''Osmanthus Alley'' () is a 1987 Taiwanese
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
directed by
Chen Kunhou
Chen Kun-hou (born 25 July 1939 in Taichū, Japanese Formosa) is a Taiwanese film director and cinematographer. He is known for his film '' Growing Up'' (1983), one of the films that initiated the Taiwan New Cinema movement. Chen was also the c ...
.
The film was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
60th Academy Awards
The 60th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on April 11, 1988, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time Zone, PDT. During the ceremon ...
, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Plot
Set in early 1900s, young Ti-Hung (Lu Hsiao-Fen) and her younger brother, Ti-Jiang became orphaned when their mother died. Being the elder sibling, Ti-Hung took care of her younger brother while being under the charge of their aunt and uncle.
Years passed and Ti-Hung has grown up to be a pretty young lady with excellent embroidery skills and
tiny bound feet. Her feet and embroidery works got noticed by a wealthy old matriarch, Lady Li of North Gate, who offered her only grandson, Rui Yu's (
Wakin Chau
Wakin Chau (born 22 December 1960), better known by his stage name Emil Chau during the 1980s and 1990s, is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese singer and actor, popular throughout Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and parts of Southeast Asia (Singapo ...
), hand in marriage to Ti-Hung. A fellow villager and poor fisherman, Ah Hai (
Simon Yam
Simon Yam Tat-wah (; born 19 March 1955) is a Hong Kong actor and film producer. He received international acclaim for his performances in international film festival and box office hits such as ''Naked Killer'', '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'', ''Election' ...
), who is also a friend of Ti-jiang, is fond of Ti-Hung.
It is also made known here that Ti-Hung is born with the "Cut Palm" fate through a conversation from Ti-Jiang and his fellow fishermen friends. Men born with such a fate would become an official or a great person. Whereas women born with the "cut palm" would be a jinx to the men in their life. Ti-Hung overhears the conversation and appears to be affected by it.
At that same moment, Ti-Jiang dies during a drowning accident while out fishing. All alone by herself, Ti-Hung agrees to marry Rui Yu. Being married into the wealthy Hsin family would also pave her way out of poverty.
Life was rosy for Ti-Hung after marriage and she soon gave birth to a son, Hui Chih. But happiness for her was short-lived. Rui Yu dies of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
and leaves behind his 23-year-old wife with a young 5-year old child. Without the support from old Lady Li, Rui Yu's uncle volunteers to handle the family's account in the absence of his nephew. Being the only kin of Hui Chih, Ti-Hung became an over-protective and strict mother. Ti-Hung blames her bad fate for the cause of Rui Yu's early demise. However, when she found out that her late husband was meant to be short-lived through revelation from Rui Yu's uncle of a monk's predictions of Rui Yu when he was a young boy, she felt relieved.
Free from guilt, Ti-Hung starts to enjoy her new status as mistress of the family while living off her inheritance. She got addicted to
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
and neglected her duties to her family until her long time personal maid, Hsin Yue, hinted to her of the family slowly falling apart. Not only was Rui Yu's uncle the main caregiver to Hui Chih, but he was also heavily addicted to
opium
Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...
. Going through the family's accounts, Ti-Hung realised that Rui Yu's uncle had piled on debts through his unhealthy habit. For the safety of Hui Chih, she sent him away to Japan for further studies while she stayed back to settle issues with her uncle.
Not long after, Rui Yu's uncle passed away and she attended his wake while feigning sorrow. Ironically, she picked up opium smoking while at the wake. From there, she took a liking to her uncle's personal young servant, Chun Shu (
Tuo Chung-hua), and began an affair with him. Noticing that Chun Shu starts getting cocky after their one-night stand, Ti-Hung sets him up for theft and have him put away in a bid to silence him about their affair.
Shortly after, Ti-Hung realises that she is pregnant and tries to hide the pregnancy when a grown up Hui Chih comes back to visit his mother. Eventually, Ti-Hung comes clean to Hui Chih on her pregnancy. Hui Chih accepts it and plans to bring his mother to Japan for a vacation and deliver her child so as not to incite rumours and gossips in their hometown. The newborn is then given up for adoption in Japan.
Back in her hometown, Ti-Hung worries about Hsin Yue's youth and marriageability. Hsin Yue reveals that a
dowry
A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...
was made to her for her hand in marriage. The proposal came from Ah Chu, a family staff (and Hsin Yue's crush) that Ti-Hung fired many years ago for allegedly 'leading Hui Chih astray'. Happy for Hsin Yue, yet sad at the same time, Ti-Hung gives her blessings to the couple.
Fast forward to many decades, Ti-Hung is now in her 70s and ageing badly. At a temple one day, she found out that Ah Hai has eked out his own living from a fisherman to a wealthy businessman and is now an influential person. Hui Chih is always busy at work being a delegate to the Japanese and hardly visits or calls his mother. Scenes of Ti-Hung's youth flashes past her as she slowly passes away peacefully all alone by herself among the riches around her. As her life had destined, Ti-Hung will ultimately be alone in her end of days.
Cast
*
Lu Hsiao-Fen as Ti Hung
*
Lin Hsiu-ling as Hsin Yue
*
Wakin Chau
Wakin Chau (born 22 December 1960), better known by his stage name Emil Chau during the 1980s and 1990s, is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese singer and actor, popular throughout Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and parts of Southeast Asia (Singapo ...
as Rui Yu
*
Tuo Chung-hua as Chun Shu
*
Simon Yam as Ah Hai
*
Osmany Rodríguez
See also
*
*
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osmanthus Alley
1987 films
1987 drama films
Taiwanese drama films
Mandarin-language films
Central Motion Picture Corporation films