Paolo wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2001 9:14 pm <b><br>The scene then cuts to Laishi as a young man onstage. He is rehearsing for a play. We find that Sammo's character has raised him since boyhood, right after his cutting, as if he were his own son. No one but he knows that Laishi is a eunuch; they have carefully protected the secret. That night, a general in the new army decides that he wants Laishi as a catamite. In order to get the young man out of this, Sammo - who has talked him out of going to the downsized Palace again and again - sends him there to protect him. With his master's blessing, Laishi assumes a new identity and is "hired." It is during all of this bru-ha-ha over hiding Laishi that he meets up with his old "girlfriend" who has indeed been sold into prostitution right after Laishi's boyhood castration. They dont' recognize one another right off, as Laishi has taken refuge in a whorehouse to hide and the urgings of his friends. However, once they do recognize one another, they are overjoyed and saddened that he's on the run. She discovers the truth, however, and the fact that the boy that she loved is now a eunuch is too much for her. Laishi escapes, takes leave of his Master, and the girl runs off.<p>There are a few scenes where Laishi meets other eunuchs in the Palace, and not very convincing ones either. Only one really looks and sounds like a eunuch. He is shown the room where "the Things" are kept, each hanging in its pack from the ceiling at heights according to rank. Laishi leaves his there, as ordered. There are a few scenes of some intrigue, a plot gone wrong, Laishi's bonding with an OLD eunuch, and his various duties. Not much happens again until the touching scene where the eunuchs are finally driven out of the Forbidden City. A mad scramble ensues to recover "their things." Laishi does. One especially moving scene is that of a very old eunuch who must be dragged out, unable to cope with leaving the only life that he has ever known. He has been a eunuch, and been there, since he was a little boy. The actor does a good job, unlike most of the rest, and the scene is very touching. This is also historically accurate, as little boy eunuchs were often housed and schooled within the City. The famous Internet picture of a young Chinese eunuch shows a typical 'student' of the Imperial school in the gray robe and black cap that were the uniforms for the little eunuch students. Our old eunuch being dragged out crying is obviously one such as this.<p>Laishi then returns to his Master, with a small subplot on the rebels being woven in. The police are hunting them, and Laishi's old girlfriend is married to a rebel. He is missing, suspect, but not proven. She takes Laishi in, and he becomes surrogate father to her baby son. Life seems grand until the old eunuch who trained Laishi shows up, obviously grief-stricken and senile. He and Laishi go on a quest to visit the exiled Emporer. The guards beat the old eunuch to death, and Laishi returns home to find the husband and father for whom he 'fills in' as cover has returned. There is a touching moment where he thanks Laishi for taking care of his family and working so hard to provide a home for them. He then vanishes again.<p>Laishi spends the remainder of the movie becomming more and more attached to a family that is not really his. At the end, the movie revolves around the husband/father being chased down as he decides to try and leave the county with his wife and baby son. Laishi sees them off to the train, shattered, but left with the business that they had started, and the house. The police close in, and fearing the death of the ones he loves, he provides distraction by speaking heresy about the emporer and eunuchs and how wrong the government is. He then exposes himself, the family gets away in the turmoil he kicks up, and Laishi is thoroughly made fun of and beaten senseless.<p>BUT - the film does have a happy ending. As the train pulls away, she comes back for Laishi, the eunuch, with baby in arms. She forsakes her dangerous husband, and the 'family' of mom, eunuch and son live happily ever after.<p>Now, as I mentioned, the filming is not good. The acting, all but for a couple of scenes, is awful. The subtitling is atrocious and funny and annoying, yet the film IS pretty accurate historically. All but for the castration scene. Be warned, you will see brief genital/butt flashes from the little "fresh eunuch," however, you don't see much. The movie IS legal for sale in the USA. If you can get into it, the dialouge of the children is probably the best part. The irony and how life treated this "last eunuch" are sad, but nonetheless are more than likely true. Of course, Laishi is a fictional character, but the plot/history is not. Laishi could easily have been any of thousands of boys castrated at a bad time when Pu Yi was on the way out. In literally a moment, the dream of poor Chinese boys and their families turned into a nightmare.<p>One can only wonder how their lives really turned out, once castrated - for nothing.</b>

