The Soong Sisters (film)
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The Soong Sisters (宋家皇朝) is a 1997 Hong Kong film dramatization of the lives of the Soong sisters from 1911 to 1949, the period the Republic of China administered the mainland. The movie was written by Alex Law and directed by Mabel Cheung. It starred Maggie Cheung (as Soong Ching-ling), Michelle Yeoh (as Soong Ai-ling) and Vivian Wu (as Soong May-ling).
While the focus is on the politics and political figures of republican China, the movie itself is heavily influenced by the politics of the time of its creation. The most obvious influence is the time frame. The attitude of the movie seems to suggest that regardless of past differences due to conflict in the politics they espoused, there were strong ties that prevailed because of familial love. With the imminent handover of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China, the desire to start relations on favorable grounds may have biased the movie. The most blatant example is one of Soong Ai-ling's last lines in the movie.
Another feature of note is the characterization of the historical figures. Sun Yat-sen, Soong Ching-ling and Zhang Xueliang are portrayed as noble individuals while Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling are portrayed less favorably. A reason for this may be because filming occurred on Mainland China, as China has rules regarding the portrayal of national enemies, which in this case was Chiang Kai-shek. In fact, director Mabel Cheung has stated that 14 minutes of the film were cut, which included scenes of tenderness between Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling.
The film has also been characterized as having a feminist stance. Aside from the 3 sisters, there were also their three brothers who were prominent within the Republic of China. None of these three were mentioned in the movie, written out entirely.
The movie presents one interpretation of the Xi'an Incident as the actual event was never documented. Other pivotal moments include the founding of the Republic of China in 1911, the Northern Expedition in 1927 and the Japanese invasion of China during the Mukden Incident in 1931.
