This movie really seems to have struck a chord with Taiwanese filmgoers. I went last weekend and in some cases 3 generations of the family came together. I could see this film doing well at festivals in the west. I am another person who hopes this film will invigorate the film industry here.
17 Minutes ago…
Now I know I gotta see it.
Associated Press
Struggling Taiwan movie industry gets surprise hit
By MIN LEE 09.25.08, 11:58 AM ET
Taiwan’s struggling movie industry has produced a rare hit that’s matching Hollywood and mainland Chinese blockbusters at the box office.
Some observers say the love story “Cape No. 7” - with a budget of only $1.6 million - may be a turning point for an industry that’s won acclaim for its art-house directors but boasts few commercial success stories.
“Cape No. 7” made more than 84 million New Taiwan dollars ($2.6 million) in the Taiwanese capital Taipei since debuting a month ago - a result unheard of for a Taiwanese film in recent years.
That’s on par with “Iron Man” ($2.6 million) and more than John Woo’s Chinese historical epic “Red Cliff” ($2.5 million).
Made by unheralded director Wei Te-sheng without any major stars, the modestly budgeted production is about the romance between a Japanese teacher and a Taiwanese woman when the island was a Japanese colony in the 1940s - and a parallel modern-day love story.
Lee Kang, the younger brother of Oscar-winning director Ang Lee and a filmmaker himself, said it has been rare for a Taiwanese film to make more than 10 million New Taiwan dollars ($313,000) after 1990.
Observers say the success of “Cape No. 7” is important because it marks the rise of a new generation of Taiwanese directors who have carved a path distinct from the island’s rich history in art-house cinema.
Earlier Taiwanese directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang have wowed European film festivals with their often slow, contemplative work - but their films didn’t necessarily resonate with the Taiwanese public, Taiwanese movie critic Wen Tien-hsiang said.
But Wei’s “Cape No. 7” breaks from that tradition.
“Everyone has been waiting for a movie that was made for the audience - a straightforward, accessible commercial movie,” Lee Kang said.
“There has never been such an audience-friendly movie. The characters are so likable. They’re happy-go-lucky. Audiences can relate to them,” Lee said.
Wen said Wei, who worked as an assistant director for Yang, showed better skill and tackled larger scenes than other young directors - like the one where the Japanese teacher leaves Taiwan for Japan by ship.
“His smooth story telling, his mixing of sadness and humor, his portrayal of indigenous Taiwanese habits - these are things that younger directors haven’t been able to capture,” Wen said.
Hou has also given the film rave reviews.
The past Venice Film Festival winner called “Cape No. 7” “the best Taiwanese movie I’ve seen in more than 10 years” in an interview posted on the movie’s Web site.
“It could lift Taiwanese film,” he said.
Wen said the movie will boost investor confidence in Taiwanese productions.
“They (investors) will become a little more daring when investing in local movies,” he said.
It was a good flick. Interesting sitting next to a Taiwanese to help interpret the cultural nuances… mostly funny parts.
I would even see it again just to pick up more culture about Taiwan.
Sold out lately for 2-3 shows in advance.
Wikipedia (October 12-2008):
Actually it should more accurately say Chinese-language film. Cape No. 7 contains a mix of Mandarin, Hoklo Taiwanese and Japanese.
The Taipei Times has an article today saying that Cape No. 7 has made NT$400 million (US$12.3 million) at the box office as of 12 October 2008. It has also promoted tourism in Hengchun, a town most people previously skipped by on their way to Kending.
I didn’t feel the film lived up to expectations, but I can see some of the reasons for its success. I think the main thing is that the story and characters are something most Taiwanese can easily relate to and identify with. It will do a lot to promote the film industry in Taiwan, but I hope it translates into new original ideas not just Cape No. 8 or other clones of this film.
I finally saw this movie last weekend and I’m actually really surprised that Taiwanese people like it. I don’t think it represents Taiwan in a good light at all. The characters are a mix of miserable backwater townfolk who take their unhappiness out on pretty much everyone around them.
The two leads were particularly unlikable. The Japanese female ran around whining, screaming at and insulting everyone. The main Taiwanese guy was an overindulged lazy bum with a huge chip on his shoulder. And we’re never given any good reason to explain their angst. She’s just an unhappy spoiled brat - he’s just an unhappy spoiled slug. Very one-dimensional.
Throw in a bully gangster, a hit and run, police brutality, betelnut chewing, three gradeschool-age kids being spoon-fed by mom, then piled onto the family scooter and driven around without helmets, an outdoor wedding with bad sexy KTV singers, more bullying and rudeness, a quickly thrown-together love story with no chemistry between the characters, and some cheesy pop music at the end. It’s like all the bad Taiwan cliches thrown into this one movie.
I was expecting to see a happy, feel-good story with likable characters, but I suppose the first line of the movie, “F*^@ you, Taipei”, should have tipped me off. Very disappointing to say the least!
wretch.cc/blog/annice75217/24750433
This reviewer seems to hate it. Someone send me a dvd of the thing.
