[review] A Time of Taste

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INDEX :

1. Reviewer : Charbydis @ SPCnet   (p.1)

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More about "A Time of Taste" @ http://www.maggieshiu.net/bbs/viewthread.php?tid=315    (chinese)

[此贴子已经被作者于2006-10-7 8:22:00编辑过]

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http://www.spcnet.tv/reviews/review.php?rID=732

 

A Time of Taste
*Reviewed by Charbydis
  

"A Time of Taste" is about a pair of lovers, Mai Sheung Moon and Tung So So, where their true love spans more than 60 years, against the backdrops of big events in Chinese history after the fall of the Qing government (1912) to 1997. Apart from the heart-wrenching situations of the characters, you can also feel the disappointment and need of hope Chinese people felt in the 20th century. This is a very sentimental and touching piece by TVB, made alive by fabulous acting and a moving and realistic script.

MAJOR SPOILERS ALERT!!!

Story:

1917: Change from Qing Dynasty to Kuomintang

The tale is narrated by Mai Kar Fung, who is the student of the series’ main character, Mai Sheung Moon. The series begins in 1917, when the Manchu Qing government has just fallen 5 years ago. China is torn between change and tradition, where the people are unsure whether to follow reform for a better life, or to remain loyal to the Qing government through fear of instability and hope that the government would seize power again.

Sheung Moon is an optimistic 14-year-old boy who lives in a small isolated village in north China, where his innocent mind is unaware of the issues and conflicts in the city. He has a very young brother and sister, and also a very sick father who is bed-ridden all day long. Thus, Sheung Moon is burdened to take care of the whole family.

On New Year’s Day, Sheung Moon’s elder sister, who married a rich man as a lowly concubine to save the family a starving mouth to feed, steals away to come home and supply her family with stolen steamed buns from her kitchen. Her husband refuses to let her visit her family. Her husband and his men suddenly arrive nearby with fierce dogs and the sister escapes in panic. For fear of losing the buns, Shueng Moon’s father stuffs the buns in his mouth and chokes to death.

After burying him, Sheung Moon realises that the only way for the family to survive is to go to the city and find a job. But along the way, he is distracted in catching a rabbit for food, and leaves his young siblings alone in the forest, who are dragged off by a pack of wolves. Sheung Moon remains guilty and grieved for the rest of his life. Alone, he sets off in hunger to the city, Beijing, hoping to find a way to survive.

In the city, Sheung Moon steals food from a man, and is knocked unconscious. This man is in fact a very talented cook, who can whip up fabulous dishes that are unmatched by even famous and well-known cooks. However, instead of finding fame and wealth, this man chooses to sell small snacks in the streets. He lives alone and keeps himself at a distance from other people. He admires the mysterious lady that lives next to him, but they never talk.

During a festival, it is revealed that this man is in fact Po Gung Gung, the Head Chef Eunuch in the Imperial Palace, whose dishes are well-loved by Empress Dowager Ci Hei herself; and the mysterious beauty that lives next to him, is a Gwai Yun, an imperial concubine candidate. Both were evicted from the palace since the fall of the dynasty along with other eunuchs, concubines and workers.

The Yuk family is a very rich Manchu family in Beijing, headed by the Yuk Lo Yeah, who expresses a huge interest in culinary performance, and aims to employ the best chef in his mansion. By chance, he comes across Po Gung Gung whom he wants to employ, but the arrogant and introverted chef refuses his offer, causing Yuk Lo Yeah’s butler to burn down Po Gung Gung’s house to force him into desperation.

Sheung Moon comes to the rescue of the drunken Po Gung Gung, but the whole house burns down. Only a few belongings are recovered. After collaborating with the butler, he tricks Po Gung Gung into accepting Yuk Lo Yeah’s offer, and Sheung Moon becomes his disciple.

In the Yuk mansion, Sheung Moon meets the 14-year-old Tong So So, who both initially hate each other, but end up as friends. Tong So So is the daughter-in-law of the Yuk family’s second son, the 5-year-old Yuk Hung Chim. So So is unhappy with her arranged marriage, but has to as her family is poor. However, she has a special place in her heart for the Yuk family’s first son, Yuk Hung Go, a university student full of hope for China in reform and change.

