Adapted from Eileen Chang’s 1943 masterpiece “The Golden Cangue,” the film “#The First Incense,” directed by the recipient of the Venice Lifetime Achievement Golden Lion Award, Ann Hui, has finally released a full trailer.
“The First Incense” can be said to be a story of the female protagonist Ge Weilong meeting the wrong person but also willingly falling into decadence. Shanghai female student Ge Weilong (played by Ma Sichun) came to Hong Kong to study and relied on Auntie Liang (played by Yu Feihong), but was instead used by Auntie Liang as bait to attract men. Ge Weilong gradually became addicted to the extravagant lifestyle. Later, she was attracted to playboy Qiao Qiqiao (played by Eddie Peng), and in order to continue living a high society life of extravagance, she was willing to sell her soul, using all her cunning to marry Qiao Qiqiao. In the end, Ge Weilong embarked on a path of decadence due to money and love, gradually losing herself in desire and becoming a socialite. This is Eileen Chang’s profound observation of women’s survival in the 1930s and 1940s, reflecting her compassion and helplessness towards women who ultimately end up in tragic destinies.
From the trailer, it can be seen that the film uses thick colors to create the luxurious desires inside the house. The casting of the film has always been a focus of attention, and the male and female leads, Mark Chao and Peng Yuyan, also sparked controversy at the time, with some believing that Peng Yuyan’s image was very different from the weak young master Qiao Jiqiao in the book, who had “pale lips, as pale as plaster”; while Mark Chao’s agility was also different from the original description of “long and charming eyes, deep double eyelid creases that sweep straight into the temples”.
However, “The First Incense” is not the first time that Ann Hui has adapted Eileen Chang’s work into a film. The 1984 “Love in a Fallen City” and the 1997 “Eighteen Springs” are both classics. Let us once again look forward to how, under Ann Hui’s leadership, with a strong team: contemporary Chinese writer Wang Anyi as the screenwriter, cinematographer Du Ke Feng, costume and styling design by William Chang, music producer Ryuichi Sakamoto, and others, how they will present this classic Eileen Chang story in a modern way, bringing a different sense of beauty.
The film will be released by High Sun Films Limited and the Hong Kong version of the poster has been released. It is scheduled to be officially released on November 25th, so stay tuned by watching the trailer in advance!
