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{{Short description|American film director}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{infobox person
{{infobox person
| name = Esther Eng
| name = Esther Eng
| image = File-Ng Kam-ha.jpg
| image = File-Ng Kam-ha.jpg
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| caption = Eng in 1930
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1914|09|24}}
| birth_name = Ng Kam-ha
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1914|09|24}}
| birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.
| birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1970|01|25|1914|09|24|mf=yes}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1970|01|25|1914|09|24|mf=yes}}
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
| occupation = Film director, producer
| occupation = {{hlist|Film director|producer}}
| years_active = 1936–1961
| years_active = 1936–1961
| module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes
| module = {{Infobox Chinese|child=yes
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| s = 伍锦霞
| s = 伍锦霞
| p = Wu Jinxia
| p = Wu Jinxia
| j = Ng Kam-ha
| j = ng5 gam2 haa4
}}
}}
}}
}}


'''Esther Eng''' ({{Birth date|1914|09|24}} – January 25, 1970), born '''Ng Kam-ha''', was a Cantonese–American film director and the first female director to direct Chinese-language films in the United States. Eng made four feature films in America, and five in Hong Kong.<ref name="Wei16">Wei, 2011. p.16</ref><ref name=Bren>{{cite news|last1=Bren|first1=Frank|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2010-01/23/content_9365379.htm|title=Electric phantom – the indomitable Esther Eng|work=[[China Daily]]|date=January 23, 2010|accessdate=4 June 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004135957/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2010-01/23/content_9365379.htm|archivedate=October 4, 2012}}</ref> She was recognized as a female pioneer who crossed the boundaries of race, language, culture and gender.<ref name=WFPP>{{cite web|last1=Wei|first1=S. Louisa|title=Esther Eng|url=https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/esther-eng/|website=Women Film Pioneers Project|publisher=[[Columbia University Libraries]]|date=2014 |accessdate=18 November 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210090347/https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/esther-eng/|archivedate=December 10, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Gray>{{Cite magazine|last1=Gray|first1=Tim|url=https://variety.com/2019/vintage/features/lesbian-filmmaker-esther-eng-1203248585/|title=Pioneering Filmmaker Esther Eng Made Movies in the ’30s and ’40s on Her Own Terms|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date= June 21, 2019|access-date=24 June 2019}}</ref>
'''Esther Eng''' (born '''Ng Kam-ha'''; {{Birth date|1914|09|24}} – January 25, 1970) was an American film director and the first female director to direct Chinese-language films in the United States. Eng made four feature films in America, and five in [[British Hong Kong|Hong Kong]].<ref name="Wei16">Wei, 2011. p.16</ref><ref name=Bren>{{cite news|last1=Bren|first1=Frank|url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2010-01/23/content_9365379.htm|title=Electric phantom – the indomitable Esther Eng|work=[[China Daily]]|date=January 23, 2010|accessdate=June 4, 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121004135957/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2010-01/23/content_9365379.htm|archivedate=October 4, 2012}}</ref> She was recognized as a female pioneer who crossed the boundaries of race, language, culture and gender.<ref name=WFPP>{{cite web|last1=Wei|first1=S. Louisa|title=Esther Eng|url=https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/esther-eng/|website=Women Film Pioneers Project|publisher=[[Columbia University Libraries]]|date=2014 |accessdate=November 18, 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210090347/https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/esther-eng/|archivedate=December 10, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Gray>{{Cite magazine|last1=Gray|first1=Tim|url=https://variety.com/2019/vintage/features/lesbian-filmmaker-esther-eng-1203248585/|title=Pioneering Filmmaker Esther Eng Made Movies in the '30s and '40s on Her Own Terms|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date= June 21, 2019|access-date=June 24, 2019}}</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Esther Eng was born in [[San Francisco]] on September 24, 1914.<ref name=Bren /> She was the fourth child in a family of ten children.<ref name=Elley>{{cite news|last1=Elley|first1=Derek|url=http://www.filmbiz.asia/reviews/golden-gate-silver-light|title=Golden Gate Silver Light|work=[[Film Business Asia]]|date=4 June 2013|accessdate=4 June 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213817/http://www.filmbiz.asia/reviews/golden-gate-silver-light|archivedate=March 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Eng's grandparents originally came to America from Toy Shan ([[Taishan, Guangdong|Taishan]]) county in southern China's [[Guangdong]] province.<ref name=Bren /> Eng was a fan of [[Cantonese Opera]] and having lived in San Francisco she was able to socialize with the Cantonese singers and actors who performed there. San Francisco had Chinese language theaters which were successful and had hosted some of the best actors from China.<ref name=Bren />
Esther Eng was born in [[San Francisco]] on September 24, 1914.<ref name=Bren /> She was the fourth child in a family of ten children.<ref name=Elley>{{cite news|last1=Elley|first1=Derek|url=http://www.filmbiz.asia/reviews/golden-gate-silver-light|title=Golden Gate Silver Light|work=[[Film Business Asia]]|date=June 4, 2013|accessdate=June 4, 2013|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213817/http://www.filmbiz.asia/reviews/golden-gate-silver-light|archivedate=March 3, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Eng's grandparents originally came to America from Toy Shan ([[Taishan, Guangdong|Taishan]]) county in southern China's [[Guangdong]] province.<ref name=Bren /> Eng was a fan of [[Cantonese opera]] and having lived in San Francisco she was able to socialize with the Cantonese singers and actors who performed there. San Francisco had Chinese-language theaters that were successful and had hosted some of the best actors from China.<ref name=Bren />


