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Ma-Xu Weibang
Ma-Xu Weibang (; 1905–1961) was a Chinese film director active in mainland China from the 1920s to 1940s, and later in Hong Kong, perhaps best known for his work in the horror genre, the most important unarguably being ''The Phantom of the Opera''-inspired, ''Song at Midnight''. Ma-Xu was also known for a few acting roles early in his career, as well as for being a screenwriter. The director of 33 known films, much of Ma-Xu's early work has been lost. Ma-Xu was born Xu Weibang in 1905 in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Little is known of this early period except that his parents died while Ma-Xu was still a child, which was said to influence his decision to incorporate his wife's surname, "Ma". Career in film Ma-Xu studied at the Shanghai Institute of Fine Arts in the early 1920s. Following his graduation, he began working as an actor for the Mingxing Film Company, his first film being Zhang Shichuan's ''The Marriage Trap'' in 1924. Following a brief stint in the short-lived Langhua Film ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ma (surname)
Ma () is a Chinese family name. The surname literally means "horse". As of 2006, it ranks as the 14th most common Chinese surname in Mainland China and the most common surname within the Islam in China, Chinese Muslim community, specifically the Hui people, Dongxiangs, Dongxiang people and Salar people. In 2019 it was the 13th most common surname in Mainland China. A 2013 study found it to be the 13th most common, shared by 17,200,000 people or 1.290% of the population, with the province with the most being Henan. It is the 52nd name on the ''Hundred Family Surnames'' poem.K. S. Tom. [1989] (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. . The offspring of Zhao She adopted "Ma" (馬), the first word of the district Ma Fu, as their surname. Other romanizations include Mah, Beh and Mar. Hui people, Hui Muslims, Salar people, Salars, Bonan people, Bonan and Dongxiangs, Dongxiang people commonly adopted Ma as the translation for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1929 In Film
The following is an overview of 1929 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1929 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on. * February 1 – ''The Broadway Melody'' is released by MGM and becomes the first major musical film of the sound era, sparking a host of imitators as well as a series of ''Broadway Melody'' films that will run until 1940. * February 18 – The first Academy Awards, or Oscars, are announced for the year ended August 1, 1928. * March 3 – William Fox announces that he has taken control of Loews Inc., including its subsidiary Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, buying shares from Marcus Loew's widow and sons and Nicholas Schenck for $50 million. The acquisition eventually falls through. * May 16 – The first Academy Awards are distributed at The Hollyw ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1947 In Film
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1947 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *April 19 – Monogram Pictures release their first film under their Allied Artists banner, ''It Happened on Fifth Avenue''. *May 22 – ''Great Expectations'' is premiered in New York. *August 31 – The first Edinburgh International Film Festival opens at the Playhouse Cinema, presented by the Edinburgh Film Guild as part of the Edinburgh Festival of the Arts. Originally specialising in documentaries, it will become the world's oldest continually running film festival. *November 24 – The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten". *November 25 – The Waldorf Statement is released by the executives of the United States motion picture industry that marks the beginning of the Hollywood blacklist. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1943 In Film
The year 1943 in film featured various significant events for the film industry. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1943 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * January 23 – The film '' Casablanca'' is released nationally in the United States and becomes one of the top-grossing pictures of 1943. It goes on to win the Best Picture and Best Director awards at the 16th Academy Awards. * February 20 – American film studio executives agree to allow the United States Office of War Information to censor films. * June 1 – Veteran English stage and screen actor Leslie Howard dies at the age of 50 in the crash of BOAC Flight 777 off the coast of Galicia, Spain. While best remembered for his role as Ashley Wilkes in ''Gone with the Wind'', Howard had roles in many other notable films and was twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. * November 23 – British Forces Broadcasting Service begins operation * December 31 – New York ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1942 In Film
The year of 1942 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, ''Casablanca''. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1942 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * January 16 – Actress Carole Lombard is killed in a plane crash west of Las Vegas while returning home to Los Angeles from a War Bond tour. * June 4 – ''Mrs. Miniver'', starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon, opens at Radio City Music Hall in New York, in what will become a record-breaking 10-week run. The film becomes MGM's highest-grossing film of the 1940s. At the 15th Academy Awards, ''Mrs. Miniver'' wins six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director (for William Wyler), Best Actress (for Greer Garson) and Best Supporting Actress (for Teresa Wright). * August 8 – Walt Disney's animated film ''Bambi'' opens in United Kingdom. * November 11 – ''Road to Morocco'', starring Bob ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Song At Midnight, Part II
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition and variation of sections. Written words created specifically for music, or for which music is specifically created, are called lyrics. If a pre-existing poem is set to composed music in classical music it is an art song. Songs that are sung on repeated pitches without distinct contours and patterns that rise and fall are called chants. Songs composed in a simple style that are learned informally "by ear" are often referred to as folk songs. Songs that are composed for professional singers who sell their recordings or live shows to the mass market are called popular songs. These songs, which have broad appeal, are often composed by professional songwriters, composers, and lyricists. Art songs are composed by trained classical composers fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1941 In Film
