A Thousand Pieces of Gold
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| A Thousand Pieces of Gold | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Nancy Kelly |
| Produced by | Sidney Kantor, Lindsay Law and John Sham |
| Written by | Ruthanne Lum McCunn (novel); Anne Makepeace (screenplay) |
| Starring | Chris Cooper (actor) Rosalind Chao Michael Paul Chan Dennis Dun Beth Broderick |
| Music by | Gary Malkin |
| Cinematography | Bobby Bukowski |
| Editing by | Kenji Yamamoto |
| Distributed by | Greycat Films |
| Release date(s) | 1991 |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English; Chinese with English subtitles |
| IMDb profile | |
A Thousand Pieces of Gold is an English-language book based on the life of Polly Bemis, a 19th century Chinese immigrant woman in the American Old West. A film version stars Rosalind Chao, Chris Cooper, Dennis Dun and Michael Paul Chan, and was directed by Nancy Kelly. The movie was based on a biographical book written by Ruthanne Lum McCunn.
In a backdrop of adventure, romance and heroism, film explores the themes of slavery, racism, misogyny and harsh frontier life. It does not paint a flattering picture of the Chinese male characters, but shows the reality of the late 19th century, a time when Chinese immigrants were often treated no better than slaves, and Chinese women especially fared worse. Rosalind Chao's performance garnered high praise.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Lalu (Rosalind Chao) is a young Chinese woman who is sold by her impoverished family and transported against her will to the American Old West, shortly after the Civil War. 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 a rural 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 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 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 and discrimination. 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. She moves in with him but insists they remain platonic and keep separate quarters.
One day, to Polly's surprise and delight, Jim returns to town, with a thousand pieces of gold he earned from selling his horses. He has plans to buy her freedom, marry and return to China with her. But upon discovering her living with Charlie, he decides that she is a fallen woman after all and abandons her a second time. His final betrayal fuels her insecurity and sense of mistrust, already profound due to her own father's earlier abandonment. She continues to keep an increasingly alcoholic and frustrated Charlie at a distance. In time, she moves out on her own, taking on several jobs and establishing her financial independence by opening a successful boarding house. However, tragedy strikes, causing her to reconsider her life and realize how much she passionately loves and needs Charlie.
