Movie Review : China's Last Eunuch / Last Eunuch in China
Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2001 8:26 pm
1987, VHS (limited DVD availability). Starring Max Mok and Sammo Hung (CBS - Martial Law - yep, same actor.) Out of print, usually backordered. Thanks to Jesus for locating a copy for me.
First off, the movie is subtitled. If you don't read fast, or don't speak Chinese, you're in trouble! It is subtitled in another Chinese dialect, and English as well. Obviously, the man in charge of writing the subtitles was either drunk or lazy. The subtitles are amusing sometimes; just what part of a chicken is a "chicken bottom?" It looks like a thigh-leg quarter to me.
The film begins with some scenes of Chinese children in a poor region playing outside. They hear some commotion from the village, and find that a well-known Eunuch is passing through in his "sedan" and entourage. This starts the children, mostly boys, to dreaming about a career as such filled with wealth and granduer and not having to scrape for food. Their game soons turns to imitating the sight they have just seen, which is cute.
There is some ominous foreshadowing when the boy who is the "pretend eunuch" orders our hero, little Laishi, to do something. He refuses. He then orders the rest of them to get him for it! Of course, they all drop HIM and go after Laishi. The "eunuch" then lands on his butt in the dirt while his followers run off without him.
At this point, Laishi, about 7 or 8 I'd guess, meets up with a girl who is - as little boys at that age think - a GIRL. She's OK, but she's a GIRL. They have a chat which foreshadows a bit more, but we'll get to that. Soon thereafter, the game ends and the children all sit around chatting about eunuchs, the Emporer, and how great a life it must be. Most all of the boys, who sport long braided hair, all boast to one another that they are going to be the first imperial eunuch from THEIR village and in turn, save their families and friends from poverty. There is also a bit of protracted discussion amongst the kids on the differences between boys and girls, why girls aren't allowed to become imperial eunuchs, and why boys are. One boy even suggests that Laishi's "girlfriend" will probably marry the first eunuch from the village. The girl is greatly concerned about her future, and with just reason. Being a girl in such times there often meant being sold into slavery, prostitution, or a combination of the above. Most times, the girls often suspected this, as she does.
Shortly after evening falls, the children set out on a garbage run - foraging for food at the trash cans of more prosperous folk. These scenes, unlike most of the movie, are well filmed and touching. As they are foraging in the dumpsters, someone intervenes and orders the trash-guy to leave them alone and let them have the waste. I think it is the local eunuch, but I am not sure. There is no dialouge to support this, but he looks like the same actor. This of course only hardens the resolve of the boys to become eunuchs. A zoom in shows us that Laishi is especially moved.
Not long afterwards, Laishi's father makes a promise of a favor to the Landlord which nearly breaks his family. It results in the loss of most of their food. Around the dinner table, the father chats about how his Uncle wanted to make a eunuch of him. The children, Laishi and his 2 sisters, don't really think it's a bad idea. Of course, they don't know where babies come from as yet until the mother informs them that if their father had been castrated, none of them would be there! Grandfather, Laishi's father states, would not allow it though. We do not find out if the Uncle was a eunuch, but given the cultural aspects, it is safe to assume that he might have been and was trying to recruit the nephew (the father of Laishi) to gain favor for his own advancement.
end part 1
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<b>Paolo</b><p><img src="http://www.eunuch.org/bbs_banners/paolo_banner1.jpg" border="0">
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First off, the movie is subtitled. If you don't read fast, or don't speak Chinese, you're in trouble! It is subtitled in another Chinese dialect, and English as well. Obviously, the man in charge of writing the subtitles was either drunk or lazy. The subtitles are amusing sometimes; just what part of a chicken is a "chicken bottom?" It looks like a thigh-leg quarter to me.
The film begins with some scenes of Chinese children in a poor region playing outside. They hear some commotion from the village, and find that a well-known Eunuch is passing through in his "sedan" and entourage. This starts the children, mostly boys, to dreaming about a career as such filled with wealth and granduer and not having to scrape for food. Their game soons turns to imitating the sight they have just seen, which is cute.
There is some ominous foreshadowing when the boy who is the "pretend eunuch" orders our hero, little Laishi, to do something. He refuses. He then orders the rest of them to get him for it! Of course, they all drop HIM and go after Laishi. The "eunuch" then lands on his butt in the dirt while his followers run off without him.
At this point, Laishi, about 7 or 8 I'd guess, meets up with a girl who is - as little boys at that age think - a GIRL. She's OK, but she's a GIRL. They have a chat which foreshadows a bit more, but we'll get to that. Soon thereafter, the game ends and the children all sit around chatting about eunuchs, the Emporer, and how great a life it must be. Most all of the boys, who sport long braided hair, all boast to one another that they are going to be the first imperial eunuch from THEIR village and in turn, save their families and friends from poverty. There is also a bit of protracted discussion amongst the kids on the differences between boys and girls, why girls aren't allowed to become imperial eunuchs, and why boys are. One boy even suggests that Laishi's "girlfriend" will probably marry the first eunuch from the village. The girl is greatly concerned about her future, and with just reason. Being a girl in such times there often meant being sold into slavery, prostitution, or a combination of the above. Most times, the girls often suspected this, as she does.
Shortly after evening falls, the children set out on a garbage run - foraging for food at the trash cans of more prosperous folk. These scenes, unlike most of the movie, are well filmed and touching. As they are foraging in the dumpsters, someone intervenes and orders the trash-guy to leave them alone and let them have the waste. I think it is the local eunuch, but I am not sure. There is no dialouge to support this, but he looks like the same actor. This of course only hardens the resolve of the boys to become eunuchs. A zoom in shows us that Laishi is especially moved.
Not long afterwards, Laishi's father makes a promise of a favor to the Landlord which nearly breaks his family. It results in the loss of most of their food. Around the dinner table, the father chats about how his Uncle wanted to make a eunuch of him. The children, Laishi and his 2 sisters, don't really think it's a bad idea. Of course, they don't know where babies come from as yet until the mother informs them that if their father had been castrated, none of them would be there! Grandfather, Laishi's father states, would not allow it though. We do not find out if the Uncle was a eunuch, but given the cultural aspects, it is safe to assume that he might have been and was trying to recruit the nephew (the father of Laishi) to gain favor for his own advancement.
end part 1
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<hr>
<b>Paolo</b><p><img src="http://www.eunuch.org/bbs_banners/paolo_banner1.jpg" border="0">
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