Archive for October, 2004
Fallen Petals
Shaw Brothers continues to over-use the WWII Moral Tragedy plot with Fallen Petals, a film whose story I could recite verbatim before the film even began. Beautifully shot, taking full advantage of its Taiwanese locations, the film can’t overcome the fact that I’ve seen it 5 times, albeit under other titles, in the past few months.
Lin Tien Si (Ko Chun Hsiung) isn’t unhappy about living under Japanese rule; instead, he’s perpetually gloomy about his arranged marriage with his cousin (Chu Ching). When the Japanese army drafts him, he couldn’t care less, hoping instead that death will release him from his filial obligations.
Understandably, Shu Che Song (Ou Wei), finds his friend Tien Si to be a bit of a “weirdo.” But Tien Si’s deathwish fades after he meets Ye Su Jin (Chang May You), the dishonored daughter of a Japanese occupier and a Chinese maid. And, further proving that Chinese soldiers were exceptionally virile, a night of passion leads to a pregnancy for Su Jin and a (presumably) one-way ticket to the Philippine front for Tien Si.
The rest of the film holds few surprises, only a late scene in a bar delivers any original tension. By the film’s absurd conclusion, Che Song, the supposed narrator, watches dispassionately as the story twists, Moebius-like, to fulfill the genres’ conventions.
The film’s Taiwan location, along with its cast of Taiwanese stars, only confirms my belief that, after The Blue And The Black, Shaw Brothers turned out these WWII tragedies mainly for the Taiwanese market. Concerned with two main themes—the righteousness of the Nationalist Party and the continuation of proper Chinese behavior—the films were a perfect fit for the last remnant of the Republic of China.
Fallen Petals
Dir: Peter Pan Lei
Released May 24, 1968