Peking Opera Blues (1986, Hong Kong)

A fascinating and thrilling adventure film by Tsui Hark, set in China from 1913 onwards. So this is not ancient China, and it doesn't involve too much magic or kung-fu.

There are three heroines. The first is Sheung Hung, played by Cherie Chung. She was fortunate to be present when a general's house was being ransacked by revolutionary soldiers, and she managed to grab some jewellery. She nearly gets it taken from her, but when she thinks she has escaped, she offers up a prayer, saying, "God, you're too good to me; I swear if I ever sing again for my living, I'll be a man no more".

In fact soldiers find her and take away the jewellery; she tries to get into a theatre but she is thrown out. Women aren't allowed into theatres, just as in Shakespearian England, and anyway, if we let you in, "The men will not disguise as women," the doorkeeper says. "Well, she retorts, you look down on women, you'll be castrated one day;" as she says this she does a sort of nancy gesture as if to reinforce the doorman's unmanning.

The second woman is Tsao Wan, played by Brigitte Lin. She has been studying at a Western university and has now returned; she affects European men's dress style, although there is no obvious transgender overtone to this. She is the apple of the eye of her father, the General.

Meanwhile, inside the theatre there is pandemonium as everyone is getting ready for the performance. The female lead, obviously played by a man, Fa, is worried about wrinkles.

However he goes on stage, and the appreciative audience, evidently regulars, comment that "He's prettier than the girl last night."

As the supporting chorus troop in after him, the owner catches the last of them; it's his own daughter, Pat Neil, played by Sally Yeh. She is desperate to perform on stage, and has taken advantage of a male performer's illness so that she herself can go on stage pretending to be a man, playing the part of a girl.

Her father isn't going to stand for anything so outrageous as that, and he has her washed down in a tub of water; no daughter of his is going to wear makeup.

Fa has evidently attracted the attention of the Commander, because a messenger comes with gifts; but it looks as if the Commander has marriage in mind.

So Fa persuades Pat to substitute for him on stage, so we have a woman pretending to be a man playing a woman's part, to avoid a male actor having to marry the commander.

The whole film is great fun and thoroughly recommended.

The Chinese title is Do ma daan.

HF March 2005

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