Amazon.com essential video: American fans who know Chow Yun-fat only from the John Woo gunplay films, or from U.S. efforts such as Replacement Killers, may be startled by his work in writer-director Mabel Cheung's gentle autobiographical tale. This a serious, personal picture, filmed on a shoestring in New York, a John Sayles-style film that happened to strike a chord with HK's big audience. A recent college graduate, played by Cherie Chung (the perky gold-digger in Tsui Hark's Peking Opera Blues), arrives in Manhattan from Hong Kong to study acting. She's a virginal country mouse, appalled by the filth and the abrasive natives, very earnest about her art. Chow plays her city-mouse cousin, a conniving taxi driver who drinks, brawls, and gambles, and takes the green girl under his wing. Plot developments will remind you of every naively sensitive autobiographical first novel ever written, but the slightly dazzled tone fits the characters. The behind-the-scenes glimpses of Chinatown gambling dens and restaurant kitchens, and Chow's all-stops-out star performance, are definite assets. --David Chute
I LOVE this movie What is it about Chow Yun-Fat that makes you care about the character and what he goes through? I love this movie. They never kiss, there's nothing sexy about it. But this is one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen. I've never been to New York but I feel like I'm IN the story and feeling what they're feeling.
Chow at his best This drama shows that the more popular action movies of Chow are a waste of his talent. (This review is based on the Cantonese version.) Chow plays "Ship-head", an ex-sailer who have settled in NY as a waiter who is among a group of immigrants with low social status. His love for Chung ("Tea-pot") pressures him to improve himself. Chow turns such a common and physically unattractive role into one of best loved figure in my culture. The emotions of "Ship-head" was very well captured and developed without exaggeration (e.g. the 3 laws and 5 goals in the mirror written on the mirror). The above should be universal to all culture. As a cantonese native living in the US, the Cantonese puns and sayings are trademarks of Chow, and the scenes on life as foreigners are wonderfully gems.
One of the most romantic movies ever A friend commented once that he wondered if the theme of unrequited love is a recurring one in Asian films, to which I replied, but of course. As far as I can remember, the allure of romanticism is not so much in the happy ending of the couple who live happily ever after but in the thought of what could've been that stays forever. It is a romance that will never fade as it lives only in your mind.
So what has that got to do with this movie? This is a perfect example of that. This is a tale about a woman (Chung) who comes to New York to meet her lover. Instead of a ring, she gets snubbed for a richer, more sophisticated new girlfriend. The only person she knows in the entire country is a distant cousin (Chow), a rough ruffian who knows love as much as Tarantino does romantic movies. Slowly, a bond develops between the two bumbling losers and as fast as the love blossoms, the flame is extinguished when Chung moves on to take another job in other part of New York.
In the tradition of 'A Roman Holiday', the setting in a foreign land accentuates the romance. They are the perfect strangers who are pushed together by the force of circumstance. The chemistry between Chow and Chung work out great on screen and the acting, albeit low key, is very convincing. Chow is a master of turning an ordinary character into one that instantly engages you and strikes you as interesting.
I first watched this film when it was released. Years passed and I even forgot its title. I never forgot the movie though (although I did the ending). One day I decided that I wanted to see it again and looking at Chow's career history, I finally found the English title and managed to get my hands on a copy. Talk about something that lives in my mind forever.
An Autumn's Tale One of my favorite CYF's movies The dvd I have has terrible subtitles. Not from Amazon .Com.So I Hoping this will be a better edition. I have had good services so far from Amazon.
One to watch again and again As a new Chow Yun-Fat fan(after watching Anna and the King), I have rented or bought more of his movies and this oldie impressed me much more than his action flicks. No one falls in love on screen better than Chow Yun-Fat and I wish HOllywood would showcase his amazing talents in movies like this! My only complaint was that the english subtitles were hard to read or omitted in more than half of the movie.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
