| 'Wild Wild Rose' is one of my favorite Grace Chang/Ge Lan films. It's dated, but it retains its polish. Grace Chang/Ge Lan is one of the most talented actresses to have ever appeared on film and, odds are, most people have never heard of her. Usually, Grace portrays flawed, yet nice, likable, goody-two shoes characters, but not this time! Mei Gui/Rose is a vampy, decadent, seductive, yet spirited lounge singer who works in a night club. When her former piano is unfairly laid off by the manager, she gives him some fiscal support to aid him, his children, and his ill wife, until he gets back on his feet again. Rose does have some integrity, but she's also ruled by her impulses, at times. She gets into a violent bar brawl with a rival lounge singer, she has an ex-husband who is an ex-con, and Rose even hits on her new piano player, even though she knows that he has to support his mother and his fiancee. The young, handsome piano player tries to resist Rose's charms, but he gives in and he's willing to be seduced by her. Being seduced by Rose has also caused the new piano player to lose his sanity. With one mishap piling on top of another mishap, what's to become of Rose, the young piano player, his mother, his suffering fiancee, Rose's ex-husband (a very dangerous guy with a criminal record), and everyone else?
Wong Tin Lam does a very capable job as a director and the cast gives it their best. One of Rose's co-workers looks familiar; I think he appeared in 'Miracles' as a hotel employee who helped Lady Rose (a different character than the one in this film) communicate with her daughter via mail. The piano player's mother reminded me of Ouyang Shafei, but I doubt it was her. Grace Chang shows us that she can play a wild flower of a woman just as well as a nice, assertive lady. I love the bit where she takes a couple of bites out of an apple and she casually throws it out of an open window. The humor in 'Wild Wild Rose' does take some of the edge off of the drama, but the witty humor doesn't escalate into overkill, fortunately. The sombre tone and ending (you must see it for yourself) was kind of a downer, but it was fitting for the story and the engaging plot and performances leaves one feeling a sense of satisfaction with the film. 'Wild Wild Rose' is a gem, lost in time and language/cultural barriers, but it's still as entertaining, fun, and engaging as it was then. |
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