betrays Lingling by selling her to the corrupt boss.
• Yuan Congmei as Silk Factory Manager: The manager of the factory where Lingling first finds work in Shanghai.
• Luo Peng as Superintendent Luo Peng: The young officer and executioner who becomes sympathetic to Lingling's cause.
• Han Langen as Skinny Monkey: A supporting character in the film.
• Liu Chi-Chuen as Fat Brother-in-Law: Another supporting character in the film.
• Wang Guilin as Garrison Commander: The oppressive warlord's representative who orders Lingling's execution.

The symbolic significance of the female protagonist in Daybreak is profound. Through her character, the film juxtaposes the contrasting images of the country girl and the modern girl, reflecting the contradictions and debates on social and political levels. The country girl embodies purity and tradition, while the modern girl symbolizes corruption and modernization. Lingling's journey vividly illustrates how an innocent country girl is degraded and commodified upon entering the city, becoming a mere tool of exchange in a male-dominated society.

Initially depicted as the epitome of purity in the countryside, Lingling undergoes a transformation upon her relocation to the city. She becomes corrupted and modernized, reflecting the clash between traditional values and contemporary realities. In this sense, Lingling serves as a poignant example of how a country virgin is tainted by the city, reduced to a commodity in a misogynistic world.

Lingling's portrayal as a “homo sacer“ underscores the vulnerability and marginalization experienced by women in patriarchal societies. Her journey highlights the dehumanizing effects of societal structures, wherein women are exploited for male gain.

The dichotomy between the 'country girl' and 'modern girl' encapsulates conflicting ideologies and societal norms. While the former embodies innocence and virtue, the latter represents the complexities and challenges of modern urban life, including exploitation and moral decay.

Daybreak literally refers to the moment when daylight first appears, but metaphorically it represents hope and redemption. Shanghai is depicted as shrouded in physical and political darkness, awaiting the arrival of freedom. Lingling's execution seemingly occurs after daybreak, suggesting that any hope of redemption represented by the morning light is illusory, as she will soon face execution.

In a 2014 article published in Journal of Chinese Cinema, Victor Fan analyzes Sun Yu's use of the concept of homo sacer – those who can be killed without legal consequence – as a narrative device. In Daybreak, the character Lingling is portrayed as a homo sacer whose sacrificial death is meant to awaken the masses and redeem the nation. However, the film's techniques allow for alternative readings that question the necessity of such sacrificial violence.^[2]

Daybreak was released on region free DVD by Cinema Epoch on May 8th, 2007. The disc features English subtitles and includes Crossroads, a 1937 film directed by Shen Xiling and released by the Mingxing Film Company.

A free version of the film Daybreak with English subtitles can also be found on the University of British Columbia’s Chinese Film Classics website, as well as on YouTube under the same name.

• Fan, Victor (2014). "The Cinema of Sun Yu: Ice cream for the eye... but with a homo sacer". Journal of Chinese Cinemas. 5 (3): 219–251. doi:10.1386/jcc.5.3.219_1. S2CID 154855940.
• Hansen, Miriam Bratu (2000). "Fallen Women, Rising Stars, New Horizons: Shanghai Silent Film As Vernacular Modernism". Film Quarterly. 54 (1): 10–22. doi:10.2307/1213797. JSTOR 1213797.
• Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Daybreak 天明 (1933) with English subtitles. YouTube.
• Zhang, Zhen. "Amorous History of the Silver Screen: Shanghai Cinema, 1896-1937". Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Rea, Christopher (2020). "Directory of Early Chinese Films: Daybreak 天明 (1933)". Chinese Film Classics Project (UBC).
• Rea, Christopher. (2023). Resources on early Chinese cinema. Chinese Film Classics. https://chinesefilmclassics.org/learn-more/  
• Rea, Christopher. (2022). Li Lili 黎莉莉. Chinese Film Classics. https://chinesefilmclassics.org/li-lili-%E9%BB%8E%E8%8E%89%E8%8E%89/
• Rea, Christopher. (2022). Sun Yu 孫瑜. Chinese Film Classics. https://chinesefilmclassics.org/sun-yu-%E5%AD%AB%E7%91%9C/
• Fan, Victor. (2014). Taylor & Francis. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1386/jcc.5.3.219_1

• Daybreak (1933), with English subtitles at Chinese Film Classics Project
• Daybreak at IMDb
• Daybreak is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
• Daybreak at AllMovie
• Daybreak from the Chinese Movie Database