- A poor army veteran in Taiwan adopts a daughter. She grows up and leaves him to enter show business. When she becomes famous she shuns her father and friends.
- A speech-impaired and poor army veteran in Taiwan adopts a daughter, who later leaves him to enter show business. Her departure leaves the veteran in a state of depression, as she meant the entire world to him. Fame has gotten the best of the girl, who later shuns her father and friends.—Oliver Chu
- So many things-love, family, friendships, and sometimes, self-respect-have been sacrificed through the ages just so someone can perform in a Greek tragedy, play Hamlet, be in the movies or on TV, step on a Broadway stage, or take the first steps to becoming an international singing sensation. We know that the satisfaction derived from the applause, the awards, the fans, the glamor, etc. must be tremendous...but is it worth it?
The publicity blitz launching the new film in Taiwan featured its big musical scenes-production numbers reminiscent of Grease and Fame, and even of a Las Vegas stage show. These segments, though certainly flashy and eye-catching, actually comprise only a small part of the story, which begins in a glamorized version of Taiwan's yesteryear shantytowns, poverty communities similar to the "Hoovervilles" of the U.S. depression era. In recent years, most of these have been torn down by the government and their residents relocated to apartment-style public housing facilities.
As the story starts, however, there lives in one such shantytown a garbage collector whom the neighbors know as "Mute Uncle" (actor Suen Yue). Back in mainland China, years ago, he was knifed in the neck during a battle with the Communists. Ever since, he has not spoken a word. Now he lives in a shack with a front wall made entirely of the wine bottles he has collected. In the morning sunshine, the wall glistens in rainbow colors.
"Mute Uncle," however, is up and out the door long before the sun arises. He kisses his common-law wife goodbye and begins peddling his cart around the neighborhood in search of discarded bottles and such. Early one morning, he hears a crying sound by the roadside and notes a message tucked in the blanket enveloping the infant herald: It bestows the gods' blessings on the kind person who'll take over the care of the baby. Mute Uncle picks Ah-mei up and takes her home.
Thus begins Papa-Can You Hear Me Sing, a movie which falls quite naturally into two parts: Part I-growing up and stardom, and Part II-more of the "show biz." The happenings surrounding Ah-mei's early life in Part I are notably more touching and humorous than the ups-and-downs of her later singing career.
Mute Uncle brings infant Ah-mei into a close-knit, Peyton Place-like society full of interesting characters. There are hard-working parents, peddlers, shopkeepers, restaurant owners, drunks, naughty children and priests, police, and the many other who live in or pass through such dingy worlds.
This is, however, not the stereotypical view usually presented of such a community; everything is not black or white, and the characters themselves are multidimensional-they have strengths, desires, and joys as well as weaknesses, human passions, and sorrows. Furthermore, no judgement is made about who is better or worse. It is just fact that many different kinds of people are trying to survive in this world as best they can.
Ah-mei's presence brings havoc to her new found home. Her incessant crying is the straw that drives out Mute Uncle's live-in girlfriend, who's been on the edge of leaving her "dumb" companion for quite some time. From then on, Mute Uncle focuses all his attention and hopes on his adopted daughter; Ah-mei grows into a very pretty little girl with a round face, big eyes, and cute pigtails.
Because her foster father later brings her to school on his garbage cart, little Ah-mei becomes a frequent object of other students' ridicule and mistreatment. Luckily, she has the protection of her classmate and neighbor, Ah-ming, who treats her like his little sweetheart; unfortunately, the feeling is not reciprocated.
Some say that misfortunes occur in groups of three. And, even if so, a neighbor's wife (Chiang Hsia) now gets involved in a larger share than anyone could possibly deserve. In a single evening, she loses her husband, her brother, and her home. Coming home drunk and victorious after a night of gambling, the husband stumbles along with presents for the family and neighbors. Crossing a bridge, he accidentally loses his grip on a doll he has bought for his little neighbor, Ah-mei, and follows it into the dark, murky waters below his wife cuts her finger while chopping onions. Accident or omen, she wonders, when a neighbor runs in hysterically to tell her that her husband is dead. She rushes out, without putting out the fire under the exploding suddenly flames, ending the life of her brother and burning down her shack and neighboring homes but meanwhile, she has reached her husband's body. The way she looks at him, holds his head, scolds him, caresses him and ponders why the gods have taken him disarray death fire dangerous exploding broke out collapses dying victim passed away by Jonathan, is surely one of the most emotionally touching film performances in recent memory. Actress Chiang Hsia's sorrow is full of intelligence and nuance returning to the reality that surrounds her-fireman, hysteria, confusion and crying-she clings to the one thing she has left, her son. But fate owes one more misfortune scream to cries fatal tries son bad defeat grew to mother screen fades to black.
Twenty years later, screen fades from black she loses her son when he and others try to keep demolition teams from tearing down their shacks-he is killed in the collapse of a two-story house. Chiang Hsia's performance at the funeral service is, again, notably touching.
Another very moving rendition is the continuous portrayal of Mute Uncle by veteran actor Suen Yue opening reading daily newspaper this morning. One remembers his ecstatic joy (hearing Ah-mei's first spoken word), his portrayal of extreme loneliness (on losing Ah-mei to her passion for becoming a famous singing star), and his show of great personal courage (always offering a sincere smile, even when being humiliated because of his inability to speak).
In the second part of the film, Ah-mei (actress Linda Liu) is on the way to becoming a Far Eastern singing sensation. She has grown into a pretty young lady, and begins to sing at a local coffee shop to help with the household expenses. There she meets a young and wealthy composer, Shih Chun-mai (Wu Hsao-kang), whose face resembles that of Baryshnikov. Together they sing one of his new compositions, Come With Me, a folk ballad that finally attracts the attention of a flamboyantly-gay talent manager, Yu Kuang-tai (Hsu Kang-tai) whose character is saved from being a total joke by scenes involving problems of his lifestyle.
Yu promises Ah-mei stardom, on the condition that she take on a new songwriter. She does, and she and Shih Chun-mai drift farther and farther apart. She also takes a new stage name, Sun Jui-chi.
Ah-mei goes from Taipei Taoyuan International Airport to Singapore Changi Airport (via Hong Kong International Airport) by Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER on evening at Singapore National Stadium goes to musical concert.
Later accident dog Lai-fu injuried motorrace ride his iced to victim until destroyed to demolition collapses, killing 100 people injuries fatal victim his death by Ah-ming wasted passed away to the funeral service fatal stab.
Back from Singapore Changi Airport to Taipei Taoyuan International Airport back the completing successes of musical concert by Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200ER, television specials, and new, catchy songs, her fame skyrockets. Too busy herself, she has Yu give Mute Uncle NT$200,000 to buy a new house. But she has no time to visit him; her foster father only catches sight of her "live" on television broadcast as she is doing a sexy watching television broadcast musical number "In the Same Moonlight" he collapses on the sofa destroyed watching her. Sun Jui-chi driving to extra fasted ambulance paramedic until extra rush to general hospital only to find that Mute Uncle has just passed away. After a traditional death bed crying scene to dying and his widowed neighbour with whom he has mother cries extra fasted taxi until extra rush to music concert to get Mei's attention to inform her of her dying father. Mei extra rush to general hospital she breaks down in scream to cries screens fades to movie ends, movie closes, film ends to film closes by anthem musical scripts from music, writing, lyrics and composer boyfriend main theme "Any bottles to be sold (for recycling)?" was singer by Su Rui to sing the song music concert pop stage.
THE END
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Top Gap
By what name was Papa, Can You Hear Me Sing? (1983) officially released in Canada in English?
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