Commentary on Stage Sister

In the film, Chunhua’s parents plan to marry her off to an underage boy. This was a practice that was common in China’s at the time. Chunhua escaped marriage by running away from home to join the Shaoxing opera. The critic details the humiliation she went through just like other members of the opera. They were often beaten, starved and exposed to long hours of labor (Marchetti 63). This position gave the troupe leaders the ability to treat them unfairly as he was convinced they had limited options outside the troupe. In the film, Yuehong ends up getting married to the theatrical manager who has been cruel to them throughout their stay with the troupe. The final scenes of the film show a miserable Yuehong back in the village trying to survive on what she can after she is abandoned by her husband.