==Career==
==Career==
When Eng was 19, her father and his business partners created a film production company with Eng as a producer.<ref name=Bren /> The studio was based at 1010 Washington Street while Esther looked for a studio in [[Los Angeles]]. Esther's first screen credit was as co-producer on the film ''Heartache'' (1936). ''Heartache'' is set in San Francisco and was directed by [[Frank Tang]], and was shot in eight days, with two reels in color.<ref name=Bren /><ref name=Elley /> The film was made at a rented studio in Hollywood.<ref name=Elley /> In 1936, along with friends and the film's leading actress Wai Kim Fong, Eng went to Hong Kong for the film's premiere at the Queens Theater under the title ''Iron Blood, Fragrant Soul''.<ref name="Wei16" /><ref name=Elley />
When Eng was 19, her father and his business partners created a film production company with Eng as a producer.<ref name=Bren /> The studio was based at 1010 Washington Street while Esther looked for a studio in [[Los Angeles]]. Esther's first screen credit was as co-producer on the film ''Heartache'' (1936). ''Heartache'' is set in San Francisco and was directed by [[Frank Tang]], and was shot in eight days, with two reels in color.<ref name=Bren /><ref name=Elley /> The film was made at a rented studio in Hollywood.<ref name=Elley /> In 1936, along with friends and the film's leading actress Wai Kim Fong, Eng went to Hong Kong for the film's premiere at the Queens Theater under the title ''Iron Blood, Fragrant Soul''.<ref name="Wei16" /><ref name=Elley />


After China entered war with Japan, she directed the film ''National Heroine'' (1937) about a female pilot that fights for her country.<ref name="Wei16" /> The film was a success which led to Eng staying in Hong Kong where she directed her next two films: ''Ten Thousand Lovers'' and ''Storm of Envy'', both released in 1938.<ref name="Wei16" /> She also co-directed the film ''A Night of Romance, A Lifetime of Regret'' with [[Wu Peng]] and [[Leung Wai-man]].<ref name="Wei16" /> In 1939, she created the film ''It's A Women's World'' which had an all female cast showcasing 36 women in different professions.<ref name="Wei16" />
After China entered into war with Japan, she directed the film ''National Heroine'' (1937) about a female pilot who fights for her country.<ref name="Wei16" /> The film was a success which led to Eng staying in Hong Kong where she directed her next two films: ''Ten Thousand Lovers'' and ''Storm of Envy'', both released in 1938.<ref name="Wei16" /> She also co-directed the film ''A Night of Romance, A Lifetime of Regret'' with [[Wu Peng]] and [[Leung Wai-man]].<ref name="Wei16" /> In 1939, she created the film ''It's A Women's World'' which had an all-female cast showcasing 36 women in different professions.<ref name="Wei16" />


