STAGE DOOR
[HU-DU-MEN]
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
Hong Kong, 1996 Running Length: 1:38 MPAA Classification: No MPAA Rating (Mature themes, profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, 5/2/97 & 5/4/97
Cast: Josephine Siao Fong-fong, Anita Yuen, Daniel Chan, Chung King-fai, David Wu, Waise Lee Director: Shu Kei Producer: Ko Chi-sum Productions Screenplay: Raymond To Kwok-wai from his play Cinematography: Bill wong Chung-piu In Cantonese with subtitles
Who says soap operas can't be fun? Shu Kei's fifth feature, STAGE DOOR, has all the elements of a sudsy melodrama, but with one key difference: the film's lightly comic rhythm dares us to do anything but smile our way through the story. STAGE DOOR makes some telling points about sexual and national identity without ever abandoning its disarming tone in favor of the soapbox.
The film centers around the actors comprising the Shining Sword Troupe, a group of performers who put on nightly shows of Cantonese Opera. The lead actress, Sum (Josephine Siao Fong-fong), who has played male roles in operas and martial arts productions for decades, is preparing to emigrate to Australia with her husband and step-daughter. As Sum's final performance approaches, minor dramas swirl around her. Her husband fears that his daughter may be a lesbian. One of her co- stars is in love with her. Certain members of the troupe are on the verge of rebelling against the director's attempts to modernize their work. Sum's pretty, young protege shows signs of emotional and physical abuse. And a figure from the past arrives in time to make Sum question her decision to leave Hong Kong.
Currently, Hong Kong is undergoing an identity crisis as the reigns of power are transferred from England to China. By having Sum and her family wrestle with the decision to move to Australia and start a new life, Shu addresses the matter in an oblique, nonthreatening way. He also touches on issues of gender and female empowerment. Despite continually playing a man, Shu is very much a woman. She is also the most independent-minded individual in the film, yet is willing to sacrifice her successful career for the good of her loved ones.
STAGE DOOR is exuberant and entertaining -- a comedy that creates believable characters and allows us to laugh with them, not at them. The lead performance, by legendary Hong Kong actress Josephine Siao Fong-fong, is masterful. She crafts Sum into the kind of character that it's worth spending some time with, and the film crackles with energy whenever she's on screen. STAGE DOOR radiates warmth and joy, but there's a measure of substance to go along with the confection, and that's what makes this a rewarding motion picture experience.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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