Hung Go is unhappy with his father’s stubborn loyalty to the fallen Qing government, and the two always break out in arguments due to a difference in opinion. He is surrounded by university friends who share the same hope he has, and he pities his aunt, the Gwai Yun who lives next to Po Gung Gung, whose life is ruined by his father’s traditional and selfish thoughts.

The aunt, Yuk Sung Yin, was sent to the palace at a young age as a concubine for Emperor Gwong Sui, but even after 10 years, she did not managed to even see one glimpse of the Emperor. In these ten years of loneliness, disappointment and boredom, she developed hate for her elder brother, Yuk Lo Yeah, who wasted her time and beauty for a promotion as an official. Even when she came home, she kept in her room all day long, and was extremely picky in food and maids due to life in the palace.

As the people still have hope that the Qing Dynasty will revive, men are afraid to marry Yuk Sung Yin even though she is very beautiful, as she is a Gwai Yun and whoever marries her will be beheaded. She loses hope in life and resorts to smoking opium.

While Sheung Moon begin developing love for So So and jealousy for Hung Go, Po Gung Gung is infactuated with Yuk Sung Yin, yet is angry with himself as he is an eunuch, and discriminated by all. He is even more grieved when she begins to date a playboy who stole her virginity, and immediately dumped her, resulting in her taking her own life by swallowing raw opium.

Luckily she is saved, and Po Gung Gung uses all methods to make her happy. Through this time, the two develop feelings for each other and truly understand each other’s sadness. But Yuk Lo Yeah opposes as he is a eunuch, and at the same time, the Qing government grows stronger and calls for all eunuchs to return to the palace. After she refuses to elope with him, Po Gung Gung is saddened and leaves for the palace. He leaves Sheung Moon his knife, a jade, and a recipe book for imperial dishes, hoping that he will make good use of it. Yuk Sung Yin is saddened and her maids find her shoes by the well with a farewell letter…..

Meanwhile, Hung Go is disappointed by the Qing government growing stronger, and leaving So So with his trumpet and promising to return, he sacrifices himself to grenade a car carrying an important official. But after he fights his way to the car, he finds that the car is empty….

*** SPOILERS***

Yuk Hung Go is shot to death by the guards. Thus, the Yuk mansion is burned to the ground and looted, and Sheung Moon is separated from So So.

Pu Gung Gung finds a rickshaw chasing after him, and when he sees the face behind the umbrella, he smiles! Yuk Sung Yin smiles back at him.

*** END OF SPOILERS ***

1937: Japanese Invasion of Shanghai

Sheung Moon has now opened a small restaurant in Shanghai, earning little, and struggling to keep cooking as the rent increases. So So, however, through poverty and hunger, has become a prostitute, and suffers through many traumatic experiences. She uses her beauty and body to get as much as she can from lustful rich men, hoping to make enough to live comfortably for the rest of her life.

Sheung Moon and So So live in the same building, but have no idea that the other is their childhood friend. However, they can’t stop quarrelling. So So has become very materialistic and wary.

Gum Ying Shun is an innocent and demure Korean dancer, orphaned by the Japanese invasion of Korea and traumatized by the brutal rape and murder of her mother. Her husband and his friends are involved with an anti-Japanese organization, and the two are separated when he tries to assassinate a high-ranking Japanese official, and goes into hiding. So So pities Ying Shun and lets her live with her for free, and becomes her friend.

Pierre is a Chinese orphan who has returned from France. He is a reporter for a famous newspaper, and aims to let readers know the whole truth. He wants to live in a place where the general public lives so he can experience what most Shanghainese citizens experience, and ends up living with Sheung Moon.

So So accidentally splashes dirty water on Pierre instead of her target, Sheung Moon, and she suddenly realizes upon closer look, that he very much resembles Hung Go, whom she misses very much. She tries to get near him all the time, but mispronounces his name as “Pair”!

Apart from his looks, Pierre’s gentle manner and broad knowledge remind So So of Hung Go, but So So has already become involved with a rich man called Lam Yat San. Through Pierre’s article on Sheung Moon's cooking abilities, Lam Yat San opens a restaurant called “Sheung Moon Lau” for Sheung Moon to manage.

