Meet the Lolos in “The Sins of Our Fathers”

From back of the beyond — that vast, often inaccessible land stretching from China's south-west to the Tibetan border — Yung Hwa brings to the silver screen one of China's most remote aboriginal people.

Fierce, warlike, proud of their tribal ancestry, the Lolos dwell in the mountains on the border of Szechwan, Yunnan and Sikong. They speak a language of their own and, in their habits and customs, are totally different from the Hans (Chinese), who swept into their native domains ages ago and drove them into the mountains.

Yung Hwa tackled the problem of making a film about this remote people with a thoroughness that has produced a stirring spectacle of every-day tribal life in authentic costumes, with Lola songs and dances faithfully copied.

It was a hard task and, under the able direction of Richard Poh, who was responsible for the "Soul of China", many months of interior and exterior "shooting" were required before the film could be presented to the general public.

The authenticity of the picture is guaranteed by the fact that an actual Lolo tribesman — a rare find! — was on the Yung Hwa sets when filming began. It was he who supervised the making of the magnificent Lolo tribal dress. It was he who advised the director on Lolo dances. And it was he who gave a faithful picture of Lolo habits and customs.

In addition, the technical staff at the Studios studied ancient and modern books on this race and one scholar, Dr. Tseng Tso-lun, who had spent many months in the Lolo area studying their ancestry, background and tribal life, helped the Studios in the technical preparation of the picture.

The result of this thoroughness is a film, which will appeal to all races. Though the story is fictional, it deals with a problem that worried the Chinese for many years — the enmity of the Lolos towards the Hans. It portrays their border depredations, their fiery, quick-tempered character, their simple ways, their courage and their ancient superstitions. In a vivid finale, the film paints a moral — that the people of one land, though of different ancestry, should live side by side in peace and amity. This is the triumph of the younger generations on both sides.

"The Sins of Our Fathers" is a super-production in all aspects. There are grand riding scenes — the Lolos are expert horsemen — and hundreds of extras were retained for the magnificent torchlight scene in which the tribes gather for a war conference. There is a love interest in the romance of a Chinese slave with the daughter of the Lolo chief and, throughout, the tempo is quick and unflagging.