A friend just sent me, I guess, the title song from the movie. I’m thinking wow, this movie must be something.
The fact that most foreigners I’ve heard from seem to dislike the film, as it doesn’t seem to communicate to them as well as it does to Taiwanese people, makes me wonder about the chances of the translation of its success to more international circles (beyond Japan and Japanese-influenced places like Hawaii, at least). Although that would be a shame, I’m still glad the director kept his focus on local audiences’ entertainment while making a quality picture.
Well NT$400 million at the box office says that most Taiwanese people like things that you don’t.
I think the film explains their unhappiness clearly. The Japanese lead is unhappy because after years in Taiwan learning Chinese and waiting for her break, she’s been told she’s over the hill. At the same time, her boss in Taipei finds having a Japanese gofer useful when the agency has to deal with the Japanese celebrities that the Taiwanese public loves. In the meantime, she gets crap babysitting jobs like ferrying a bunch of obnoxious foreign beauty contestants around Kenting. She feels used, unappreciated, and is wondering why she invested so much time in Taiwan. I think many foreigners in Taiwan should be able to empathize with her unhappiness, and I think the director deserves some credit for taking the time to understand this and write it into her story.
The male lead is unhappy because he went to Taipei and failed at something he thought he was good at. It’s a universal story in Taiwan. If you have been in Taiwan for a while and you remember Lim Qiong’s famous Taiwanese anthem 向前走 about coming up from the south to make one’s fortune in Taipei, you will realize that Aga’s (the male lead) story is the reverse story of what happens to the people who don’t make in Taipei and have to go home. And at home he has a stepfather he doesn’t accept who finds him a temp job delivering mail. Of course he’s disappointed and angry.
Moreover, both characters need to begin the film this way so that they can develop. Tomoko, who is less interesting, accepts Taiwan after she finds love. Aga matures when he finally does the right thing by accepting responsibility, delivering the long lost letter, and finding peace by falling in love. When he asks Tomoko to stay or says that he will follow Japan, he no longer sees himself as the center of the world.
Granted this is all pretty cliched, and not the stuff of great filmmaking, but more is being done with the characters than you suggest.
This look at small town Taiwanese life was the highlight of the film. The whole point was to humanize these characters and make you understand something about their story. The Taiwanese dialogue in this section was spot on. Besides getting Taiwan’s ahistorical young people to think a bit about the Japanese colonial period which has been excised from memory, the director wanted Taiwanese people to take a look at themselves and see more good than bad.
[quote]
I was expecting to see a happy, feel-good story with likable characters, but I suppose the first line of the movie, “F*^@ you, Taipei”, should have tipped me off. Very disappointing to say the least![/quote]
Hmm…well, I guess that line resonated with a lot of people from outside Taipei because that’s how they feel about ‘Chinatown’ as it’s often called down south. Island Etude rather noticeably skipped Taipei as well. Taipei is no longer accepted as the arbiter of all that is goodness and light in Taiwan, and I suspect us Taipei people are just going to have to get used to it.
I wanna see this film. Anyone can suggest how? Where can I get dvd or something?
:bravo:
Great stuff, Feiren. i’ve not seen the movie, but I did think that review seemed unfair. I was particularly thinking of the Taiwanese capacity for self deperciating humour, and for the strange, un-Hollywood endings of Taiwanese arthouse movies. I don’t think Taiwanese receive enough credit for their sophistication as an audience, particularly in say classical music, which at a certain generational level a disproportionate number of people have studied, and for their movies. Films that sprang immediately to mind in that review were Hole (Dong) & Goodbye South Goodbye.
HG
Well NT$400 million at the box office says that most Taiwanese people like things that you don’t.
I think the film explains their unhappiness clearly. The Japanese lead is unhappy because after years in Taiwan learning Chinese and waiting for her break, she’s been told she’s over the hill. At the same time, her boss in Taipei finds having a Japanese gofer useful when the agency has to deal with the Japanese celebrities that the Taiwanese public loves. In the meantime, she gets crap babysitting jobs like ferrying a bunch of obnoxious foreign beauty contestants around Kending. She feels used, unappreciated, and is wondering why she invested so much time in Taiwan. I think many foreigners in Taiwan should be able to empathize with her unhappiness, and I think the director deserves some credit for taking the time to understand this and write it into her story.
The male lead is unhappy because he went to Taipei and failed at something he thought he was good at. It’s a universal story in Taiwan. If you have been in Taiwan for a while and you remember Lim Qiong’s famous Taiwanese anthem 向前走 about coming up from the south to make one’s fortune in Taipei, you will realize that Aga’s (the male lead) story is the reverse story of what happens to the people who don’t make in Taipei and have to go home. And at home he has a stepfather he doesn’t accept who finds him a temp job delivering mail. Of course he’s disappointed and angry.