One day, she approaches him on the roof of their building and tells him that he reminds him of someone, and upon further description, Pierre realises that she is describing his house, his family, and his elder brother, for he is Yuk Hung Chim, the 5-year old whom she was supposed to marry!

Sheung Moon overhears and reveals his identity and the three reunite, but So So is burdened by the traditional thought that he is her husband and that she should be with him. However, Hung Chim does not consider her as a wife since his father chose her, not him. Sheung Moon’s feelings for her rekindle, but she refuses him. He tries to rape her, but stops when he sees her crying.

Ying Shun’s husband, Ah Yung, returns for her, but when they are just about to escape, he is shot to death by Japanese officials. Then during a meeting with Lam Yat San, Hung Chim suspects from his habits that Lam Yat San may be Japanese, so he investigates, and indeed, Lam Yat San is a Japanese Lieutenant and Ying Shun recognizes him as the soldier who raped and murdered her mother!

Then all chaos break loose as Hung Chim publishes his findings and aggravates extreme hatred towards Japanese in Shanghai. “Sheung Moon Lau” is emptied of customers and people come to protest all day. Even still, Sheung Moon tries to keep the restaurant running and hopes that he will one day open his won restaurant.

North China is attacked by the Japanese and Sheung Moon allows refugees to eat for free at the restaurant, Lam Yat San is angered by this, and by opportunity, rapes Ying Shun who works as a waitress. Sheung Moon adopts an orphan called Ah Choi.

Hung Chim is captured by the Japanese as he has found out about the day that the Japanese will attack Shanghai and has written an article about it. He tells Sheung Moon to take a copy to the printer if he is missing, but fearing that publishing the article will cause Shanghai to be deserted as well as his restaurant, he selfishly burns it. After many attempts to stand up to the Japanese, Hung Chim is forced to take back what he previously wrote after immense physical torture by Lam Yat San in the papers and people mistaken him as a traitor.

Ying Shun joins a Korean anti-Japanese agency in an assassination attempt on Lam Yat San’s life, but failed. However, Hung Chim escaped in the chaos. Sheung Moon finally regrets burning the article and tries to tell people to leave Shanghai, but everyone thinks he is crazy. Only So So is beside him and comforts him, and they spend the night together.

Sheung Moon and his mates decide that Shanghai is too dangerous for them to stay and they arrange to go away, after contacting Ying Shun. But at that time, a very depressed Hung Chim knocks on So So’s door….

*** SPOILERS ***

She is unable to cast aside the traditional image that this is her husband and the resemblance he has to her beloved Yuk Hung Go. She stays with him, and Sheung Moon sadly leaves Shanghai without her.

END OF SPOILERS ***

[此贴子已经被作者于2006-10-7 8:28:51编辑过]

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1966: Communism

Sheung Moon is now married to Ying Shun, but they have no children, though he wants a son badly. He has reopened “Sheung Moon Lau” and business is booming. They have adopted an orphan, whose parents have been killed by the Japanese, and have named him Mai Kar Fung. Kar Fung is a naïve and quiet person, and is even a bit slow in learning. He goes to evening classes and begins a very pure love relationship with Kiu Sum, a ballet teacher and student who comes from a rich doctor family. She is naïve and playful, but she is also very friendly.

However, Ah Choi, the other adopted orphan, has become an obsessive gambler and is very lazy. He disrespects Sheung Moon and Ying Shun, and hates them for restricting him all the time, since he gambles.

Hung Chim re-enters the story as the high-ranked chief of a rehabilitation centre for prostitutes, but he is much more distant and reserved than he used to be. His assistant, Ying Yuk Guen, has a subtle crush on him, but he doesn’t seem to be very interested. She is extremely stressed and surprised when he takes a special interest in the file and history of a prostitute by the name of Tung So So.

It turns out that after So So refused to leave Shanghai with Sheung Moon, she and Hung Chim started a relationship, but he eventually ended it to join the army, as an act to neutralize his guilt in failing to warn Shanghai of the attack, causing many to be massacred.

However, So So has also changed from the loud, flamboyant woman she used to be. She is now quiet, but has no hope in life, she no longer shows interest in seeing Hung Chim again, and she refuses to see Sheung Moon when he comes to visit her after finding by chance where she is.

