Wang is an ageing street performer known as the King of Mask for his mastery of the opera art of Change-Mask. His wife left him with their infant son over 30 years ago, and later, his son died of an illness at age 10. This left Wang a melancholy loner, aching for a male heir to teach and pass on this rare and dying art. Then, one night after a performance, he is sold a young boy by a slave trader posing as the boy's parent. "Grandpa" finds new joy in life as he plans to teach "Doggie" (an affectionate term often used for young children in China) his art. All is well until Doggie is found out to really be a girl. Edit Translation
- English
- magyar / magyar nyelv
- dansk
- Norsk
- Native Title: 变脸
- Also Known As: Bian Lian
- Director: Wu Tian Ming
- Genres: Historical, Drama
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Reviews
The acting of the child is superb. Part of the story line was revealed in the summary, but is revealed quickly in the movie. The rejection of the child when the identity is discovered leads to heart wrenching moments. You become totally immersed in the Chinese culture and how male traditions influence the lives of the people. But don't despair, this is one of those "feel good" movies that you will want to watch over and over again. I have and will again.
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Let's just say after the film was over, he turned to us with tears in his eyes and exclaimed how it was unexpectedly awesome.
I loved King of Masks in so many ways. So much of it was done with attention paid to factual elements of its era and every scene provided subtle meaning. If you pay attention close enough, you'll find many hints of humor as well that would be missed otherwise. I won't mention too much of its plot because it really will be a spoiler (although the synopsis provided some already).
The actors did an amazing job in their roles but the child actor was definitely the star. The very realistic and complex development of the bonds between our leads will tug hard at your heartstrings. And if you turn your nose up at older films with poorer picture quality, maybe get someone to force you to watch it as well and you may just become a fan like my friend's younger brother.
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