Jilted is a 1969 Taiwanese drama film. It was directed by Yang Su, and starring Tang Lan Hua, Peter Yang Kwan, and Lee Hung.
The film starts with Tsu Chiang (Yang Kwan) having received a message from Yu Fen (Lan Hua), a woman whom he had a past fling with some years ago through an extramarital affair. The two shared a whirlwind romance until one day, Tsu Chiang's wife, Chin Mei (Lee Hung), returns from the country with their two children in tow. Yu Fen walks in on a family moment with Tsu Chiang's children and runs away in anger. Seven years later, Yu Fen returns, revealing that she had given birth to his son, and entrusts Tsu Chiang to raise him so that their son wouldn't have to face the shame of being a fatherless child. Yu Fen is heartbroken at the separation, and her son is miserable with Tsu Chiang's new family, especially with his half-siblings who refuse to accept him. Tragedy ensues.
A sequel was released in 1973 simply titled The Jilted Part II or The Jilted - Sequel.
Provides examples of:
- Big Brother Bully: Ko Chen to Hsiao Pao, out of jealousy for the attention that his half-brother was receiving from his father .
- Broken Bird: Tsu Chiang's betrayal causes Yu Fen to become this. It's not helped when her only child is accidentally killed by the same man that she once loved.
- Death of a Child: Tsu Chiang drives drunk in a dark rainy night and accidentally kills Hsiao Pao, his and Yu Fen's son.
- Downer Ending: Hsiao Pao is hit by a car when he tries to run into his mother's arms (who had came to his new home to visit him) during a stormy night. The car was nonetheless driven by Tsu Chiang, who was slightly inebriated and because his headlights were off, never even saw him crossing the street. Yu Fen is devastated when she realizes that her son did not make it, and Tsu Chiang is left catatonic from shock. Yu Fen visits him one last time to give back the necklace he had given to her as a token of his love, and then tearfully leaves him forever.
- Driven to Suicide: After begrudgingly giving up her son to be with Tsu Chiang and his wife, Yu Fen goes to the shore and walks to the sea intending to drown herself. Subverted when it turns out she did not go through with it.
- Facial Dialogue: Chi Hsiang, a family friend, conveys through a downcast expression that Yu Fen and Tsu Chiang's son has expired.
- Gratuitous English: The movie's first English title comes from the credits' own opening title. The Chinese subtitles likewise have an English translation underneath it.
- I Have No Daughter!: Yu Fen is thrown out of the house by her father after discovering her affair with a married man which resulted in her getting pregnant out of wedlock.
- Jerkass:
- Yu Fen's father throws out his own daughter for getting pregnant without a husband.
- Tsu Chiang and Mrs. Chin's two children bully Hsiao Pao when they're unwilling to accept him as their brother.
- Love Triangle: Yu Fen turns out to be in a part of one, much to her dismay. Surprisingly, there was no animosity between the two women and the moments they do interact were very amicable. Chin Mei seems quick to catch on that Yu Fen had no idea that Tsu Chiang was married, and thus, never accuses her of seducing him.
- Melodrama: This movie is from the late 60s where dramatic portrayals in Taiwanese cinema weren't very lowkey at the time. Many close ups of the star-crossed lovers in tears, lingering glances from the actors, lyrical songs as background music to heighten the mood, a tragic finale; you name it.
- Mood Whiplash: One of the movie's key scenes is Yu Fen singing a song called "I am By Your Side" as she playfully teases with Tsu Chiang. It seems to give the impression that the entire film is leading up to be a romantic musical of sorts. Several scenes later, that turns out not to be the case when she makes a heartbreaking discovery. The atmosphere just gets even bleaker from there.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Tsu Chiang runs over his son while driving drunk. He was so terrified at what he'd done, he remains in a perpetual state of shock by the end of the film.
- Single Mom Stripper: A g-rated version. Yu Fen goes by several stage names, singing sad love songs in a club so she and her son could get by, but she's never shown to be selling her body in any way.
- Spoiled Brat: Tsu Chiang's two kids with his wife. At first, they seem to only be understandably cranky because their father is always away at work. But when they discover that they are going to be joined by a half-brother from his father's affair, the older brother mistreats him out of jealousy for hogging their father's attention from him and his sister.
- This Cannot Be!: Yu Fen's reaction when it's inferred that her son is gone.
- Time Skip: Seven years have passed from when Yu Fen and Tsu Chiang's separation to when they meet again. This is because Yu Fen had been raising her and Tsu Chiang's son who was now seven years old.
- Title Theme Tune: A song of the same name plays as the film both opens and closes.
- Tragedy: Tsu Chiang's unfaithfulness and Yu Fen's self-pity indirectly causes the death of their lovechild. And along with it, their remaining love for each other.Yu Fen: (to a catatonic Tsu Chiang) It's all over.
- Uptown Guy: Yu Fen's relationship with the more well-off Tsu Chiang. Despite this, their class is rarely brought upon and the conflict instead comes from the fact that Tsu Chiang was cheating on his wife and Yu Fen having been knocked up by a married man.