So So’s doctor reveals that she once had a child which was lost in the chaos of the war, but nobody but her knows who the father is. Both Hung Chim and Sheung Moon want to know, but she refuses to tell. Afraid that she will never get out of the centre, Hung Chim promises to find her daughter for her, and re-ignites the hope she has in life.

After graduating from the rehabilitation centre, she becomes a cleaner in the school where Kiu Sum works and studies. The two are very close, as Kiu Sum reminds So So of her lost daughter.

Sheung Moon often comes to visit, hoping to know why she didn’t leave with him in 1933, and to be with her one more. Ying Shun senses that her husband is always thinking about So So, and feels inferior since she was raped and hasn’t had a son yet. She thinks that he married her because he pitied her.

Ying Shun finally becomes pregnant, and Sheung Moon is ecstatic, but he still can’t help going over to So So’s house to start all over with her, even though she strongly refuses. Once, Sheung Moon tries to force So So to be with him again, and Ying Shun sees all of this, and she loses the child from stress.

The new government wants every business to belong to the government and slowly pushes Sheung Moon into giving up control of his restaurant. The brainwashed Ah Choi from attending reform classes, starts to take over control in the name of the government, and starts picking attacks on Sheung Moon for the slightest of reasons.

Sheung Moon resents Hung Chim for not helping him with his powerful position, since Hung Chim shows immense faith in the new government, hoping it would do good for the people.

Kiu Sum invites So So to a party at her house, and So So finds the trumpet which used to belong to Yuk Hung Go, which proves Kiu Sum is her lost daughter. Her adopted father wants to tell Kiu Sum, but So So stops him, thinking that she will be better off not knowing.

However, the Kiu family falls into trouble with the government, So So begs Hung Chim to save Kiu Sum, but he is found out and is demoted and sent to Shan Xi. He also reveals a devastating secret he has kept for years, which is the reason why he never came back for So So ….

Hung Chim is to leave for Shan Xi, and asks for So So to leave with him. Sheung Moon finds out and begs for her to stay. Kiu Sum also finds out that So So is her mother, but is unable to accept it.

So who is the father of Kiu Sum, Sheung Moon or Hung Chim? Will So So leave or stay?

*** SPOILERS ***

So So reveals that Kiu Sum is her daughter with Hung Chim. Sheung Moon lets her go as she refuses to stay. Hung Chim never came back for So So because in war, he was bombed and he became sterile, and could never have children. He is estatic to find he still has a daughter, Kiu Sum.

*** END OF SPOILERS ***

1970’s: Cultural Revolution

The Communist government now targets business owners, ancient artefacts collectors, doctors, teachers, prostitutes (past and present), Manchurians, and land owners. Neighbours now act as spies for the government and report on Sheung Moon’s family and even make up things to get them into trouble, and to prove that they themselves, are loyal subjects of the government.

Ah Choi now holds a small position in the government, and frequently leads people to take Sheung Moon and others out to parade in the streets and be insulted. Kar Fung and Kiu Sum are now married, and he has become the chef of the restaurant.

Kiu Sum’s father has been targeted since he is rich and is a doctor, and has been framed for butchering his patients. In protest, he commits suicide. But the people instead punish his daughter, and Kiu Sum is forces to pick up faeces and clean the place everyday.

On day in the streets, Sheung Moon walks past a group of prostitues being parades, and recognizes one of them to be So So. He cannot call her lest he get her into further trouble, and only tells his own wife.

So So is bullied by kids as she returns home, and Hung Chim protectively chases away the kids who are hurting her. He cleans her up and finds her hair cut horribly, and her body beaten and bruised. They are now married, and have been transferred back to Shanghai. However, they are occasionally targeted as she used to be a prostitute, and he is a Manchurian. Hung Chim tries to protect So So as much as he can, but the things he can do are limited. They try not to contact Sheung Moon and Kiu Sum lets they cause trouble for them.

So So is soon taken to a labour camp in the country to work on agriculture, while Hung Chim is taken away by the officials to be routine interrogation. Sheung Moon tries to protect his teacher’s remaining knife and recipe book, but the people rush into his home and burn them since they are seen as personal property.

