Faces of a Taiwanese Opera Actress

苦伶的臉譜

29 mins | 2021 | 尚若白 Jean-Robert Thomann

Taiwanese opera actor Zhang Mengyi faced an important turning point in her life in 2018: her mentor, national treasure actor Liao Qiongzhi, appointed her as the head of the "Shintrun Taiwanese Opera Troupe".

At the same time, as an actor, a teacher, and the position of the head of the troupe, this film presents Zhang Mengyi's various activities under the increasing pressure of daily life. On the stage, she often sings and cries, in daily life, at work, joys and sorrows alternate in the background of the actress's portrait. She opens the door to her world for us - Taiwanese opera. Let's explore it together.

臺灣歌仔戲演員張孟逸在2018年面對人生一個重要的轉折:她的恩師,國寶演員廖瓊枝任命她為廖老師所創立的「薪傳歌仔戲劇團」的團長。

同時身為演員、老師,再加上團長的職務,這部片呈現了張孟逸面臨日常生活壓力越來越大的各種臉譜。在舞台上,她經常唱歌和哭,在日常生活中,於工作,悲歡離合描繪了這位女演員的肖像,她為我們打開了她的世界一臺灣歌仔戲的大門.讓我們探索。

The film receives 2021 New Taipei City Documentary film award.

本片為2021年獲得新北市紀錄片獎得獎作品。

In the spring of 2018. Zhang Mengyi is ready to perform Wang Kui and Guiying. She has just taken over as the head of the Shintrun Taiwanese Opera Troupe. On the stage, she plays the role of Kudan: a woman abandoned by her fiancé.

Next, we observed Zhang Mengyi's involvement in her busy daily life: teaching children and amateurs to sing, training young actors, and dealing with the problems of the troupe. There are tensions, laughter, and tears. She rarely has time for herself, and is often at work. She often sees her husband at work: he is a legacy makeup artist and costume props artist.

In 2019, Zhang Mengyi was busy preparing and promoting the annual big performance "Dream Broken Black Water Ditch". In addition to the performance, pressure from box office sales and personnel management issues brought her to exhaustion. Following Zhang Mengyi, we will meet three generations of actors, old, middle and young, and observe the life of a Taiwanese Opera Troupe.

2018年春天.張孟逸準備演出王魁負桂英,她剛接任團長,在舞台上,她扮演苦旦:一個被未婚夫拋棄的女人。接著,我們觀察張孟逸投入她忙碌的日常生活:教導小朋友及業餘愛好者唱、培訓年輕演員、處理劇團的問題,有緊張、歡笑,也有淚水,她很少有自己的時間,我們經常在工作的過程中看到她的丈夫:他是薪傳的化妝師及服裝道具師。

2019年,張孟逸忙著籌備及宣傳薪傳的年度大戲《夢斷黑水溝》,除了演出之外,另外必須負責票房銷售及人事管理的壓力讓她心力交瘁。

跟著張孟逸,我們將遇見老中青三代演員,觀察各時代女演員不同的命運。

Director 尚若白 Jean-Robert Thomann

Jean-Robert Thomann is a French-Taiwanese filmmaker who directed a number of films related to Taiwan. He has directed the feature film “Short Story at the West Gate”(2016), released both in Taiwan and China, the short film “The Taste of Ginger”(2021), the documentary “Naluwan”(2013) etc.  

He has won the Franco-Taiwanese Cultural Foundation Prize in 2018. In 2021, he has get a master degree at the the motion picture department of National Taiwan University of Arts.

法國法蘭西案大學視覺傳播碩士,身兼剪接、劇本創作與導演等身份,具有多年的電視節目、電影與記錄片剪接之經驗。1996年開始與臺灣有頻繁的接觸,1998年開始導演生涯,至今已完成多部關於臺灣政治、文化、宗教及生活的紀錄片於法國有線電視、法德公共電視ARE義大利公共視 RAI、CNEX紀實頻道播映。

2016年尚若白自導自演拍了第一部劇情長片:《我的西門小故事》,於2016年10月在臺灣上映,2018年得到台法文化獎,2021年臺灣藝術大學電影研究所畢業。