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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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Paolo wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2001 9:14 pm <b><br>The scene then cuts to Laishi as a young man onstage. He is rehearsing for a play. We find that Sammo's character has raised him since boyhood, right after his cutting, as if he were his own son. No one but he knows that Laishi is a eunuch; they have carefully protected the secret. That night, a general in the new army decides that he wants Laishi as a catamite. In order to get the young man out of this, Sammo - who has talked him out of going to the downsized Palace again and again - sends him there to protect him. With his master's blessing, Laishi assumes a new identity and is "hired." It is during all of this bru-ha-ha over hiding Laishi that he meets up with his old "girlfriend" who has indeed been sold into prostitution right after Laishi's boyhood castration. They dont' recognize one another right off, as Laishi has taken refuge in a whorehouse to hide and the urgings of his friends. However, once they do recognize one another, they are overjoyed and saddened that he's on the run. She discovers the truth, however, and the fact that the boy that she loved is now a eunuch is too much for her. Laishi escapes, takes leave of his Master, and the girl runs off.<p>There are a few scenes where Laishi meets other eunuchs in the Palace, and not very convincing ones either. Only one really looks and sounds like a eunuch. He is shown the room where "the Things" are kept, each hanging in its pack from the ceiling at heights according to rank. Laishi leaves his there, as ordered. There are a few scenes of some intrigue, a plot gone wrong, Laishi's bonding with an OLD eunuch, and his various duties. Not much happens again until the touching scene where the eunuchs are finally driven out of the Forbidden City. A mad scramble ensues to recover "their things." Laishi does. One especially moving scene is that of a very old eunuch who must be dragged out, unable to cope with leaving the only life that he has ever known. He has been a eunuch, and been there, since he was a little boy. The actor does a good job, unlike most of the rest, and the scene is very touching. This is also historically accurate, as little boy eunuchs were often housed and schooled within the City. The famous Internet picture of a young Chinese eunuch shows a typical 'student' of the Imperial school in the gray robe and black cap that were the uniforms for the little eunuch students. Our old eunuch being dragged out crying is obviously one such as this.<p>Laishi then returns to his Master, with a small subplot on the rebels being woven in. The police are hunting them, and Laishi's old girlfriend is married to a rebel. He is missing, suspect, but not proven. She takes Laishi in, and he becomes surrogate father to her baby son. Life seems grand until the old eunuch who trained Laishi shows up, obviously grief-stricken and senile. He and Laishi go on a quest to visit the exiled Emporer. The guards beat the old eunuch to death, and Laishi returns home to find the husband and father for whom he 'fills in' as cover has returned. There is a touching moment where he thanks Laishi for taking care of his family and working so hard to provide a home for them. He then vanishes again.<p>Laishi spends the remainder of the movie becomming more and more attached to a family that is not really his. At the end, the movie revolves around the husband/father being chased down as he decides to try and leave the county with his wife and baby son. Laishi sees them off to the train, shattered, but left with the business that they had started, and the house. The police close in, and fearing the death of the ones he loves, he provides distraction by speaking heresy about the emporer and eunuchs and how wrong the government is. He then exposes himself, the family gets away in the turmoil he kicks up, and Laishi is thoroughly made fun of and beaten senseless.<p>BUT - the film does have a happy ending. As the train pulls away, she comes back for Laishi, the eunuch, with baby in arms. She forsakes her dangerous husband, and the 'family' of mom, eunuch and son live happily ever after.<p>Now, as I mentioned, the filming is not good. The acting, all but for a couple of scenes, is awful. The subtitling is atrocious and funny and annoying, yet the film IS pretty accurate historically. All but for the castration scene. Be warned, you will see brief genital/butt flashes from the little "fresh eunuch," however, you don't see much. The movie IS legal for sale in the USA. If you can get into it, the dialouge of the children is probably the best part. The irony and how life treated this "last eunuch" are sad, but nonetheless are more than likely true. Of course, Laishi is a fictional character, but the plot/history is not. Laishi could easily have been any of thousands of boys castrated at a bad time when Pu Yi was on the way out. In literally a moment, the dream of poor Chinese boys and their families turned into a nightmare.<p>One can only wonder how their lives really turned out, once castrated - for nothing.</b>