The year 1941 in film involved some significant events, in particular the release of a film consistently rated as one of the greatest of all time, ''Citizen Kane''. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1941 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *January 17 ''Gone with the Wind'' goes into general release after touring in a roadshow version during 1940. Becoming a cultural phenomenon, it sells an estimated 60 million tickets this year alone. Adjusted for inflation with numerous rereleases, it remains the highest grossing domestic film of all time with $1.8 billion. *March 24 - Glenn Miller begins work on his 1st movie '' Sun Valley Serenade'' for Twentieth Century Fox *May 1 – ''Citizen Kane'', consistently rated as one of the greatest films of all time, is released. *July 2 – ''Sergeant York'', the film biopic of World War I hero Alvin C. York, starring Gary Cooper in the title role, premieres in New York City. It is the highest-gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1940 In Film
The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney films ''Pinocchio'' and '' Fantasia''. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1940 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * February 10 – Tom and Jerry make their debut in the animated cartoon '' Puss Gets the Boot''. *February 23 – Walt Disney's second animated feature film ''Pinocchio'' is released. Although not a box office success upon its initial release, the film receives critical acclaim and wins two Academy Awards, including one for Best Original Song for " When You Wish Upon a Star". Over the years, ''Pinocchio'' has gained a cult following and is now considered one of the greatest films of all time. * April 12 – Alfred Hitchcock's first American film '' Rebecca'' is released, under the production of David O. Selznick. It would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture the following year. * May 17 – ''My Favorite Wife' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1939 In Film
The year 1939 in film is widely considered the greatest year in film history. The ten Best Picture-nominated films that year include classics in multiple genres. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1939 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events Film historians often rate 1939 as "the greatest year in the history of Hollywood". Hollywood films produced in Southern California were at the height of their Golden Age (in spite of many cheaply made or undistinguished films also being produced, something to be expected with any year in commercial cinema), and during 1939 there are the premieres of an outstandingly large number of exceptional motion pictures, many of which become honored as all-time classic films. ** June 10 – MGM's first successful animated character, Barney Bear, made his debut in ''The Bear That Couldn't Sleep''. ** August 15 – ''The Wizard of Oz'' premiered at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. ** October 17 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walking Corpse In An Old House
Walking (also known as ambulation) is one of the main gaits of terrestrial locomotion among legged animals. Walking is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step. This applies regardless of the usable number of limbs—even arthropods, with six, eight, or more limbs, walk. Difference from running The word ''walk'' is descended from the Old English ''wealcan'' "to roll". In humans and other bipeds, walking is generally distinguished from running in that only one foot at a time leaves contact with the ground and there is a period of double-support. In contrast, running begins when both feet are off the ground with each step. This distinction has the status of a formal requirement in competitive walking events. For quadrupedal species, there are numerous gaits which may be termed walking or running, and distinctions based upon the presence or absence of a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1938 In Film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1938 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events *January – MGM announces that Judy Garland will be cast in the role of Dorothy Gale in the upcoming '' The Wizard of Oz'' film. Ray Bolger is cast as the Tin Woodman and Buddy Ebsen as the Scarecrow. At Bolger's insistence, the roles are switched between the two actors. On July 25, MGM announces Bert Lahr has been cast as the Cowardly Lion. *February 24 – The entertainment trade newspaper Variety confirms that the film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) had bought the rights to adapt L. Frank Baum’s beloved children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz for the screen *April 5 – Noel Langley completes the first script for ''The Wizard of Oz''. *April 20 – Leonard Slye appears in his first starring role as Roy Rogers in ''Under Western Stars''. He becomes one of the most popular Western stars being r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1937 In Film
The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first American full-length animated film, ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film), Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''. Top-grossing films (U.S.) The top ten 1937 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows: Events * January 29 – ''The Good Earth (film), The Good Earth'' premieres in the U.S. * April 16 – ''Way Out West (1937 film), Way Out West'' premieres in the US. * May 7 – ''Shall We Dance (1937 film), Shall We Dance'' premieres in the US. * May 11 – ''Captains Courageous (1937 film), Captains Courageous'' premieres in New York. The film is released nationwide on June 25. * Monogram Pictures, who had merged with Republic Pictures two years earlier, decide to separate and distribute their own films again. * June 7 – Jean Harlow, one of the biggest Hollywood stars of the decade, dies aged 26 at Good Samaritan Hospital (Los Angeles), Good Sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
