Summaries

In a love triangle, it takes two to keep a secret. When Tshiu-bi comes home with news that she ran into an old classmate, Le-hun, her husband Siu-gi is struck by the thunder of guilt, regret, and repressed desire. What his wife doesn't know is that Le-hun and her husband are former lovers. And when Tshiu-bi invites the homeless Le-hun into their home and lives, that thunder becomes an emotional typhoon of heart-pounding restraint. Le-hun can't say a word either. Not to her caregiving old friend. Not in front of her four-year-old son who Siu-gi suspects might be his. This is black-and-white melodrama of the tallest order, the kind that straddles the innocence of domesticity and the qipao-ripping salaciousness of the nightclub film. It's also Taiwanese-language cinema at its most delightfully unbridled, with questions of class answered through secrets and tears. Director Lin Tuan-chiu's background in Japan shows, from the Naruse-esque dive into the inner worlds of women, to the soundtrack's cosmopolitan flair for jazz and classical. Preceding the better-known Pai Ching-jui, Lin infuses Taiwan locales with a sense of cinematic innovation: frames-within-frames, flashbacks-within-flashbacks. He also exhibits a sexual frankness that shows Taiwanese-language cinema to be far more daring than its uptight Mandarin cousins. In other words, this new restoration is a major re-discovery for Taiwanese cinema, a secret no more.—Brian Hu, SDAFF

Details

Keywords
  • bird in a cage
Genres
  • Drama
Release date Apr 6, 1960
Countries of origin Taiwan
Official sites A link to the movie.
Language Min Nan
Filming locations Taiwan
Production companies Yu Feng Film Company Yu Feng Motion Picture Company Hu Shan Production Studio

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 1h 42m
Color Black and White
Aspect ratio 1.78 : 1

Synopsis

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