If you are into anything about local cinema's golden age, the Historic Shanghai Film Weekend this weekend might be just for you.

Featuring screenings and discussions of four old Shanghai films, the event also offers visits to the Shanghai Film Museum and the Shanghai Chedun Film Park.

The films are curated by Linda Johnson (pictured below), a former academic in the UK and Hong Kong who has researched history and culture in Shanghai since moving to the city in 1998.

She has specialized in the history of local film, and has presented talks on the subject at the Royal Asiatic Society Film Club.

"Post-screening discussions will revolve around the content of the films and their historical context. We will also talk about the representation of the city of Shanghai in the films and the techniques employed by the actors and directors to convey ideas and emotions without the use of sound," Johnson told the Global Times.

The screenings will begin with Laborer's Love (1922) Friday, which tells the attempts of a young fruit seller to woo his sweetheart.

The showing is meaningful, because the film is believed to be the oldest surviving film made by a domestic film company, the Mingxing Film Company, which later became synonymous with Shanghai's golden age of cinema.

Zhang Shichuan and Zheng Zhengqiu, respectively the film's director and writer, are co-founders of the company and are considered the founding fathers of Chinese film.

Johnson wrote for the event organizer, Historic Shanghai, that the film's comedic effect comes from the filming techniques, while the somewhat simple narrative was made effective by the details included in each scene.

She also lauds the film for sophisticated editing: a piece of fruit thrown by one person in one shot is caught by another in the next, not always the same trajectory.

Chinese film star Ruan Lingyu

Early fascination

"It was this fascination with movement and variable speed that engaged the Shanghai audience of the day, the same fascination that created the popularity of Charlie Chaplin and the early Mickey Mouse shorts," Johnson said.

Goddess (1934), the most famous film from iconic actress Ruan Lingyu, will follow Saturday. Here, Ruan portrays a young mother forced to work as a prostitute to support her son.

Johnson said the film reveals many essential characteristics of 1930s silent domestic films that were impacted by changes in the social and political climate.

"Shanghai takes on a particular role in the films of this period, and as a sleepless, modern city it is cast as the site of social injustice, while in the public eye, Ruan Lingyu essentially became the modern Chinese woman: strong, independent, self-assured and opposing social prejudice," she noted.

Another film scheduled for Saturday is Wild Rose (1932), in which Wang Renmei played her 17-year-old self and a poor village girl who later inspired Shanghai revolutionaries.

The movie was made by American-trained director Sun Yu, and Johnson called it one of the many films of that era that focused on the clash between traditional values and modern lifestyles in Shanghai.

A scene from the film Wild Rose Photos: Courtesy of Linda Johnson and Historic Shanghai

Box-office hit

An epic, The Spring River Flows East (1947), will screen on Sunday. Following the lives of a couple between 1931 and 1945, it played in Shanghai for almost a year, selling about 713,000 seats.

Johnson calls it a leading example of post-occupation film demonstrating the strength of cast and crew and of a mature industry determined to express social reality.

Meanwhile, the Saturday visit to the Shanghai Film Museum (the subject of Johnson's dissertation for her master's degree in museum studies) will focus on the use of dioramas as a display tool and the ideas and film content that the dioramas convey to museum-goers.

"Highlights include the depiction of Ruan Lingyu, Zhou Xuan and the filming of Street Angel. We will also look at the display of the cinemas of Shanghai and the museum's collection of film posters," Johnson said.

Sunday's visit to the Shanghai Chedun Film Park will include a guided tour, during which some of the historical details in film sets will be pointed out.

Johnson said she believes the event could become annual.

"This weekend offers insights into a small part of Shanghai's prominent role in the history of Chinese film - there is plenty more!" she said.

For more information, and to book tickets, e-mail to info@historic-shanghai.com.