The Rain of Sorrow

The Rain of Sorrow is a 1965 Taiwanese film directed by Wang Yin, based on Chiung Yao's 1964 novel Fire and Rain. The film stars Wang Yin himself, as well as 21-year-old Gua Ah-leh in her acting debut.

Wang Yin handpicked Gua Ah-leh, a recent graduate of National Taiwan Academy of Arts (now National Taiwan University of Arts), from over a thousand candidates for the lead role. The film's other investors wanted a "sexier" bankable actress, but Wang wouldn't budge. Eventually Wang had to finance the film all by himself after other investors quit the project, but his selection proved brilliant. Gua Ah-leh won Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress for this film, and would go on to become one of the greatest actresses in the cinema of Taiwan.[1][2]