Sheung Moon is jailed, and one day as Ying Shun comes to visit him, she dies of a heart attack in the streets. Sheung Moon feels saddened and guilt that he has not treated her better, and he has been sent to the same labour camp that So So is at.

Kar Fung and Kiu Sum are also separated when the officials come to take her into rehabilitation in the country to work in a dairy, aiming “to wash her mind of materialism”. She is in charge of washing the area. Kar Feng silently waits for her return. Hung Chim’s straightforward behaviour leaves the officials nothing secretive to pick on and they release him, only to send him to the dairy to work as a labourer.

Sheung Moon meets up with So So and they find it ironic that both have escaped from the country in their youth to survive, but now are being brought back in their dying days. Kiu Sum also meets up with Hung Chim, but refuses to acknowledge him since it would only make matters worse. But in the end, his sincerity moves her and she accepts him. He encourages her to continue with her ballet.

After a while, Hung Chim is sent back to Shanghai because of his good behaviour and on a mountain, Kiu Sum performs ballet for him against the sunset, as the truck he is in leaves the area. Hung Chim is sent to work in Shanghai, but he requests leave to go and visit his wife.

The three meet up in the country and all previous hatred or hard feelings are cast aside as they enjoy the hospitality of the simple country people who do not care for politics, and only for the harvest to be good.

Kiu Sum also returns to Shanghai and Kar Fung is very excited. They leave for the country to visit their parents, and for a few days all seven of them live as one family, and Kiu Sum finally calls So So “Mother”.

However, one night in bed, Kiu Sum tells Kar Feng that she wants to continue ballet, and the only way for her to do that is to go to America! They plan to steal away to Hong Kong first, but on the way, some patrol officers find them, and Kar Feng runs to distract them from his pregnant wife. As Kiu Sum hides in the bushes, she hears gunshots and no more footsteps….

*** SPOILERS ***

Hung Chim dies of a heart attack in the forest while collecting firewood, but dies happy to see his wife and daughter again. He still holds high hope of the country, even though it failed him, and wishes that one day, the country will do good for the people.

*** END OF SPOILERS ***

1990: Modern Hong Kong

Kiu Sum successfully escaped to Hong Kong, but she never went to America. Her son, Michael, is in university in America, and she works as a famous ballerina, even though she is in her forties. However, her increasing age makes her insecure amongst the new wave of younger ballerinas, and on day, she is relieved of her position as she is too old to dance.

Michael comes back from America just before his graduation, and takes his mother shopping to cheer her up. However, in a hotel, Kiu Sum bumps into a group of men, and when she looks up, it is Kar Fung, who she thought of as dead for the last twenty years.

However, times have changed, and so have people. Kiu Sum finds it hard to re-accept this husband of hers back in her life, since they have such different lifestyles know. However, Kar Fung and Michael hope that they will reunite as a family. But having been independent for so many years, Kiu Sum finds it impossible….

*** SPOILERS ***

Kiu Sum has been hiding her feelings for so long to protect herself, and finally, she gives in to Kar Fung’s comfort. She had been back in Shanghai every year to look for any news of him, but failed to find any. Even the restaurant had closed down. It seemed that Kar Fung had indeed been shot and arrested, and he was put in jail. When he was released, he became a chef again and slowly rose to the top.

However, Kar Fung’s visa in Hong Kong has expired, and he has to return to China. His wife and son wait for him to return.

*** END OF SPOILERS ***

1997: Return of Hong Kong

Hong Kong has been returned to China, and Kar Fung comes to Hong Kong to reunite with his family. Kiu Sum has put away all dreams of herself doing ballet anymore, and has devoted the rest of her life to being with Kar Fung.

Kar Fung finally fulfils Sheung Moon’s dreams of opening a restaurant that is only devoted to cooking. As he walks up the stairs to the opening of the restaurant “Sheung Moon Lau” with his family, he thinks back to a letter he got a few years back, about Sheung Moon and So So…

*** SPOILERS ***

The old man whom Sheung Moon lived with in the labour camp wrote a letter to him a few years back on his death bed, and told him that Sheung Moon and So So never returned on the day they left for Hong Kong. They went out to pay respects at the grave of Hung Chim, then headed home. They were found the next morning in the fields, lying still, and holding hands. No one knew what they had died of, and nobody cared, because both of them died with a smile.

