Street Angel 马路天使 (1937)

Street Angel is a Chinese black-and-white film released in 1937. The film was directed by Yuan Muzhi and stars the popular singer Zhou Xuan.

The film deals with two sisters, Xiao Hong (Zhou Xuan) and Xiao Yun (Zhao Huishen) who live under the brutal thumb of their landlords. Xiao Yun has already been forced into prostitution while her sister serves as a teahouse singer. Soon the sisters realize that the landlords have decided to sell Xiao Hong to a wealthy patron, wherupon they seek the aid of their neighbors, a street musician, Xiao Chen (Zhao Dan), and his misfit friends.

Street Angel is often praised for its mix of melodrama and comedy. One sequence in particular, wher Xiao Chen and his friends attempt to act as barbers reveals a moment of slapstick or physical comedy in the otherwise dreary third act.