In 1939, she returned to San Francisco to begin distributing Cantonese films in both Central and South America.<ref name=Bren /> In 1941, Eng directed the film ''[[Golden Gate Girl]]'' in San Francisco, which received a favorable review in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' that year.<ref name="Wei16" /> Eng returned to Hong Kong to make a war film between 1946 and 1947. After months of preparation that included location hunting in southern China, Eng had to abandon the project.<ref name=Bren /> By mid-1947, Eng returned to California where she made ''The Blue Jade'' that starred another Cantonese Opera singer [[Fe Fe Lee]].<ref name="Wei16" /><ref name=Bren /> Eng followed it up with another film with Lee titled ''Too Late For Springtime'' (1949) about a Chinese girl's relationship with a Chinese-American [[G.I. (military)|GI]].<ref name="Wei17">Wei, 2011. p.17</ref> This was followed up by a film shot in the [[Hawaiian Islands]] titled ''Mad Fire Mad Love'' about a romance between a mixed-race woman and a Chinese sailor.<ref name="Wei17" />
In 1939, she returned to San Francisco to begin distributing Cantonese films in both Central and South America.<ref name=Bren /> In 1941, Eng directed the film ''[[Golden Gate Girl]]'' in San Francisco, which received a favorable review in ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' that year.<ref name="Wei16" /> Eng returned to Hong Kong to make a war film between 1946 and 1947. After months of preparation that included location hunting in southern China, Eng had to abandon the project.<ref name=Bren /> By mid-1947, Eng returned to California where she made ''The Blue Jade'' that starred another Cantonese opera singer, [[Fe Fe Lee]].<ref name="Wei16" /><ref name=Bren /> Eng followed it up with another film with Lee titled ''Too Late For Springtime'' (1949) about a Chinese girl's relationship with a Chinese-American [[G.I. (military)|GI]].<ref name="Wei17">Wei, 2011. p.17</ref> This was followed up by a film shot in the [[Hawaiian Islands]] titled ''Mad Fire Mad Love'' about a romance between a mixed-race woman and a Chinese sailor.<ref name="Wei17" />


In 1950, Eng stopped making films for a time to go into the restaurant business<ref name=Bren /> with her friend Bo Bo, a Chinese actor who had been stranded in New York. Eng supported him and managed his stage career in the United States, and later named a restaurant she co-founded as "Bo Bo". This was the first of her five [[Manhattan]] restaurants which included the Esther Eng Restaurant that opened in 1959.<ref name=Bren />
In 1950, Eng stopped making films for a time to go into the restaurant business<ref name=Bren /> with her friend Bo Bo, a Chinese actor who had been stranded in [[New York (state)|New York]]. Eng supported him and managed his stage career in the United States, and later named a restaurant she co-founded as "Bo Bo". This was the first of her five [[Manhattan]] restaurants which included the Esther Eng Restaurant that opened in 1959.<ref name=Bren />


In 1961, she earned her final film credit as the co-director with Wu Peng for ''Murder in New York Chinatown''. She directed all the exterior scenes of the film.<ref name="Wei17" />
In 1961, she earned her final film credit as the co-director with Wu Peng for ''Murder in New York Chinatown''. She directed all the exterior scenes of the film.<ref name="Wei17" />


===Style===
===Style===
Eng's films were mostly standard romantic dramas, generally with women at the center. Most of her film productions are [[lost films]] except for two: ''Golden Gate Girls'' and ''Murder in New York Chinatown''.<ref name=Elley />
Eng's films were mostly standard romantic dramas, generally with women at the center. Most of her film productions are [[lost films]] except for two: ''Golden Gate Girl'' and ''Murder in New York Chinatown''.<ref name=Elley />


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Eng was openly lesbian.<ref name=Elley /><ref name=Gray /> Her sexual orientation did not affect her career negatively, partly because homosexuality was an accepted part of the Cantonese opera, which she was associated with.<ref name=Elley /> Around the time that ''Heartache'' was released, Esther Eng changed her family name from Ng to the more easily pronounceable Eng.<ref name=Elley />
Eng was openly lesbian.<ref name=Elley /><ref name=Gray /> Her sexual orientation did not affect her career negatively, partly because homosexuality was an accepted part of the Cantonese opera, which she was associated with.<ref name=Elley /> Around the time that ''Heartache'' was released, Esther Eng changed her family name from Ng to the more easily pronounceable Eng.<ref name=Elley />


