Ninth Happiness
For some reason that I can’t recall this film
was brought up fairly recently in a discussion on the Asian Film Mobius
Board and a few people warned me against watching it – something to the
effect that it was beyond dreadful. But what intrigued me was the fact
that it was a musical and I simply love musicals – from Busby Berkeley
to Fred Astaire to One Enchanted Evening You will See a Stranger Across
a Crowded Room. And I have always been amazed that with the large cross-pollination
of talent going back and forth between the pop music world and the film
world that there are no film musicals It would seem a natural.
I am not all that knowledgeable about the Canto-pop
music scene, but I do know that some of the actors here such as Leslie
Cheung, Wu Chien-lien, Kenny Bee and Amanda Lee have had very successful
singing careers and that Gigi Lai has put out some music as well. So at
least the music was likely to be fairly good if nothing else.
So I entered this film with low expectations,
but damn as soon as Raymond Wong and Michael Chow break into a rough little
ditty I started perking up, and then Wu Chien-lien and Gigi Lai sing and
dance a duet and I start to smile and then Leslie Cheung and Wu Chien-lien
sing gaily together in the forest and I know its too late. As corny as
this film may be, I am completely charmed by it.
The plot is as simplistic as can be – it is basically
just a springboard for the numerous songs and for the actors to have some
fun (as clearly they were as seen in outtakes at the end). The structure
of the film feels highly influenced by Chinese Opera – as does the
style and delivery of the songs. The music though has strong pop elements
and even has western tunes that I recognized such as Jingle Bells and Tea
for Two. There is just such a good-natured feel to this Clifton Ko New
Year movie. It is in many ways an old fashioned film that almost could
have been made in an earlier age – except for the large amount of sexual
innuendo.
Three brothers – Raymond Wong, Michael Chow and
Leslie Cheung – are being assigned as the Emperor’s representatives to
the small town of Choi Hung. The town is almost like the magical town of
Brigadoon – untouched by corruption and everyone knows and cares for their
neighbors. This is about to change. The first thing Raymond and Michael
ask the town’s people is “where are the casinos, the brothels and the drug
dens” and when told that there are none – why would anyone need those –
they see any lucrative bribes and profits fade away. But they decide to
do their best to corrupt the town.
In the village live three sisters – Wu Chien-lien,
Gigi Lai and Amanda Lee – all three beautiful and single. Gigi is in love
with a simple shoe repair man – Kenny Bee – Wu Chien-lien meets and falls
in love with Leslie – who wants nothing to do with his two greedy brothers
– and Amanda has been told that she will fall in love with a man with a
beard – which Raymond just happens to have. Complications arise as
expected. Cheung Tat-Ming is in it as well as a lovelorn wine merchant
who constantly has to pour cold water over himself.
One unintentionally funny bit is when Wu Chien-lien
first encounters Leslie in the forest and thinks he is a sprite of some
kind and keeps asking him “so you are a fairy. Oh a singing fairy I see.”
Anyway, I would not venture to suggest that others
might find this to their liking – the plot and humor are very broad – their
really is no opportunity to act – but I loved the music, the colorful costumes
and found it to be simply fun and charming in an innocent way.
Though not completely innocent – as I mentioned
there is some sexual humor and I read in the book City on Fire that Raymond’s
name in the film – Ma Lun-tai – translates as “penis as big as a horses”
and Chow’s name – Ma Lun-Kui – translates as “erect penis”!
My rating for this film: 7.5