A Pearl Necklace


A Pearl Necklace, also translated as A String of Pearls, is a Chinese silent film shot in 1925 and released in 1926. It is adapted from Guy de Maupassant’s short story "The Necklace". The screenplay was written by Hou Yao and directed by Li Zeyuan, produced by Great Wall Film Company.

Synopsis

The movie begins with an introduction to a white collar Chinese family. They are living in a modern style house, and the husband, Yusheng, is sitting in his living room reading a newspaper. He is accompanied by his wife, Xiuzhen, and their infant son. Yusheng is an accountant and Xiuzhen does not work.
To celebrate a holiday with their friends, Yusheng and Xiuzhen borrowed a pearl necklace as an accessory, which drew great admiration from their friends. Xiuzhen lies to another guest at a party she is attending and states that her husband gave her the necklace. After hearing this, the guest has a thief to break into their home and steal the necklace. The next morning, Yusheng and Xiuzhen woke up to find the necklace had disappeared. With no other options, Yusheng embezzled company funds to buy an identical necklace to return. Unexpectedly, he was caught and imprisoned for embezzlement, and what had once been a happy little family was ruined by a moment of vanity.
One day after his release, Wang found a note at his doorstep that read: “Bring 1,000 yuan to Little Stone Bridge at 4 o’clock tomorrow, or your secret will be revealed.” Driven by curiosity, Wang went to the bridge at the appointed time and saw the husband of his wife’s friend arguing with a scoundrel and getting injured. It turns out that the man at the party was another accountant from the factory where Yusheng used to work. He was being blackmailed by the thief. To his shock, that man turned out to be the true culprit who had stolen the necklace.
After all is revealed, the man uses his connections to get Yusheng an accounting job and they live happily ever after.

Cast

  • Lei Xiadian
  • Liu Hanjun
  • Zhai Qiqi
  • Xing Shaomei
  • Liu Jiqun

Ideology

Screenwriter Hou Yao stated: the theme of this film is to criticize vanity and promote repentance. He said:
What is noble thought? What is base thought? There is no absolute standard. Thought is a product of its time. Each era has its own set of thoughts. A thought that suits the needs of a certain era and offers the greatest practical benefit to its society is good; otherwise, it is evil.
The film is set in Shanghai, an incredibly prosperous city full of inequity. In 1925, the illusion of a modern, wealthy, and idealistic city was disrupted by the May 30th Movement protestors. It was a site where Chinese nationalism and traditions were suppressed by a push for modernization. One such aspect of modernization was the modern couple, and the new bourgeoise woman. The film points out the dangers of temptation that come with newfound freedom that the modern woman has. This is shown in the Palace Theatre's statement about the film:
Shanghai is China’s most prosperous area—and also a place where all vices gather. Residents indulge in luxury and decadence. In such a dizzying world, those without strong resolve—especially the youth—are easily swayed by vanity. Women, in particular, are vulnerable. How many modest young women have lost themselves under the impulse of vanity?
Seeing this, the Great Wall Film Company has specially produced a film to warn women against vanity, titled A Pearl Necklace. The necklace symbolizes both the dangers of romantic entanglements and the deep love between husband and wife. Ultimately, it is used to reveal the vanity that lies within women’s hearts.
This ideology is repeated by the movie's opening title card:
Don't you know? Don't you know?
A string of pearls is equal to a million rings of sorrow
If a woman drags herself down the road of vanity,
Her husband will be her victim surely.