Esther Eng, aged 55, died from cancer on January 25, 1970 at [[Lenox Hill Hospital]] in New York City. She resided at [[Chinatown, Manhattan|50 Bayard Street]] at the time of her death.<ref name=NYTobit>{{cite news|title=Esther Eng, Owned Restaurants Here|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/01/27/archives/esther-eng-owned-restaurants-here.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=43|date=January 27, 1970}}</ref><ref name="Wei17" />
Esther Eng, aged 55, died from cancer on January 25, 1970, at [[Lenox Hill Hospital]] in New York City. She resided at [[Chinatown, Manhattan|50 Bayard Street]] at the time of her death.<ref name=NYTobit>{{cite news|title=Esther Eng, Owned Restaurants Here|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/01/27/archives/esther-eng-owned-restaurants-here.html|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=43|date=January 27, 1970}}</ref><ref name="Wei17" />


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
On April 1, 2013 a documentary about the life and career of Esther Eng titled ''Golden Gate Silver Light'' premiered at the [[Hong Kong International Film Festival]].<ref name=Elley /><ref name=Kerr>{{cite news|last1=Kerr|first1=Elizabeth|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/golden-gate-silver-light-hong-431987|title=Golden Gate Silver Light: Hong Kong Review|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=April 1, 2013|accessdate=7 June 2013}}</ref> The film was directed by [[Wei Shiyu|Louisa Wei]] and was inspired by the 2006 discovery of Eng's photo albums dated between the years 1928 and 1948. During the production of the film, Wei found more albums but no audio or film records of Eng.<ref name=Elley />
On April 1, 2013, a documentary about the life and career of Esther Eng titled ''Golden Gate Silver Light'' premiered at the [[Hong Kong International Film Festival]].<ref name=Elley /><ref name=Kerr>{{cite news|last1=Kerr|first1=Elizabeth|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/golden-gate-silver-light-hong-431987|title=Golden Gate Silver Light: Hong Kong Review|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=April 1, 2013|accessdate=June 7, 2013}}</ref> The film was directed by [[Wei Shiyu|Louisa Wei]] and was inspired by the 2006 discovery of Eng's photo albums dated between the years 1928 and 1948. During the production of the film, Wei found more albums but no audio or film records of Eng.<ref name=Elley />


S. Louisa Wei's 2014 feature documentary, ''Golden Gate Girls'', compares the media representation of Eng with that of [[Dorothy Arzner]]. Judith Mayne, the author of ''Directed by Dorothy Arzner'', is interviewed in the documentary, saying, "I love the fact that history of woman filmmakers now would include Dorothy Arzner and Esther Eng as the two of the real exceptions, who proved it was entirely possible to build a successful film career without necessarily being a part of mainstream identity."{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}
S. Louisa Wei's 2014 feature documentary, ''Golden Gate Girls'', compares the media representation of Eng with that of [[Dorothy Arzner]]. Judith Mayne, the author of ''Directed by Dorothy Arzner'', is interviewed in the documentary, saying, "I love the fact that history of woman filmmakers now would include Dorothy Arzner and Esther Eng as the two of the real exceptions, who proved it was entirely possible to build a successful film career without necessarily being a part of mainstream identity."{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}
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* ''Tragic Love'' (aka ''Storm of Envy'') (1938)
* ''Tragic Love'' (aka ''Storm of Envy'') (1938)
* ''[[A Night of Romance, A Lifetime of Regret]]'' (aka ''Husband and Wife for One Night'') (1938)
* ''[[A Night of Romance, A Lifetime of Regret]]'' (aka ''Husband and Wife for One Night'') (1938)
* ''[[It's a Women's World]]'' (1939) (co-directed with Lu Si)
* ''[[It's a Women's World]]'' (1939) (co-directed with Lu Si)
* ''[[Golden Gate Girl]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Golden Gate Girl]]'' (1941)
* ''The Fair Lady in the Blue Lagoon'' (aka ''Blue Jade'') (1947)
* ''The Fair Lady in the Blue Lagoon'' (aka ''Blue Jade'') (1947)
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===Bibliography===
===Bibliography===
{{cite book|editor-last1=Taylor|editor-first1=Kate E.|title=Dekalog 4: On East Asian Filmmakers|year=2011|chapter=Women's Trajectories In Chinese and Japanese Cinemas: A Chronological Overview, S. Louisa Wei|pages=13–44|publisher=[[Columbia University Press#Imprints|Wallflower Press]]|location=Brighton, United Kingdom|isbn=978-1906660314|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m2jAlNI14_wC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=June 4, 2013}}
{{cite book|editor-last1=Taylor|editor-first1=Kate E.|title=Dekalog 4: On East Asian Filmmakers|year=2011|chapter=Women's Trajectories In Chinese and Japanese Cinemas: A Chronological Overview, S. Louisa Wei|pages=13–44|publisher=[[Columbia University Press#Imprints|Wallflower Press]]|location=Brighton, United Kingdom|isbn=978-1906660314|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m2jAlNI14_wC|accessdate=June 4, 2013}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
<!--If a source herein is used as a citation please remove it from this section.-->
<!--If a source herein is used as a citation please remove it from this section.-->


