The Soong Sisters (1997)

the audience applauded

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Showing history accurately with all its complexities in a movie under a couple of hours will always be challenging. Mabel Cheung should be commended for trying.Her attempt to tell the story of the birth of the Chinese Republic through the three Soong sisters succeeded as a engaging watchable movie. But unfortunately it fails to be a masterpiece that the material demands.Here is a drama of a vast nation struggling to come to terms with itself and with the rest of the world (which was either benign or well meaning). Yet the story was told more like a soap opera of three rich but rather spoiled girls. The argument between the wife of Sun Yat- Sen, Ching Ling, and wife of Chiang Kai Shek, Mei King, at one point was presented as a sibling rivalry as who gets to be the First Lady of China.For the technically inclined, the film editing can be better. While trying to juxtapose a Peking opera performance with the escape of Soong Ching Ling from hostility, instead of emphasizing the drama, the cut & jump seem to be disjointed. The action sequences also lack authenticity and pace.Watch this movie as entertainment, you will be rewarded with beautiful art direction, good photography and overall superb acting (with a very convincing performance by Jiang Wen as Charlie Soong).

One should not use the word "entertaining" to describe this movie. I watched the movie with unspeakable emotions. It is only when one can feel the awe at how the fate of the Soong sister was intertwined with the fate of modern China, that one can really appreciate the movie. It is my personal observation that the Soong sisters are also the 3 major representatives of the Chinese people today, but if only they could work together like the Soong sisters...In terms of performance, the earlier part of the movie is spoiled by the horrid acting of Winston Chao. For the great father who liberated modern China from the rotten feudalism of the Qing dynasty, wasn't the producer obliged to find a more compelling actor for the role?

Although this film glosses over the real facts, it is nevertheless an interesting look at the astonishing lives of three famous sisters who whether because of, or despite, their unusual Christian US college educated upbringing, married major players in China's 20th century history, and an interesting comparison to "The Last Emperor" which dealt with the same period of China's history. Any film about women, made by a woman, suffers from a bias, and this film is no exception. No mention was made of the three brothers, or what became of them. Because the rise of the sisters was due in no small way to their father's conversion from a young Chinese shop assistant to an American educated Christian minister, subsequently making a fortune printing bibles, I would have liked at least a prologue showing his extraordinary progress. Not only was their father a Methodist Minister but he had a very western progressive outlook, and judging by their lack of filial piety - spoiled his girls rotten. Of the three girls, only Ching-Ling comes across as sincere, the others appear motivated by greed and power. This slant may of course be due to the mainland Chinese influence. Overall, the film can be summed up as a spectacular epic romance.

Modern Chinese History forms the backdrop for this sweeping portrait of the Soong Sisters, three siblings who married powerful men and used their positions to influence the politics of early 20th Century China. The film spans the period from the formation of the Chinese Republic in 1911 to the take-over by the Communists in 1949. The details of history take a back seat to the real focus of this movie, however, which delves into the intricate and intimate relationships these women have with their husbands, their parents, and each other.Lushly photographed and superbly acted, the movie showcases the talents of three veteran actors of Asian Cinema. Michelle Yeoh, Maggie Cheung and Vivian Wu play sisters Ai-ling, Ching-ling, and May-ling Soong. All three seem well-cast and bring the full weight of their skill and experience to their roles. The move sizzles with electricity when these three beauties appear on screen together, as they do in several scenes. This is definitely a case where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Wen Jian gives an outstanding performance as father Charlie Soong, despite dying off half-way through the story. The death-bed scene, where he passes away in the presence of his wife and three daughters, is especially moving. Winston Chao and Hsing-Kuo Wu take sold turns as Sun Yat-Sen and Chiang Kai-Shek.The story explores a number of themes in both a personal and social/historical context. Conflicts between father/daughter, old values/new values, old China/new China, and East/West all figure prominently in the plot. A shoe metaphor runs through-out the film, depicting the step-by-step movement of Chinese history, bringing to mind the old Chinese proverb, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." This motif also reflects the increased role of women in Chinese social and political life, as they are liberated from the foot-binding that hobbled previous generations.The movie is slow-moving at times, with some abrupt plot transitions. Director Mabel Cheung occasionally hits us over the head with that shoe to get her point across, and the script seems to contain some hints of political propaganda. Nevertheless, I found this to be a well-made and highly entertaining piece of Asian Cinema. Sadly, this movie is not likely to reach a wide North American audience because it's in Mandarin with English sub-titles. That's too bad, because it is just as accomplished as anything coming out of Hollywood these days, and well worth seeing.****/5 stars.