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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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Paolo wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2001 9:14 pm <b><br>The scene then cuts to Laishi as a young man onstage. He is rehearsing for a play. We find that Sammo's character has raised him since boyhood, right after his cutting, as if he were his own son. No one but he knows that Laishi is a eunuch; they have carefully protected the secret. That night, a general in the new army decides that he wants Laishi as a catamite. In order to get the young man out of this, Sammo - who has talked him out of going to the downsized Palace again and again - sends him there to protect him. With his master's blessing, Laishi assumes a new identity and is "hired." It is during all of this bru-ha-ha over hiding Laishi that he meets up with his old "girlfriend" who has indeed been sold into prostitution right after Laishi's boyhood castration. They dont' recognize one another right off, as Laishi has taken refuge in a whorehouse to hide and the urgings of his friends. However, once they do recognize one another, they are overjoyed and saddened that he's on the run. She discovers the truth, however, and the fact that the boy that she loved is now a eunuch is too much for her. Laishi escapes, takes leave of his Master, and the girl runs off.<p>There are a few scenes where Laishi meets other eunuchs in the Palace, and not very convincing ones either. Only one really looks and sounds like a eunuch. He is shown the room where "the Things" are kept, each hanging in its pack from the ceiling at heights according to rank. Laishi leaves his there, as ordered. There are a few scenes of some intrigue, a plot gone wrong, Laishi's bonding with an OLD eunuch, and his various duties. Not much happens again until the touching scene where the eunuchs are finally driven out of the Forbidden City. A mad scramble ensues to recover "their things." Laishi does. One especially moving scene is that of a very old eunuch who must be dragged out, unable to cope with leaving the only life that he has ever known. He has been a eunuch, and been there, since he was a little boy. The actor does a good job, unlike most of the rest, and the scene is very touching. This is also historically accurate, as little boy eunuchs were often housed and schooled within the City. The famous Internet picture of a young Chinese eunuch shows a typical 'student' of the Imperial school in the gray robe and black cap that were the uniforms for the little eunuch students. Our old eunuch being dragged out crying is obviously one such as this.<p>Laishi then returns to his Master, with a small subplot on the rebels being woven in. The police are hunting them, and Laishi's old girlfriend is married to a rebel. He is missing, suspect, but not proven. She takes Laishi in, and he becomes surrogate father to her baby son. Life seems grand until the old eunuch who trained Laishi shows up, obviously grief-stricken and senile. He and Laishi go on a quest to visit the exiled Emporer. The guards beat the old eunuch to death, and Laishi returns home to find the husband and father for whom he 'fills in' as cover has returned. There is a touching moment where he thanks Laishi for taking care of his family and working so hard to provide a home for them. He then vanishes again.<p>Laishi spends the remainder of the movie becomming more and more attached to a family that is not really his. At the end, the movie revolves around the husband/father being chased down as he decides to try and leave the county with his wife and baby son. Laishi sees them off to the train, shattered, but left with the business that they had started, and the house. The police close in, and fearing the death of the ones he loves, he provides distraction by speaking heresy about the emporer and eunuchs and how wrong the government is. He then exposes himself, the family gets away in the turmoil he kicks up, and Laishi is thoroughly made fun of and beaten senseless.<p>BUT - the film does have a happy ending. As the train pulls away, she comes back for Laishi, the eunuch, with baby in arms. She forsakes her dangerous husband, and the 'family' of mom, eunuch and son live happily ever after.<p>Now, as I mentioned, the filming is not good. The acting, all but for a couple of scenes, is awful. The subtitling is atrocious and funny and annoying, yet the film IS pretty accurate historically. All but for the castration scene. Be warned, you will see brief genital/butt flashes from the little "fresh eunuch," however, you don't see much. The movie IS legal for sale in the USA. If you can get into it, the dialouge of the children is probably the best part. The irony and how life treated this "last eunuch" are sad, but nonetheless are more than likely true. Of course, Laishi is a fictional character, but the plot/history is not. Laishi could easily have been any of thousands of boys castrated at a bad time when Pu Yi was on the way out. In literally a moment, the dream of poor Chinese boys and their families turned into a nightmare.<p>One can only wonder how their lives really turned out, once castrated - for nothing.</b>

