''Thousand Pieces of Gold'' is a 1991 Western film starring Rosalind Chao, Chris Cooper,

Dennis Dun Dennis Dun (born April 19, 1952) is an American actor. Early life and education Dun is from Stockton, California. He is of Chinese descent. Film and TV Dun has had prominent roles in several films, notably '' Year of the Dragon'' (1985), ''Bi ...

and Michael Paul Chan, and is directed by Nancy Kelly. The film is based on a novel of the same name.

Plot

Lalu (Rosalind Chao) is a young Chinese woman who is sold by her impoverished family and transported against her will to the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...

in 1880. Upon her arrival in California, she meets Jim (Dennis Dun), a Chinese "wife trader" who sells her to Hong King (Michael Paul Chan), a successful Chinese merchant who lives in an Idaho mining town. The two set off on the long journey to Idaho and eventually strike up a friendship along the way. When they finally arrive in the rough, isolated town, she is distraught to discover that she is not going to be Hong King's wife. Instead, she is to work in his saloon as his newest

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

under a new name, "China Polly". She is further dismayed when Jim abruptly disappears, leaving her to fend for herself. The following night, when Hong King tries to sell her virtue to the highest bidder, Lalu violently refuses to submit to her would-be suitors and successfully avoids becoming a prostitute, thanks in part to the intervention of a kind stranger, Charlie Bemis (Chris Cooper), who turns out to be Hong King's

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...

partner. She placates a furious Hong King and convinces him to allow her to be his servant and saloon maid in order to repay the cost of her purchase. Hong King agrees to let her buy her freedom for the impossible sum of a thousand pieces of gold. Polly, as Lalu comes to be known, endures great hardship. At one point, she is sexually assaulted by Hong King. However, she refuses to give up. She works hard and makes friends with the local townspeople. She also grows closer to Charlie, who begins to fall deeply in love with her. Meanwhile, Hong King is beset with financial problems and decides to sell Polly to the highest bidder. In a rare stroke of luck, Charlie wins her in a game of

poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

. She moves in with him but insists they remain platonic and keep separate quarters. Jim comes back and wants her to be with him but he then leaves her again when he finds out that she is living with Charlie. The "white demons" begin to run out the Chinese people from their town so it will be a purely white town and the Chinese will stop getting all of the gold. Polly works in many jobs and saves money to go back to China and her family, but ultimately ends up falling in love with Charlie. She marries him and lives the rest of her life with him in a different area so she will not be harassed by the white demons anymore.

Cast

* Rosalind Chao as Lalu * Chris Cooper as Charlie * Michael Paul Chan as Hong King *

as Jim *

Jimmie F. Skaggs Jimmie F. Skaggs (born 1944; died July 6, 2004) was an American actor. Skaggs was born in Hot Springs, Arkansas, but moved to Valley City, Ohio, as a young boy. He later moved to Elyria, Ohio, as an adolescent. He got his start in acting perform ...

as Jonas * Will Oldham as Miles * David Hayward as Ohio * Beth Broderick as Berthe * Kim Chen as Li Pong *

Freda Foh Shen Freda Foh Shen (born April 25, 1948) is an American actress. She is best known for the voice of Fa Li in the 1998 Disney animated film ''Mulan'' and its 2004 direct-to-video sequel '' Mulan II'', and for playing Anne Lee on ''9-1-1'' (2019-pres ...

as Ah Ling * Chris Evans as Sailor #2

Production

The original title of the film was ''Gold Mountain''. On a budget of $3 million, principal photography began in May 1989. Filming locations included Virginia City, Montana, Nevada City, Montana, and

Ennis, Montana Ennis is a town in Madison County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 917 at the 2020 census. U.S. Route 287 runs through town, following the Madison River as it descends from the town of West Y ...

. The sequences set in San Francisco were filmed in

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...

. Production wrapped in July 1989.

Release and reception

''Thousand Pieces of Gold'' was released in theatres in November 1991, two years after it was filmed. It made $717,772 at the box office. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 88% from 43 reviews. The consensus summarizes: "''Thousand Pieces of Gold''s technical deficiencies are handily outweighed by sterling work from a 24-karat cast -- and a story that has a fresh perspective on the American Old West."

References

External links

* * * * {{Amg movie, 49635 1991 films 1991 romantic drama films 1991 Western (genre) films American independent films American romantic drama films American Western (genre) films Films about Chinese Americans Chinese-American history Films about interracial romance Films based on American novels Films set in the 19th century Films set in Idaho Chinese-language American films 1990s American films