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R E V I E W
From the Queen to the Chief Executive
China Star / 2001 / 102 minutes
Directed by Herman Yau
Written by Elsa ChanWith Stephen Tang Shu-Wing, Ai Jing, David Lee Sheung-Man
B A C K G R O U N D : director, in cinemas, recent and related films
Would you expect the man behind the "Troublesome Night" series of horror films, as well as this year's inoffensive children's film Master Q 2001 to make a socially conscious film? Herman Yau struggled for two years to find an investor before Charles Heung stepped forward. Also of interest is that executive producer Nam Yin wrote the script for Ringo Lam's Prison on Fire in 1987.
The film played in Hong Kong cinemas earlier this year.
M O V I E : plot, performances, production, rating
Plot: Beginning in 1997 with television footage of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region being sworn into office, we next see an appeal being made to the Chief Executive. The story then swiftly backtracks to 1985. We follow three people whose lives will intersect 12 years later: Yue-ling, Mr. Leung, and Ming. Yue-ling is a teenage girl suffering from loneliness and abuse; Mr. Leung is helping factory workers protest unfair working conditions, and Ming is a teenage boy caught up in a horrific crime. Fast-forward to early 1997, and we discover that Yue-ling has grown into a young woman fascinated by the prose of a youg man who turns out to be a prisoner. That prisoner is Ming. He has been "detained at Her Majesty's pleasure," held for years without a sentence under a provision of Colonial rule that, it is explained, was meant to give youthful offenders a bit of a break, a chance to correct themselves. Instead, it has been used to keep a number of young men behind bars for an indefinite period, never knowing when or if they can expect to be released. Yue-ling is touched by Ming's story, and seeks out the help of Mr. Leung, now a Councillor whose term of office will end effective with the handover.
Performances: In a word, remarkable and touching, especially the principal (and little known to me) players -- Stephen Tang Shu-Wing (an experienced stage performer) as Leung, Ai-Jing (a singer from Mainland China) as Yue-ling, and David Lee Sheung-Man as Ming.
Production: Describe a movie as a "social drama," and most people will brush past it in favor of lighter forms of entertainment. After all, who goes to the movies for a civics lesson, or to listen to a lecture? Indeed, the first 20 minutes of the film feels didactic and dry. But then director Herman Yau and writer Elsa Chan (the script is based on a true story) peel back the personal histories of Ming and Yue-ling, allowing different angles of the issues to be examined. Yau also colors the tale with the judicious use of stylistic flourishes (such as flashbacks, flash cutting, and black-and-white footage), and the jarring rock songs and haunting musical score (by Brother Hung) keep the story from lapsing into stodginess. Rather than an overly predictable "social drama," the filmmakers have crafted an absorbing, emotional, and powerful story about lives gone adrift and the importance of human forgiveness. Joe Chan did the fine cinematography and Chan Ki Hop the excellent editing.
Rating: Category IIB. Some crime scene flashbacks and photographs are explicit in their depiction of rape and murder, but not to an excessive degree.
D V D : look, sound, subtitles, features
Look: The letterboxed (approximately 1.85:1) presentation is excellent. The image is rock solid, the colors are sharp and saturated, black levels deep, and flesh tones look natural. The source print is impeccably clean.
Sound: I listened to the DD 5.1 Cantonese audio track, and it sounded very good. Of course, there are no explosions or similar noisy effects, but the music sounded fine and the dynamic range was quite wide.
Subtitles: The white (with black edging) removable English subtitles were excellent -- very easy to read with almost no errors. Once in a while they appeared a second or two before the dialogue began. A big bonus for non-Hong Kong residents is the additional parenthetical notes that were added -- as an example, rather than simply stating "Mr. Tung," the added notation "(Chief Executive of the HKSAR)" was very helpful.
Features: Eight chapters can be selected from a two-page video capture menu. The film's original theatrical trailer is included, as is a three-minute "Making Of" feature with interviews and a little behind-the-scenes footage. Unfortunately, it does not have English subtitles.
R E C O M M E N D A T I O N : buy, rent, or pass?
Buy. An excellent, well-made drama with terrific performances; not afraid to ask complicated questions lacking easy answers.
(Reviewed 9/28/01)
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