*** END OF SPOILERS ***

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Characters:

Mi Sheung Moon: Power Chan (5/5) & Sean Lau (5/5)

An optimistic person all the way from young to old, who likes to cause occasional jokes and likes teasing people. Growing up in an isolated village leads to him only being able to think about himself and not others, causing him to act selfishly and be extremely judgmental on other people.

However, he truly loves Tong So So, even though he judges her at first for being a prostitute. He is easily jealous, but often neglects his wife, Ying Shun’s feelings, and does what he want to. He is unable to adapt his thinking to change in the environment, thus causing so much hurt and attacks on his family during the Cultural Revolution. He also likes to blame others for not helping or understanding him, even when it is his fault at first.

He is a kind person at heart, like how he protected Po Gung Gung from being ridiculed in the streets for being an eunuch, and meeting this man changed his life. He showed him how to survive, and Po Gung Gung acted like a second father to him, even though he was very strict.

Tong So So: Rain Lau (5/5) & Jacqueline Law (5/5)
  

A loud, cocky and teasing girl at first, who gradually matured to a quiet and depressed woman in her last days, hoping that her daughter would one day call her “Mother!”.

She was sold as a child-bride to Yuk Hung Chim as her family was poor, and she is very motherly to him. Her first crush was on Yuk Hung Go, a perfect man she could never have since he was her brother-in-law.

Yuk Sung Yin taught her that being born in such an era as a woman, you can do nothing about it but suffer, which So So tried to prove wrong in her young days by using her remaining youth and beauty to live off rich men so she won’t suffer, but in her fifties, she finally realized that it was true. She suffered emotionally in great amounts, and she could do nothing about it but accept it.

Just as with the above two actors, Rain and Jacqueline gave very good and distinct performances. Rain too, could act like she was fourteen with a giant crush, and she had great chemistry with Power. It was hilarious when they two shared a scene as they were always bickering at each other.

Jacqueline played very convincing a flamboyant woman with a dark past, showing one face to the men she slept with, and then when she turned around, disgust. Then as she matured, Jacqueline also changed her body position to show her increasing age, such as the arched back, droopy eyes, and flopping hands by her side.

And she can really cry, all her crying scenes were done so convincing that I wanted to cry soon. I think her best performance would be when she was leaving on a boat with Hung Chim, and Sheung Moon was chasing after their boat, and she was crying with her back to him. She had great chemistry with both David and Sean.

Yuk Hung Chim & Yuk Hung Go : David Siu Chung Hang (5/5)

From a young man full of dreams to a disappointed old man with no more dreams, but just hope. He is well-educated after being adopted by a priest in France after his home burnt down, and hopes to use his own journalism skills to let people know the truth.

He risked his own life to inform Shanghai of the Japanese invasion, but after Sheung Moon burnt the article, he was condemned as a traitor. All he did was lost, no matter how much torture he suffered because he refused to give up the article, he was forever branded as a traitor.

He tried to redeem himself by joining the army, but he lost everything in that war. He lost his confidence, yet he forced himself to be strong. He’s like another Po Gung Gung.

He refuses So So in the start because like he said, all he ever though of her was an elder sister. When he cried, she would come and change his nappy. She was his father’s choice, not his own. But eventually, her support made him fall in love with her for real. But he still chose his country over love, but in the end, he chose her.

He became a very protective husband and never lost his gentle manner towards people. In his old age, all he wanted was to be together as a family, and for the people to have a better life. He was also a very understanding father.

David Siu must be one of the most attractive men in TVB. Even with all the make-up in making him look fifty-something, he still looks better than Ekin. He gave a very fine performance as well. He is very good in showing disappointment and also hidden pain. He acts and looks like a curious reporter, and later on, as a solemn and respected officer.

When he eventually cries on So So’s shoulder, you feel that this man has hidden himself for so long against the cruel torture of the Japanese, the harsh winters of Moscow, the dangers of politics, the accusations of Sheung Moon, and the loneliness of an aging man.

