`KING' MASKS TALE OF PLUCKY MELODRAMA.Byline: Bob Strauss Daily News Film Critic ``The King of Masks'' follows an elderly Chinese street performer's search, around the gray backwaters of Sichuan province in the 1930s, for an heir to whom he can teach his fantastic, quick-change abilities. His own son dead and his wife long-fled, poor old Bian Lian Wang (Zhu Xu) floats forlornly along mist-shrouded rivers on his rickety rick·et·y adj. rick·et·i·er, rick·et·i·est 1. Likely to break or fall apart; shaky. 2. Feeble with age; infirm. 3. Of, having, or resembling rickets. barge, a trained monkey his only companion. There are lots of children for sale that he could adopt, but they're all girls, and tradition dictates the changeling's arts only be passed down from male to male. Wang finally lucks out with 7-year-old Doggie (Zhou Ren-Ying), a skillful skill·ful adj. 1. Possessing or exercising skill; expert. See Synonyms at proficient. 2. Characterized by, exhibiting, or requiring skill. and attentive boy who's not only an apt pupil but a good companion, demonstratively de·mon·stra·tive adj. 1. Serving to manifest or prove. 2. Involving or characterized by demonstration. 3. Given to or marked by the open expression of emotion: appreciative of the old man's kindness. Of course, Doggie turns out to really be a girl. Not only that, but a girl who screws up consistently and spectacularly, and almost destroys Wang in several different, if wholly unintentional, ways. ``The King of Masks'' is directed by Wu Tianming, who taught such younger Chinese auteurs
The term auteur (French for author) is used to describe film directors (or, more rarely, producers, or writers) who are considered to have a distinctive, recognizable style, because they (a) repeatedly as Zhang Yimou (``Raise the Red Lantern'') and Chen Kaige (``Farewell My Concubine'') and himself is best-known for the 1986 feature ``Old Well.'' Wu possesses neither the storytelling nor aesthetic rigor rigor /rig·or/ (rig´er) [L.] chill; rigidity. rigor mor´tis the stiffening of a dead body accompanying depletion of adenosine triphosphate in the muscle fibers. his famous students display, but he nonetheless has created an atmospheric, generally involving melodrama here. The kid and the old man are great, even if the plucky pluck·y adj. pluck·i·er, pluck·i·est Having or showing courage and spirit in trying circumstances. See Synonyms at brave. pluck , heartwarming heart·warm·ing or heart-warm·ing adj. 1. Causing gladness and pleasure. 2. Eliciting sympathy and tender feelings: a heartwarming tale. Adj. 1. characters they play come straight out of the foreign-movie-stereotypes-Americans-love punch press. Their hardships seem extreme, to say the least, but the genuinely tough love at the core of their relationship pulls the story through even its most hysterical excesses. And there's enjoyable Chinese opera, magic acts and cultural details throughout ``The King of Masks.'' It's too grim to be called delightful and too broad to achieve the tragic grandeur it shoots for, but on some middle ground between the two, there's a touching enough tale of hard-wrought connection. THE FACTS The film: ``The King of Masks'' (not rated; language, nudity, children in jeopardy). The stars: Zhu Xu, Zhou Ren-Ying, Zhao Zhigang. Behind the scenes: Directed and produced by Wu Tianming. Written by Wei Minglung. Released by Samuel Goldwyn Films. Running time: One hour, 41 minutes. Playing: Westside Pavilion, West Los Angeles
Our rating: Three stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Newly discovered protege Doggie (Zhou Ren-Ying) is embraced by Bian Lian Wang (Zhu Xu) in ``The King of Masks.'' |
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