* {{cite news|last1=Cam|first1=Lisa|title=Why haven’t we heard of early LGBTQ+ icon Esther Eng, Hollywood's first Chinese female filmmaker?|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3048063/why-havent-we-heard-early-lgbtq-icon-esther-eng|work=[[South China Morning Post]]|date=29 January 2020}}
* {{cite news|last1=Cam|first1=Lisa|title=Why haven't we heard of early LGBTQ+ icon Esther Eng, Hollywood's first Chinese female filmmaker?|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3048063/why-havent-we-heard-early-lgbtq-icon-esther-eng|work=[[South China Morning Post]]|date=January 29, 2020}}
* {{cite web|last1=Gadd|first1=Christianne A.|title=Esther Eng: Filmmaker, Restaurateur, Gender Rebel|url=http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/esther-eng/essay|website=[[OutHistory]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022024254/http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/esther-eng/essay|archivedate=October 22, 2016|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|last1=Gadd|first1=Christianne A.|title=Esther Eng: Filmmaker, Restaurateur, Gender Rebel|url=http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/esther-eng/essay|website=[[OutHistory]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022024254/http://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/esther-eng/essay|archivedate=October 22, 2016|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|last1=Kantayya|first1=Mellini|title=Trailblazing through the Decades: Esther Eng (1930s)|url=https://www.nywift.org/2018/03/05/trailblazing-through-the-decades-1930s-esther-eng/|website=[[New York Women in Film & Television]]|date=March 5, 2018}}
* {{cite web|last1=Kantayya|first1=Mellini|title=Trailblazing through the Decades: Esther Eng (1930s)|url=https://www.nywift.org/2018/03/05/trailblazing-through-the-decades-1930s-esther-eng/|website=[[New York Women in Film & Television]]|date=March 5, 2018}}
* {{cite news|last1=Lipsky|first1=Bill|title=Esther Eng: Pioneering Filmmaker and Feminist|url=http://sfbaytimes.com/esther-eng-pioneering-filmmaker-feminist/|work=[[San Francisco Bay Times]]|date=November 28, 2019}}
* {{cite news|last1=Lipsky|first1=Bill|title=Esther Eng: Pioneering Filmmaker and Feminist|url=http://sfbaytimes.com/esther-eng-pioneering-filmmaker-feminist/|work=[[San Francisco Bay Times]]|date=November 28, 2019}}
* {{cite web|last1=Williams|first1=Melanie|title=Louisa Wei's Golden Gate Girls (2013) and the (Re)discovery of Esther Eng, Chinese American Film Pioneer (1914–1970)|url=https://womensfilmandtelevisionhistory.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/louisa-weis-golden-gate-girls-2013-and-the-rediscovery-of-esther-eng-chinese-american-film-pioneer-1914-1970/|website=Women’s Film & Television History Network – UK/Ireland|date=10 June 2014}}
* {{cite web|last1=Williams|first1=Melanie|title=Louisa Wei's Golden Gate Girls (2013) and the (Re)discovery of Esther Eng, Chinese American Film Pioneer (1914–1970)|url=https://womensfilmandtelevisionhistory.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/louisa-weis-golden-gate-girls-2013-and-the-rediscovery-of-esther-eng-chinese-american-film-pioneer-1914-1970/|website=Women's Film & Television History Network – UK/Ireland|date=June 10, 2014}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0256978}}
* {{IMDb name|0256978}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160324205257/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bd80aa22c Esther Eng] at the [[British Film Institute]]{{better source needed|reason=Help request: a live link can be searched for at https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/search/expert - if available, replace the archive URL with the live link. Or if none found, remove this 'better source needed' template. | date=October 2023}}
* {{BFI|id=4ce2bd80aa22c|name=Esther Eng}}
* [https://www.allmovie.com/artist/p174732 Esther Eng at allmovie.com]
* [https://www.allmovie.com/artist/p174732 Esther Eng at allmovie.com]
* [https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/esther-eng/ Esther Eng at wfpp.columbia.edu]
* [https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/esther-eng/ Esther Eng at wfpp.columbia.edu]
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[[Category:20th-century American businesswomen]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesswomen]]
[[Category:American women film directors]]
[[Category:American women film directors]]
[[Category:American film directors of Asian descent]]
[[Category:American film directors of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Lesbian artists]]
[[Category:American lesbian artists]]
[[Category:LGBT directors]]
[[Category:American LGBT film directors]]
[[Category:LGBT producers]]
[[Category:LGBT film producers]]
[[Category:Women film pioneers]]
[[Category:Women film pioneers]]
[[Category:Women restaurateurs]]
[[Category:American women restaurateurs]]
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[[Category:American restaurateurs]]
[[Category:Hong Kong film directors]]
[[Category:Hong Kong film directors]]
[[Category:Chinese food industry businesspeople]]
[[Category:Chinese food industry businesspeople]]
[[Category:American people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:American LGBT people of Asian descent]]
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[[Category:LGBT American people of Asian descent]]
[[Category:LGBT people from California]]
[[Category:LGBT people from California]]
[[Category:Artists from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Artists from San Francisco]]
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[[Category:Film directors from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Film directors from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in New York (state)]]
[[Category:20th-century American LGBT people]]