Yuk Hung Go returns from university with many ideas to change the world. He is Manchurian, yet he does not wish for his ethnicity to win to secure his status and power. All he wants is to change the world so the people can live better and fairer.

He runs away to university because he is unable to live with his traditional and selfish father, but he returns, hoping to find change, and is disappointed that there hasn’t been any. His warm gentlemanly manner wins So So’s affections, and his kindness and open-mindedness makes him hard to forget, even when So So is in her fifties.

He pities his aunt, and tries to engage her in fun activities with her friends to make her feel happy, but he never guessed that it would cause her to commit suicide. He tried to protect her from his friend, but failed, and he blames himself for that. However, he accepts and encourages Po Gung Gung to be with his aunt because she would be happy.

In his aunt’s final letter, she tells him to take care of So So and help her escape from the fate of being a child-bride, but with him already accepted a suicide mission, he can only beg Sheung Moon to take care of her instead. He sacrificed himself for the people, and it was an irony that it was a trap, and he died for an empty car.

Compared to his brother, he is stronger in both flesh and mind. So So sees him in Hung Chim, which is probably why she cannot bring herself to leave Hung Chim in Shanghai. He can give his life for his country, but Hung Chim cannot.

David is great, as said above, and his drunk speech to Sheung Moon is one of his best performances.

Gum Ying Shun: Maggie Siu Mei Kei (5/5)

A beautiful Korean dancer who is traditionally quiet and timid, and burdened in seeing her mother brutally raped and killed in the Japanese occupation of Korea. She left with her lover to China, but he sacrificed himself for his country.

She refuses to believe that he has died, and stubbornly waits for his return, because he didn’t really die, but he did in the end. Her innocence and naivety serve as a contrast to the worldly and flamboyant So So, whom she lives with. She is also very cute when she does not understand the sleazy things said.

However, her life is tragic as her first husband died, and she is raped by the same man who raped her mother, Lam Yat San. But she tries her best for her country and herself when she tries to assassinate Lam Yat San, but fails.

Her marriage to Sheung Moon may be due to loneliness, but Maggie shows very well the sadness and inferiority she feels when she senses her husband loves So So. She is frustrated and grieved to find out about her husband’s feelings and thinks of herself as a third wheel. Even until the day she died, she thinks of herself as such. She is kind to Kar Fung and other workers. She even gives time for Sheung Moon to be alone with So So, even though it makes her sad.

Maggie is very beautiful and cute in this series, and even with little make-up, she looks very attractive.

[此贴子已经被作者于2006-10-7 8:46:52编辑过]

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Mi Kar Fung: Ekin Cheng Yee Kin (4/5)

A meek, timid man, who respects his adopted parents and loves his wife. You may think he is slow and weak at first, but when Ah Choi forces him to denounce Sheung Moon, he bravely makes such a moving speech neutralizing all the things Ah Choi said about Sheung Moon that you will start crying too. He is not afraid to let people know the secrets about him because only that way, will people stop attacking them. That was his best performance I had ever seen in both series and films.

He is such a goody-two-shoes here that you wouldn’t have guessed that he would be the star of the “The Young and Dangerous” series in the late 90’s. However, he is a bit stiff in scenes, or maybe it is the script that is the problem.

Kiu Sum: Chan Mun Yee (3/5)

A naïve girl from a good family with nothing to worry about until she finds out So So was her birth mother. She cares about So So, but she can’t accept her as her mother because her adopted parents are just too nice.

Her character is pretty selfish and inconsistent as she matures, and I don’t understand why she cannot accept Kar Fung when they meet again in Hong Kong. She overdoes the cuteness when he is young, and she becomes too unfeeling when she is older.

Ah Choi: Wayne Lai Yiu Cheung (5/5)

An annoying ungrateful brat who turned on his teacher. Sheung Moon thought Ah Choi reminded him of himself when Po Gung Gung took him in, but boy, he was wrong. Ah Choi is a lazy good-for-nothing who spends his time stealing tips and gambling. He bullies other waiters, and especially Kar Fung into doing work for him.

After attending a reform class, he gets brainwashed by the policies and ideas, and turns against Sheung Moon in the name of the government, and causes other people misery just to make himself look good and seem patriotic.

