"The world is a cold place, but we can bring warmth to it” says a character in Wu Tian-Ming’s “The King of Masks” (1996). The movie’s plot unfolds to stay true to these words, although it goes to melodramatic heights. From a critical point of view, manipulative melodramas might be seen as an ineffective way of truly addressing a subject or theme, whose sole existence is based on to provide emotional catharsis for the viewer. But, few melodramas could really work its way in genuinely melting our hearts (cultural backdrop, superficial performance or deft direction could do that trick). In that manner, “King of Maks” is more than a cutesy, aphoristic tale. It is a graceful story about a little girl looking for home and love.
The movie is set in the Siachun Province during the 1930’s.
A Great Depression heavily hit the rural economy during this period. The
Western countries forced its agricultural goods on China, while the rural farmers
heavily suffered from the resulting massive price fall. Poverty-stricken rural
people sold their own female children rather than deal with the burdens of
raising a woman in a strictly patriarchal society. In this sorrowful era, we
meet street performer Master Wang (Zhu Xu) aka ‘King of Masks’. His main act
involves the magical dexterity of instantaneously switching between various
elaborate masks. Known as ‘Bian Lian’, the art of face-changing is one of the
ancient Chinese dramatic arts.
The secret behind the art is only passed down to the next of
kin. A rich and famous Opera singer named Master Liang, captivated by Master
Wang’s street performance, asks to lean the old man’s tricks. Wang rejects the
idea saying that he will only pass it to his heir (“While my talents may be
meager, only a son may inherit them” says Wang). He also graciously rejects
Liang’s offer to perform along with his Siachun Opera. But, Wang has no heirs.
His only child seems to have died at a young age, many years ago. He lives in a
small riverboat and performs in the little towns along riverbanks. King of Masks
now feels that he has to pass on his secrets.
As girls are not allowed to practice performance arts in
that era, Master Wang sets out to buy a boy in the black market. A destitute
farmer sells him a seven year old boy named ‘Doggie’ (Zhou Ren-Ying). Wang is
very happy as he has got a grandson to teach his arts. He also sees the boy as
a means to cope with his loneliness and familial losses. Alas, the boy turns
out to be a girl. The little girl, who has endured humiliations in the past,
resiliently stays with the old man. She begs to be his cook and all she hopes
for is a little compassion and a place to call ‘home’.
Director Wu Tian-Ming was away from China for nearly seven
years when he received an offer to make this movie. During 1989, he visited United
States and in that time Tienanmen Square massacre took place in China. He
criticized government’s attack on students and so his return to China was
jeopardized. He eventually returned to his country in 1995. Although, Tian-Ming
stayed away from camera for quite some years, he shows a keen eye for vivid
color and perfectly anchors the emotional relationship between Master Wang and
Doggie. The little girl’s face could be the radiant force from which the movie
could easily ride on, but the director also attempts to make us understand the
old man’s desperate, emotional state.
The director enunciates how art is trampled by cultural
changes and materialism. We could draw parallels to contemporary period on how
the male children are still greatly prized in patriarchal society, while female
children are of little value. The movie doesn’t call for sexual equality but
finely demonstrates this social defect. In one of movie’s poignant scene,
Doggie picks up a goddess statue on Wang’s boat and asks why he worships her,
pointing out the difference between reality and religious ideals.
‘Heartbreaking’ may seem like a mundane word to describe the
excellent performances. It’s really hard to avoid the lump in the throat when
Doggie desperately cries: ‘Grandpa! Grandpa!’ Zhou Ren-Ying is simply amazing
as Doggie. The director is said to have auditioned hundreds of little girls
before casting Zhou. In real life, Zhou was abandoned by her parents at the age
of 3 and was sold to an acrobatic troupe. May be that’s why the haunted look we
witness on Zhou’s face looks very real. After the film’s release she is said to
have reunited with her parents, but she haven’t pursued a career in films. Zhu
Xu is outstanding as the old man, wonderfully juggling his emotions like a true
face-changer. Despite such performances and deft direction, the movie’s flaw
rests in its third or final act. In this part, little subtleties are replaced
with outright manipulation of emotions.
“The King of Masks” (101 minutes) gives a poignant, life-affirming
movie experience. The human aspect of this story possesses an irresistible
universal appeal.
Trailer
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