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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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Paolo wrote: Thu Oct 18, 2001 9:14 pm <b><br>The scene then cuts to Laishi as a young man onstage. He is rehearsing for a play. We find that Sammo's character has raised him since boyhood, right after his cutting, as if he were his own son. No one but he knows that Laishi is a eunuch; they have carefully protected the secret. That night, a general in the new army decides that he wants Laishi as a catamite. In order to get the young man out of this, Sammo - who has talked him out of going to the downsized Palace again and again - sends him there to protect him. With his master's blessing, Laishi assumes a new identity and is "hired." It is during all of this bru-ha-ha over hiding Laishi that he meets up with his old "girlfriend" who has indeed been sold into prostitution right after Laishi's boyhood castration. They dont' recognize one another right off, as Laishi has taken refuge in a whorehouse to hide and the urgings of his friends. However, once they do recognize one another, they are overjoyed and saddened that he's on the run. She discovers the truth, however, and the fact that the boy that she loved is now a eunuch is too much for her. Laishi escapes, takes leave of his Master, and the girl runs off.<p>There are a few scenes where Laishi meets other eunuchs in the Palace, and not very convincing ones either. Only one really looks and sounds like a eunuch. He is shown the room where "the Things" are kept, each hanging in its pack from the ceiling at heights according to rank. Laishi leaves his there, as ordered. There are a few scenes of some intrigue, a plot gone wrong, Laishi's bonding with an OLD eunuch, and his various duties. Not much happens again until the touching scene where the eunuchs are finally driven out of the Forbidden City. A mad scramble ensues to recover "their things." Laishi does. One especially moving scene is that of a very old eunuch who must be dragged out, unable to cope with leaving the only life that he has ever known. He has been a eunuch, and been there, since he was a little boy. The actor does a good job, unlike most of the rest, and the scene is very touching. This is also historically accurate, as little boy eunuchs were often housed and schooled within the City. The famous Internet picture of a young Chinese eunuch shows a typical 'student' of the Imperial school in the gray robe and black cap that were the uniforms for the little eunuch students. Our old eunuch being dragged out crying is obviously one such as this.<p>Laishi then returns to his Master, with a small subplot on the rebels being woven in. The police are hunting them, and Laishi's old girlfriend is married to a rebel. He is missing, suspect, but not proven. She takes Laishi in, and he becomes surrogate father to her baby son. Life seems grand until the old eunuch who trained Laishi shows up, obviously grief-stricken and senile. He and Laishi go on a quest to visit the exiled Emporer. The guards beat the old eunuch to death, and Laishi returns home to find the husband and father for whom he 'fills in' as cover has returned. There is a touching moment where he thanks Laishi for taking care of his family and working so hard to provide a home for them. He then vanishes again.<p>Laishi spends the remainder of the movie becomming more and more attached to a family that is not really his. At the end, the movie revolves around the husband/father being chased down as he decides to try and leave the county with his wife and baby son. Laishi sees them off to the train, shattered, but left with the business that they had started, and the house. The police close in, and fearing the death of the ones he loves, he provides distraction by speaking heresy about the emporer and eunuchs and how wrong the government is. He then exposes himself, the family gets away in the turmoil he kicks up, and Laishi is thoroughly made fun of and beaten senseless.<p>BUT - the film does have a happy ending. As the train pulls away, she comes back for Laishi, the eunuch, with baby in arms. She forsakes her dangerous husband, and the 'family' of mom, eunuch and son live happily ever after.<p>Now, as I mentioned, the filming is not good. The acting, all but for a couple of scenes, is awful. The subtitling is atrocious and funny and annoying, yet the film IS pretty accurate historically. All but for the castration scene. Be warned, you will see brief genital/butt flashes from the little "fresh eunuch," however, you don't see much. The movie IS legal for sale in the USA. If you can get into it, the dialouge of the children is probably the best part. The irony and how life treated this "last eunuch" are sad, but nonetheless are more than likely true. Of course, Laishi is a fictional character, but the plot/history is not. Laishi could easily have been any of thousands of boys castrated at a bad time when Pu Yi was on the way out. In literally a moment, the dream of poor Chinese boys and their families turned into a nightmare.<p>One can only wonder how their lives really turned out, once castrated - for nothing.</b>

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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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