MR. CANTON AND LADY ROSE
A film review by Mark R. Leeper
Capsule: Jackie Chan's own favorite from among
his own movies turns out to be a really strange
curiosity. It is a remake of the Frank Capra
comedy LADY FOR A DAY done with a little nominal
martial arts. The problem is that Chan does little
of real value that was not in the original film.
He merely brings his familiar plot to new
audiences. And the LADY FOR A DAY plot is getting
a little tired. Still it is amazing this
adaptation was attempted at all. Rating: 6 (0 to
10), high +1 (-4 to +4).
Jackie Chan is a Hong Kong martial artist with a sense of humor. His films are already quite popular in the US. This film (also known as THE CHINESE GODFATHER) is reportedly his favorite of all his films and it is also a genuine cinematic curiosity. While there are some martial arts sequences, for the most part it is a remake of an old Frank Capra film that Capra himself remade. The films from Capra are LADY FOR A DAY and A POCKET FULL OF MIRACLES. This is so unlikely a story for Chan to want to remake as a martial arts film it had to be seen. Chan plays a sort of country bumpkin from Canton whose martial arts temporarily save the life of a crime lord. In spite of Chan's efforts however the crime lord dies of a natural death. As he is dying he names Chan as his successor. Chan attributes his success to having just bought a rose from an elderly street vendor. Chan decides to go ahead and take the role as gang boss put pushes the new gang into legitimate enterprises including opening a new night club. Whenever he needs luck he buys a rose from the same street vendor. From here the story is a very much LADY FOR A DAY. Most scenes are directly borrowed from the Capra. The rose vendor has convinced her daughter that the family is affluent. The daughter has a wealthy fiance whose family wants to meet the bride-to-be's mother. They would never consent to the marriage if they knew the mother-in-law was a lowly street vendor. Chan learns of the rose vendor's problem and determines to carry out an elaborate ruse to make his friend appear to be the society woman she has pretended to be. Before he is done he has traditional enemies cooperating in his good deed. The alternate title THE CHINESE GODFATHER is an allusion not to the crime elements but to the young couple saying they want Chan to be the godfather of their first child.
Chan takes the opportunity to make this film even more different from his usual fare. Included is an extended tracking shot that took three days to film. While it does not stand up to the tracking shots of THE PLAYER and TOUCH OF EVIL, it is remarkable that it is present. Also for the night club scenes he has a lavish singing production number. It took tremendous chutzpah to pass off this sentimental comedy to audiences who had come for an action film, but the result could be Chan's most unusual film and it certainly seems to be unique in the martial arts genre. The one complaint is that this is territory that has so frequently been visited. Capra, of course, did the story twice. But also with a few substitutions the plot was reused for LA CAGE AUX FOLLES and THE BIRDCAGE. I rate this film a +6 on the 0 to 10 scale and a high +1 on the -4 to +4 scale.
Mark R. Leeper
mleeper@lucent.com
Copyright 1999 Mark R. Leeper
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