白先勇小說常對照今昔不同時空之情境，然對國共內戰導致主角離散經歷的關鍵年代背景，卻少正面直接地書寫。謝晉改編自〈謫仙記〉之《最後的貴族》、謝衍《花橋榮記》和曹瑞原《青春蝴蝶孤戀花》此三部電影，不約而同強化了1949年之戰亂背景或逃難經歷，以鋪陳對主角際遇產生的關鍵性影響，並造就揮之不去的心理創傷，且透過影像具體展現過往地理空間並加以美化，突顯角色在亂世中無可奈何的離散經驗和飄零處境。三位導演各自所處的地域、世代、觀點等，亦造就影片不同的風格取向。八○年代末《最後的貴族》標示了中國電影題材和敘事模式的突破；九○年代末《花橋榮記》以嘲諷中見悲愴的風格為過往離散敘事做出嶄新詮釋；新世紀《青春蝴蝶孤戀花》標誌上海懷舊風在臺的顛峰。白先勇原著小說透過不同創作者的再詮釋，為大時代留下新的註記和見證。

Pai Hsien-yung’s novels often compare different space-time situations of the past and present. However, there are less direct writings on critical time background of Nationalist-Communist civil wars that lead the protagonists’ diaspora experiences. Xie Jin’s The Last Aristocrats (adapted from “A Chinese Girl in New York”), Xie Yan’s My Rice Noodle Shop, and Tsao Jui-Yuan’s Love’s Lone Flower coincidentally strengthen the background of war or fleeing experienced in 1949 to lay out the key influence of the protagonists’ encounters and bring up the lingering psychological trauma. Through images, these movies give concrete expression to the past geographical space and make the beautifications. By these, the movies highlight the protagonists’ diaspora experiences and helpless wandering situations in the troubled times. The geographical spaces, generations, and viewpoints of these three directors also created different style orientations for the movies. The Last Aristocrats in the late 1980s marked the breakthrough of the Chinese film themes and narrative modes; in the late 1990s, My Rice Noodle Shop made a new interpretation of the discrete narratives of the past in a mocking style to see the pathos; new century Love’s Lone Flower symbolized the peak of Shanghai nostalgia in Taiwan. Through the re-interpretation of the different creators, Pai Hsien-yung’s novels also left new annotations and witnesses for the great times.