Revision as of 16:31, 27 April 2024

Esther Eng
Eng in 1930
Born
Ng Kam-ha

(1914-09-24)September 24, 1914
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 25, 1970(1970-01-25) (aged 55)
New York City, U.S.
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
Years active1936–1961
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese伍錦霞
Simplified Chinese伍锦霞
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWu Jinxia
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingng5 gam2 haa4

Esther Eng (born Ng Kam-ha; (1914-09-24)September 24, 1914 – January 25, 1970) was an American film director and the first female director to direct Chinese-language films in the United States. Eng made four feature films in America, and five in Hong Kong.[1][2] She was recognized as a female pioneer who crossed the boundaries of race, language, culture and gender.[3][4]

Early life

Esther Eng was born in San Francisco on September 24, 1914.[2] She was the fourth child in a family of ten children.[5] Eng's grandparents originally came to America from Toy Shan (Taishan) county in southern China's Guangdong province.[2] Eng was a fan of Cantonese opera and having lived in San Francisco she was able to socialize with the Cantonese singers and actors who performed there. San Francisco had Chinese-language theaters that were successful and had hosted some of the best actors from China.[2]

Career

When Eng was 19, her father and his business partners created a film production company with Eng as a producer.[2] The studio was based at 1010 Washington Street while Esther looked for a studio in Los Angeles. Esther's first screen credit was as co-producer on the film Heartache (1936). Heartache is set in San Francisco and was directed by Frank Tang, and was shot in eight days, with two reels in color.[2][5] The film was made at a rented studio in Hollywood.[5] In 1936, along with friends and the film's leading actress Wai Kim Fong, Eng went to Hong Kong for the film's premiere at the Queens Theater under the title Iron Blood, Fragrant Soul.[1][5]