Wayne did such a good job as this annoying guy that I wanted to kill him. I can’t believe this is the same guy who was so loved by many in JTTW in 1996 as Piggy.

Po Gung Gung: Lam Sheung Mo (4/5)

Castrated at 10 as his family was poor, he entered the palace and slowly rose to become the head chef in the Imperial Kitchen at a young age. He is extremely arrogant because of his skills, but underneath this, he is very sad and lonely, and he finds comfort in the company of Sheung Moon. He has extremely low self-esteem because he has been castrated, and he acts very cold and unemotional to hide this. He is ridiculed by everyone when he leaves the palace.

He finds himself attracted to Yuk Sung Yin, and finds it his responsibility to take care of her since she is a concubine (she's the mistress, and he the servant; but also because he genuinely loves her). But he knows his own status and hides his love, only to be hurt even more when he sees her go out on dates with other men, and see her even attempt suicide because of them.

Finally after the encouragement of Yuk Hung Go, he tells Yuk Sung Yin that he loves her, and she accepts, but she refuses to elope with him. Depressed, he returns to the palace when called, thinking that he will spend the rest of his life in the palace, but he doesn’t.

I haven’t seen this actor around much, but Lam Sheung Mo really put forward a good performance. You can easily see his frustration and grief by hiding his emotions, and by his sudden outbursts of anger at Sheung Moon when he wants to become a eunuch too, you will see that he truly cares for this boy and regards him as a son. However, the script doesn’t make him do much and makes him look stiff.

Yuk Sung Yin: Mimi Kung Chi Yan (3/5)

A lonely woman who has wasted her life in the palace due to her brother who wanted a promotion, and sent her to be a concubine to raise his own worth. However, the emperor never chose or saw her, and she became very emotional and depressed with life. She has gigantic mood swings and is very arrogant and insensitive (especially towards Po Gung Gung’s feelings).

She wants to get married, but her brother is picky. Also, people are afraid to marry her since she used to be an imperial concubine. She thought she found true love in her nephew’s friends, but he only used her body and abandoned her.

Only Po Gung Gung, using his own painful experience, told her that many people, such as him, had worse lives than hers. Through this, they began to share an understanding and eventually fall in love.

Mimi’s acting here is not bad, but because the script requires her to be meek and quiet, she doesn’t do much and it can’t show her acting skills. However, when the script requires, she can actually be sad and depressed.

Songs: (5/5)

Both the themesong and the sub-themesong were sung by Terence Choi, which suited the story very well.

The theme is of an enchanting, slow melody that talks about how hard life is for a person against the harshness of fate and times and how one can never predict what fate has planned for them. It effectively describes the life of Chinese people in these chaotic and changing times.

The sub-theme also talks about changing times, but it is in a faster and less sad tune, which suits the encouraging lyrics that tell people to not waste their life even if times are changing and life is hard.

Script: (4/5)

The overall story is good, and very moving and emotional. It shows a lot of depth and hidden agendas, and it reminds the audience of how hard our ancestors have lived to have what we have now.

It tells us not to give up in hard times, and always have something to hope for, no matter how difficult it may be to achieve it, because who knows, maybe we will succeed one day.

However, on a smaller note, the characters are not expanded to the extent that they can be. Instead of the usual rushed TVB ending, this ending is very draggy and inconsistent.

It is a disappointing conclusion to such a moving series, but I tend to ignore it since the rest of the series was so good.

To Rent Or Not To Rent

If you are wondering whether to rent this series or not, I recommend you to get it straightaway! You don't see series like this everyday!

Charbydis's Rating: (Scale of 5)

[此贴子已经被作者于2006-10-7 8:50:18编辑过]

yi

hoho, it can be seen  Ekin Cheng Yee Kin oh, woo.........

i never see it before, may be there has another taste

mimi

Everyone looks so young back then...

hzleaf

where do u dig out this piece of old movie vcd?

haha... i ve nv heard of it... haz=)

mimi

QUOTE:

以下是引用hzleaf在2006-10-16 1:50:57的发言：

where do u dig out this piece of old movie vcd?

haha... i ve nv heard of it... haz=)

You mean Shaw? I do not think she has this drama in vcd...