New Friend

New Friend (Chinese: 新客; pinyin: Xin Ke; literally: "The Immigrant") is considered to be the first Singaporean film shot entirely in Singapore and Malaya. It was produced by Nanyang Low Pui-kim Self-made Motion Picture Company (南洋劉貝錦自製影片公司), in association with Mr. Low Pui-kim (劉貝錦, 1902 to 1959), who served as the producer, and Mr. Kwok Chiu-man (郭超文) who was both the director and cinematographer.

The silent film "New Friend (新客)" is a melodrama about a newly arrived Chinese immigrant to Singapore. The film was released on April 29, 1927, in Chung Wo Cinema (中和電影場) in Kau U Fong (九如坊), Hong Kong. It was first screened in Singapore at the Victoria Theatre (維多利亞戲院) on the 4th of March for a public test, and its official premiere was at Marlborough Pub and Theatre (曼舞羅戲院) on Beach Road (小坡海墘十二間), Singapore.

Actors and Actresses

1. Mr. Cheng Chao-jen (鄭超人 (鄭連捷)) as a new immigrant Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強) who is a poor orphan from Republic of China;
2. Mr. Tan Chee-eng (陳子纓) as Mr. Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫), the owner of the "Sin Teik Seng (新德成) rubber firm" in Malaya, and the father of two children: unruly Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) and naughty son Mr. Tiew Sinh-min (張新民);
3. Ms. Wo Ying (我影) as Ms. Er (余氏), she is Mr. Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫)’s wife, the parent of two children, unruly Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) and naughty Mr. Tiew Sinh-min (張新民);
4. Ms. Luk Chao-yuk (陸肖予) as Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞);
5. child actor Mr. Tan Ping-fan (陳炳勳) as Mr. Tiew Sinh-min (張新民), a naughty prepubescent child;
6. Mr. Wan Tuan-nam (雲端南) as Mr. Low Pak-tin (劉伯憩), the owner of "Chun Yuan (春源) rubber plantation" in Singapore;
7. Ms. Wan Cheng (晚成) as Ms. Ngai (顏氏), Mr. Low Pak-tin (劉伯憩)’s wife, they have an only daughter Ms. Low Kit-yuk (劉潔玉);
8. Ms. Wee Mong-may (黃夢梅) as Ms. Low Kit-yuk (劉潔玉), she is Mr. Low Pak-tin (劉伯憩)’s daughter, she performed a provocative Malay dance with disheveled hair and naked elbows;
9. Ms. Tam Min-hing (譚民興) as native hooligan Mr. Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝), he is an English clerk of Mr. Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫)’s rubber firm;
10. Ms. I Chih (一癡) as Ms. Chao (甘趙氏) as Mr. Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝)’s mother;
11. Mr. Hong Siu-pak (康笑伯) as Mr. Hong Tsz-ming (康子明), he is the Chinese clerk of Mr. Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫)’s rubber firm;
12. Ms. Hsiao Chien (笑倩) as prostitute Ms. Yuk-kuen (玉娟), an abandoned sexual partner of Mr. Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝);
13. Mr. Fong Chee-tam (方之談) as Mr. Chao Ping (趙丙), a known hooligan who is also good friends with Mr. Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝);
14. Mr. Tan Chong-eng (陳崇榮) as an old farmer Mr. Chew Ah (周勤);
15. Ms. Chen Meng-ju (陳夢如) as a social butterfly Ms. Hua Ai-hung (華愛儂), she performed a swords dance with an ancient costume in the film;
16. Mr. Chew Chee-peng (周志平) as guest A.
17. Mr. Tiew Cheng-hwa (張清華) as guest B.

Plot

Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強) is a poor orphan from the Republic of China who moved to Malaysia hoping for a better life. He stays at his rich uncle Mr. Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫)’s residence. Mr. Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫) operated a "Sin Teik Seng (新德成) rubber firm" in Muar, Malaysia, his family is composed of his wife, Ms. Ngai (顏氏), eldest daughter Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) and a naughty son Mr. Tan Ping-fan (陳炳勳). In the early stage, Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強) is appointed into the rubber firm as a trainee; his children like to play tricks on the innocent cousin Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強), because he doesn’t know Nanyang custom. Meanwhile, the English clerk Mr. Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝), the antagonist, is making trouble. He wants to marry Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) for her family’s wealth. However, Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) prefers the newly arrived cousin Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強). One day, Mr. Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝) finds Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) playing the piano in the sitting room, harmonizing with Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng's (沈華強) Chinese flute. Mr. Kim Fook-sing becomes angry because of this, and decides to play a trick on Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強), so he tries to force him to resign his post, and move to work in Singapore. Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) realizes that Mr. Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝) is a playboy and hooligan, so then she goes to Singapore, and studies in a girls high school with her local friend Ms. Low Kit-yuk (劉潔玉), and falls in love with the friend's cousin, Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強). Mr. Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝) successfully persuades Mr. Tiew Tin-shek (張天錫) to let him marry Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞). Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) refuses her dad’s decision, and escapes into the jungle, where Mr. Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝) catches her with the help of his hooligan friend Mr. Chao Ping (趙丙). Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強) enters the jungle to save his love Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞), and fights off the python and crocodile for her. Eventually, Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強) uses Chinese Kung Fu to battle Mr. Kim Fook-sing (甘福勝) and Mr. Chao Ping (趙丙). They are defeated, and drive away in an attempt to escape but they end up falling off a cliff. Finally, Ms. Tiew Wai-ching (張慧貞) gets her wish, and marries her cousin Mr. Sham Hwa-kueng (沈華強).

References

1. Mr. Low Pui-kim (劉貝錦, 1902 to March, 1959) "The stories of Low Pui-kim back to motherland (劉貝錦歸國紀)" (December, 1926), Shanghai: San Min Company (三民公司) (Shanghai, Republic of China)
2. Mr. Fang Hsiu (方修, 9 February 1922 to 4 March 2010) "The eighth collection of New Literacy in Malaysian Chinese Society (馬華新民學大系（8）)", "volume one of "Theater movement (劇運特輯一集)" (April, 1972), ISBN 962-432-124-8 (Singapore)
3. Mr. Raphael Millet "Singapore Cinema" (November 2006), ISBN 978-981-41554-2-7 (Singapore)
4. Ms. Chong Tao-tao Pheona (張陶陶) "Discussions of the first Singapore Chinese-language film, Xinke (New Immigrant) (《新客》：新加坡第一部華語電影的書報討論)" (2012), Singapore: Nanyang Technological University (南洋理工大學)
5. Ms. Nangaen Chearavanon t (Tse Yin) "Film Stories" (April, 2013), Chapter 4 (Page 29 to 36), ISBN 978-988-15909-4-7
6. Chinese academic article: Dr. Hee Wai-Siam (許維賢) "New Immigrant: On the first locally produced film in Singapore and Malaya" from "Tsing Hua Journal of Chinese Literature (清華中文學報)" (June, 2013, Number 9)
7. Ms. Nangaen Chearavanont (Tse Yin) "Movie Stories" (January, 2014), Chapter 3 (Page 22, 38 to 47), ISBN 978-988-15909-5-4

External links

1. Xin Ke – Singapore's first locally produced film - eResources of Singapore National Library
2. "From tents to picture palaces" by Ms. Bonny Tan (), Senior Librarian of Singapore National Library
3. Silent film "New Friend (新客)" or "(唐山來客)" (1927)