Hidden Movie Gem: “The King of Masks”
Today’s Hidden Movie Gem guest post comes from John Nilsson Acosta.
Movie Title: The King of Masks
Year: 1997 in China (1999 in USA with DVD released in 2000)
Writers: Chen Wengui — Story, Wen Minglun — Screenplay
Lead Actors: Zhu Xu as Wang Bianlian “King Face Change” or King of Masks, Zhou Renying as Gou Wa “Doggie,” Zhao Zhigang as Liang Sao Lang “The Living Bodhisattva”
Director: Wu Tianming
Plot Summary: Nearing the end of his life, Wang — a locally renowned street performer and wizard of the venerable art of mask magic — yearns to pass on his technique. But custom decrees that he can only hand down his craft to a male successor. Anxious to preserve his unique art, the heirless Wang buys an impoverished 8-year-old on the black market. But when the child divulges a dreaded secret, Wang faces a choice between filial love and societal tradition.
Why I Think This Movie Is A Hidden Gem: The King of Mask, set in Sichuan Province in the 1930’s, tells a simple story that is filled with complex emotions and undercurrents.
This film’s title literally translated from Mandarin is Face Change. Like the Sichaun Opera art of face changing the film is about the masks we all wear and the changes we all go through in life. But if you are to grow and change and reveal your true self then you must pull away all the masks you wear.
From the first frame of the film you know you are in a different world and the story never pulls away from showing us the dark gritty side of humanity. It also reveals wonderful moments: the scene where they pray to the towering statue of Buddha carved into the rock wall that lines the Yangtze River and glimpses of life of the common people that live along the river. There’s also the scenes of children being kidnapped or bought and sold into slavery. By showing both of these aspects of life the film becomes beautiful in the Socratic sense — “My definition of beauty does not contain the absence of ugliness.”
The King of Masks effectively uses the traditional Chinese concept of “Face”, which means honor, respect, and ancestor worship to show how this cultural system devalues women. (Just watch the scene where Wang Bianlian goes to the street market to find a male heir.) The main character Wang practices the art of Face Changing, yet he cannot look behind the mask of a little girl to understand her true worth. This is his character’s fatal flaw. This film uses this flaw as a motif. Liang Sao Lang wears two masks since he is an actor that impersonates women in Sichuan Opera. Doggie also wears a mask and transforms from a boy to a girl to a Bodhisattva and finally into a beloved daughter and Queen of Masks. All these changes in Masks finally allow The King of Masks to see behind his own mask and value a little girl for who she is, rather than the appearance society has imposed on her.
My Favorite Moment In The Movie: The moment where Gou Wa “Doggie” decides to sacrifice her life to gain The King of Masks freedom. Since this scene was foreshadowed by an Opera scene with Liang “The Living Bodhisattva” earlier, you know exactly what this means. Doggie will make her sacrifice and in the process become a living Bodhisattva herself thus rescuing King of Masks from certain death and redeeming his soul so that his art will live on. This act transforms Wang Bianlian’s soul so he will reject the ancient discriminatory customs against women, and accept a little girl as his own daughter worth of inheriting his Art. The master at face changing finally can look beyond the masks.
My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie:
The call to action.
LIANG: You are truly a performers performer. In all my travels I’ve seen nothing so marvelous as your art! Your’s is a rare art indeed. Neither Peking nor Shaanxi Opera have anything like it. Sichuan Opera is famed for transformations, but they are paltry compared to your magic. The same potion brews differently in different hands.
WANG BIANLIAN: Every beggar’s got his own stick for beating off dogs. Even though my skills are meager, only a son may inherit them. It’s an ancient rule. Master Liang, though mine is a small teacup it doesn’t leak.
LIANG: You misunderstand. I’m not trying to steal your secrets. Merchants form businesses, we artists form troupes. Ropes aren’t made from single strands. Why not join my troupe? Slit the profits and add some color to our repertoire?
WANG BIANLIAN: That’s like asking two mountains to merge. I’m a loner used to solitary ways.
LIANG: Tell me, Old Master, have you a disciple? It’s a terrible thought but what if . . .
WANG BIANLIAN: I was to die without an heir? A minor matter I’ll carry to the grave.
LIANG: How callous of me! I’ve hurt your feelings. Old Master, we each choose our own course. Generals however never dismount, but gallop on.
WANG BIANLIAN: Thank you brother for your patronage. We’re even now.
LIANG: I wouldn’t dare presume. No one values girls. Even you will only make a boy your heir. As for me I’m a minor character, half a woman. I’m certainly not worthy of being called “brother” by you.
WANG BIANLIAN: I’ve spoken out of place.
LIANG: We all have our sorrows. Old Master, find yourself an heir. Don’t let your magic die.
Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie: Watch how efficient the film is. The writer and director Wu Tianming start almost every scene late and end it early. There’s no filler just efficient and effective storytelling.
As an example watch how the Director frames the image of Doggie when we first see her. As the scene ends he goes back to that image and then he pulls back from this close up to reveal that the scene has changed. We are now inside a tailor’s shop and Doggie is getting a new suit of clothes. (As Tarkovsky has stated with film you can sculpt in time.) The filmmakers are courageous to trust the audience and show rather than tell the story which actively engages viewers in the film’s story.
Wu Tianming is part of the “Fourth Generation” of Chinese film makers that came to prominence around the time of the Cultural Revolution. He was schooled in the Russian style of Social Realism. He ran Xi’an Studios and is known as the Grandfather of the “Fifth Generation” film of makers such as Chen Kaige (Yellow Earth) and Zhang Yimou (Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern).
Here’s something that will help you with your own writing. After viewing the film the first time and getting to know all the characters, go back and watch the first ten minutes again. In those opening scenes and sequences most of the major characters have been introduced, the world and is values have been setup, and if you pay attention you will notice the use of Chekhov’s gun. The little boy named Tianci is briefly seen and without any obvious dialogue you know how precious he is to his family. Later he is used as a character in a major plot development and because we were shown who he is the dramatic stakes have been raised when Wang Bianlian (King of Masks) is taken into custody by the police.
China has a very rich cinematic heritage hopefully this film will lead you down the road of exploration into that world allowing you to discover new ideas that will enrich your talents to tell a story with a profound sense of drama and beauty. Later when you’re writing that big blockbuster action Sci/Fi Epic you’ll be able to do more than just setting scenes in Shanghai or Hong Kong. You’ll be able to flesh out Chinese characters that have depth and emotion.
Movie Trailer:
Notes on Chinese Names: I have used the traditional Chinese way with family name first followed by given name. Also I used the Modern Standard Chinese (Beijing University) English spelling. Chinese text translated into English can become quite confusing. In older translations you have to know whether they are using the British system (Wade-Giles) or American (Yale).
Thanks, John! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!
Tomorrow: Another Hidden Movie Gem!
Note: We filled up the month of October, so I don’t need any more guest posts. Thanks to everyone who participated!
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