The Dream of the Red Chamber

This movie is based on the famous 18th century Chinese novel with the same name, and that novel had been made into movies for several times.The movie was a box office disappointment proving that it was made at the wrong time: it was made in 1944, the year World War II ended and audience wanted something cheerful, but this novel/movie is a very tragic story and thus did not meet the taste of the public. (imdb)