After China entered into war with Japan, she directed the film National Heroine (1937) about a female pilot who fights for her country.[1] The film was a success which led to Eng staying in Hong Kong where she directed her next two films: Ten Thousand Lovers and Storm of Envy, both released in 1938.[1] She also co-directed the film A Night of Romance, A Lifetime of Regret with Wu Peng and Leung Wai-man.[1] In 1939, she created the film It's A Women's World which had an all-female cast showcasing 36 women in different professions.[1]

In 1939, she returned to San Francisco to begin distributing Cantonese films in both Central and South America.[2] In 1941, Eng directed the film Golden Gate Girl in San Francisco, which received a favorable review in Variety that year.[1] Eng returned to Hong Kong to make a war film between 1946 and 1947. After months of preparation that included location hunting in southern China, Eng had to abandon the project.[2] By mid-1947, Eng returned to California where she made The Blue Jade that starred another Cantonese opera singer, Fe Fe Lee.[1][2] Eng followed it up with another film with Lee titled Too Late For Springtime (1949) about a Chinese girl's relationship with a Chinese-American GI.[6] This was followed up by a film shot in the Hawaiian Islands titled Mad Fire Mad Love about a romance between a mixed-race woman and a Chinese sailor.[6]

In 1950, Eng stopped making films for a time to go into the restaurant business[2] with her friend Bo Bo, a Chinese actor who had been stranded in New York. Eng supported him and managed his stage career in the United States, and later named a restaurant she co-founded as "Bo Bo". This was the first of her five Manhattan restaurants which included the Esther Eng Restaurant that opened in 1959.[2]

In 1961, she earned her final film credit as the co-director with Wu Peng for Murder in New York Chinatown. She directed all the exterior scenes of the film.[6]

Style

Eng's films were mostly standard romantic dramas, generally with women at the center. Most of her film productions are lost films except for two: Golden Gate Girl and Murder in New York Chinatown.[5]

Personal life

Eng was openly lesbian.[5][4] Her sexual orientation did not affect her career negatively, partly because homosexuality was an accepted part of the Cantonese opera, which she was associated with.[5] Around the time that Heartache was released, Esther Eng changed her family name from Ng to the more easily pronounceable Eng.[5]

Esther Eng, aged 55, died from cancer on January 25, 1970, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She resided at 50 Bayard Street at the time of her death.[7][6]

Legacy

On April 1, 2013, a documentary about the life and career of Esther Eng titled Golden Gate Silver Light premiered at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.[5][8] The film was directed by Louisa Wei and was inspired by the 2006 discovery of Eng's photo albums dated between the years 1928 and 1948. During the production of the film, Wei found more albums but no audio or film records of Eng.[5]

S. Louisa Wei's 2014 feature documentary, Golden Gate Girls, compares the media representation of Eng with that of Dorothy Arzner. Judith Mayne, the author of Directed by Dorothy Arzner, is interviewed in the documentary, saying, "I love the fact that history of woman filmmakers now would include Dorothy Arzner and Esther Eng as the two of the real exceptions, who proved it was entirely possible to build a successful film career without necessarily being a part of mainstream identity."[citation needed]

Filmography

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Wei, 2011. p.16
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Bren, Frank (January 23, 2010). "Electric phantom – the indomitable Esther Eng". China Daily. Archived from the original on October 4, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  3. ^ Wei, S. Louisa (2014). "Esther Eng". Women Film Pioneers Project. Columbia University Libraries. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Gray, Tim (June 21, 2019). "Pioneering Filmmaker Esther Eng Made Movies in the '30s and '40s on Her Own Terms". Variety. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Elley, Derek (June 4, 2013). "Golden Gate Silver Light". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d Wei, 2011. p.17
  7. ^ "Esther Eng, Owned Restaurants Here". The New York Times. January 27, 1970. p. 43.
  8. ^ Kerr, Elizabeth (April 1, 2013). "Golden Gate Silver Light: Hong Kong Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 7, 2013.

Bibliography

Taylor, Kate E., ed. (2011). "Women's Trajectories In Chinese and Japanese Cinemas: A Chronological Overview, S. Louisa Wei". Dekalog 4: On East Asian Filmmakers. Brighton, United Kingdom: Wallflower Press. pp. 13–44. ISBN 978-1906660314. Retrieved June 4, 2013.

Further reading

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