Moreover, both characters need to begin the film this way so that they can develop. Tomoko, who is less interesting, accepts Taiwan after she finds love. Aga matures when he finally does the right thing by accepting responsibility, delivering the long lost letter, and finding peace by falling in love. When he asks Tomoko to stay or says that he will follow Japan, he no longer sees himself as the center of the world.
Granted this is all pretty cliched, and not the stuff of great filmmaking, but more is being done with the characters than you suggest.
This look at small town Taiwanese life was the highlight of the film. The whole point was to humanize these characters and make you understand something about their story. The Taiwanese dialogue in this section was spot on. Besides getting Taiwan’s ahistorical young people to think a bit about the Japanese colonial period which has been excised from memory, the director wanted Taiwanese people to take a look at themselves and see more good than bad.
[quote]
I was expecting to see a happy, feel-good story with likable characters, but I suppose the first line of the movie, “F*^@ you, Taipei”, should have tipped me off. Very disappointing to say the least![/quote]
Hmm…well, I guess that line resonated with a lot of people from outside Taipei because that’s how they feel about ‘Chinatown’ as it’s often called down south. Island Etude rather noticeably skipped Taipei as well. Taipei is no longer accepted as the arbiter of all that is goodness and light in Taiwan, and I suspect us Taipei people are just going to have to get used to it.[/quote]
Damn. That was one good review albeit a few spoilers. I nominate it for classic post. :bravo: :bravo: Oh does it have English subs?
[quote=“hi12345”]Currently the movie is 8.6 on imdb:
A funny, cheerful little movie, probably best viewed in the summer 
Was at Ximending yesterday and the lines were still very long, and some showing times were sold out. Congrats to director Wei who actually had to go NTD 30 million into debt to make this movie, wow that took some guts.
Oh did I mention the lead actress is also very easy on the eyes?
tw.youtube.com/watch?v=AcT8aCPICT8[/quote]
Nobody will be surprised that tommy525 likes her !! whats not to like? Gorgeous Japanese girl with a charming personality who speaks Chinese like a Taiwanese girl (with a cute Japanese accent) ?? 
Nama, it has English subtitles.
HG, I hasten to add that while I enjoyed Cape No. 7, it can’t really be compared in terms of artistic merit to the films you mention. The problem that the director had to solve was that all those great Taiwanese films from the 1980s and early 1990s had no audience in Taiwan.
I tend to agree with Poagao that the films is unlikely to travel well. Audiences who don’t know Taiwan will not experience the joy of recognition. Instead, they will see the cliches, smile at the sappy love story, and hear the crappy pop music at the end.
But for those who know and love Taiwan, this will be a treat.
And, as I’m sure has been mentioned earlier in the thread, the director will be using the substantial profits from the movie to make his epic film about the Wushe Incident,
Seediqbate. Here’s the preview. Looks like it will be rousing stuff.
youtube.com/watch?v=1NqBFoHo5bk (English subtitles)
Gave the link to this thread to the GF and she wasnt pleased bout me thinking the Japanese girl is cute 
++++++++++++++++
Sure you’ve seen this comment:
“” The fact that most foreigners I’ve heard from seem to dislike the film, as it doesn’t seem to communicate to them as well as it does to Taiwanese people, makes me wonder about the chances of the translation of its success to more international circles (beyond Japan and Japanese-influenced places like Hawaii, at least). Although that would be a shame, I’m still glad the director kept his focus on local audiences’ entertainment while making a quality picture. “”
And I wasn’t too pleased when you jumped out to say that you like the Japanese girl in the movie… without even having seen the movie.
Best regards,
++++++++++++++++++++
HOpefully shes not going to keep reading this thread or she may be mad I quoted her , without her express permission 
Bad tommy , bad .
By the way… Feiren’s review made me want to see this film !!
[quote=“tommy525”]Sure you’ve seen this comment:
“” The fact that most foreigners I’ve heard from seem to dislike the film, as it doesn’t seem to communicate to them as well as it does to Taiwanese people, makes me wonder about the chances of the translation of its success to more international circles (beyond Japan and Japanese-influenced places like Hawaii, at least). Although that would be a shame, I’m still glad the director kept his focus on local audiences’ entertainment while making a quality picture. “”
And I wasn’t too pleased when you jumped out to say that you like the Japanese girl in the movie… without even having seen the movie.
Best regards,[/quote]
What does my quote here have to do with the Japanese girl? I actually really disliked her character at first, which I suppose was the director’s intention. I was told she actually speaks better Mandarin than she does in the film and was instructed to play up the Japanese accent.
This isn’t a bad thing. The viewer not familiar with Taiwan who seeks out this kind of film will likely be a person who is curious about seeing and being exposed to something different without presupposition or expectation. I’ve never been to Iran, but found Children of Heaven touching.
Not all viewers need the comfort of recognition to be touched by a story that warms the heart.