New Friend was the first Singaporean film shot entirely in Singapore and Malaya. It was produced by Nanyang Low Pui-kim's Self-made Motion Picture Company, in association with Low Pui-kim, who served as the producer and Kwok Chiu-man, who was both the director and cinematographer. The film production company originally planned to produced its second film production, silent movie "", however, as the film production company was closed on 10 May 1927, this film is pending. The silent filmNew Friend is a melodrama about a newly arrived Chinese immigrant to Singapore. It was first screened in Singapore at the Victoria Theatre on 4 March for a public test, entertained more than 500 guests, just showed 6 reels of film, two erotic dances were also shown in the showed film. Its official premiere was at Marlborough Pub and Theatre on Beach Road, and Gaiety Picture Place, the cinema was located in front of a Chinese temple - "", the junction between Albert Street and Bencoolen Street, Singapore. After public showing in Singapore, it was reported that it used another Chinese film title as "", released in the "Chung Wo Cinema " in Kau U Fong, Hong Kong, from 29 April 2017, Friday to 2 May 1927, Monday, totally four days, so it is the first film production of Singapore, and the first export film production too.
Erotic dances in the film
the film has two erotic dances:
17 years old Shanghai sexy actress Ms. Chen Meng-ju wore ancient Chinese dress to perform Chinese sworddance. Taiwanese scholar believed that she is the principal actor Mr. Cheng Chao-jen 's real wife Ms. Chou Tsing Hwa ;
Singapore Cantonese actress Ms. Wee Mong-may, she was dishevelled, and showed off her neck and arms, performed Malay style butterfly dance.
Tan Chee-eng as Tiew Tin-shek, the owner of the "Sin Teik Seng rubber firm" in Malaya, and the father of two children: unruly Tiew Wai-ching and son Tiew Sinh-min ;
Wo Ying as Er, she is Tiew Tin-shek ’s wife, the parent of two children, unruly Tiew Wai-ching and naughty Tiew Sinh-min ;
Luk Chao-yuk as Tiew Wai-ching ;
child actor Tan Ping-fan as Tiew Sinh-min, a naughty prepubescent child;
Wan Tuan-nam as Low Pak-tin, the owner of "Chun Yuan rubber plantation" in Singapore;
Wan Cheng as Ngai, Low Pak-tin ’s wife, they have an only daughter Low Kit-yuk ;
Wee Mong-may as Low Kit-yuk, she is Low Pak-tin ’s daughter, she performed a provocative Malay dance with disheveled hair and naked elbows;
Tam Min-hing as native hooligan Kim Fook-sing, he is an Englishclerk of Tiew Tin-shek ’s rubber firm;
I Chih as Chao as Kim Fook-sing ’s mother;
Hong Siu-pak as Hong Tsz-ming, he is the Chinese clerk of Tiew Tin-shek ’s rubber firm;
Hsiao Chien as prostitute Yuk-kuen, an abandoned sexual partner of Kim Fook-sing ;
Fong Chee-tam as Chao Ping, a known hooligan who is also good friends with Kim Fook-sing ;
Chen Meng-ju as a Hua Ai-hung, she performed a swords dance with an ancient costume in the film;
Chew Chee-peng as guest A.
Tiew Cheng-hwa as guest B.
SynopsisNangaen Chearavanont "Film Stories (Bangkok, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canton, San Francisco.)" (April, 2013), , page 33 to 34.
Sham Hwa-kueng is a poor orphan from the Republic of China who moves to Malaysia hoping for a better life. He stays at his rich uncle Tiew Tin-shek ’s residence. Tiew Tin-shek operated a "Sin Teik Seng rubber firm" in Muar, Malaysia. His family is composed of his wife, Ngai, eldest daughter Tiew Wai-ching and a naughty son Tan Ping-fan. Sham Hwa-kueng is appointed into the rubber firm as a trainee; his children like to play tricks on the innocentcousin Sham Hwa-kueng, because he doesn’t know Nanyang custom. Meanwhile, the English clerk Kim Fook-sing, the antagonist, is making trouble. He wants to marry Tiew Wai-ching for her family’s wealth. However, Tiew Wai-ching prefers the newly arrived cousin Sham Hwa-kueng. One day, Kim Fook-sing finds Tiew Wai-ching playing the piano in the sitting room, harmonizing with Sham Hwa-kueng's Chinese flute. Kim Fook-sing becomes angry because of this, and decides to play a trick on Sham Hwa-kueng, so he tries to force him to resign his post, and move to Singapore. Tiew Wai-ching realizes that Kim Fook-sing is a playboy and hooligan, so she goes to Singapore, and studies in a girls high school with her local friend Low Kit-yuk, and falls in love with the friend's cousin, Sham Hwa-kueng. Kim Fook-sing successfully persuades Tiew Tin-shek to let him marry Tiew Wai-ching. Tiew Wai-ching refuses her dad’s decision, and escapes into the jungle, where Kim Fook-sing catches her with the help of his hooligan friend Chao Ping. Sham Hwa-kueng enters the jungle to save his love Tiew Wai-ching, and fights a python and crocodile for her. Eventually, Sham Hwa-kueng uses Chinese Kung Fu to battle Kim Fook-sing and Chao Ping. They are defeated, and drive away in an attempt to escape but they end up falling off a cliff. Finally, Tiew Wai-ching gets her wish, and marries her cousin Sham Hwa-kueng.
