Not long into Wayne Wang`s ”Eat a Bowl of Tea,” the Chinese-American hero, Ben Loy, visits the old country to pick up a bride. It is early 1949, Mao has not yet isolated China from the West and the village of Ben`s ancestors lies nestled safely beneath lush green mountains. On Saturday nights the villagers gather in the open to watch American movies, which are given loose translation into Cantonese by a town elder.
There, silhouetted against an emblazoned, larger-than-life Lana Turner, Ben and his intended exchange their first shy words of love. It`s one of several scenes in the film that, through adroit juxtaposition, comment on a larger reality-in this case cultural contrasts and celluloid dreams-as they further the plot.
The movie`s bedrock is irony. Its story is based on the fact that, for 60 years, Chinese immigrants were prevented from becoming naturalized American citizens; for the last 25 of those years, no Chinese woman could come here unless she was of privileged class. This was America`s Bamboo Curtain. Spurred by our wartime Chinese alliance, Congress finally lifted it in 1949, just in time to see it lowered from the other side by Mao Tse Tung.
The net result of these years of exclusion was that our cities`
Chinatowns were male bastions of fathers and their China-born, American-raised sons. ”Eat a Cup of Tea” (the title refers to a prescription in Chinese herbalist medicine) is a gentle comedy about an effort to remedy that situation. It`s about a cure that almost turns out to be worse than the disease.
Even though Ben Loy falls in love with the girl chosen for him, the pressure from his father`s friends for the couple to conceive soon renders him impotent. His frustrated wife, Mei Oi, is then seduced by a local slickster named Ah Song. To save face, Ben Loy`s father, Wah Gay-in a hilariously choreographed scene-cuts off Ah Song`s ear and flees to Havana, leaving Ben Loy and Mei Oi to work out their problems.
Director Wang, an eloquent interpreter of Chinese-American life (”Chan Is Missing,” ”Dim Sum”), tells his story in a series of finely wrought scenes, undermined somewhat by the laborious pace at which they are strung together. Time and again, Wang`s gifted eye and crafty editing embellish otherwise modest events and performances. Some of the best sequences-Wah Gay`s attack on Ah Song, for example-are wordless, as ideogrammatical as a Chinese character.
Mark Adler`s smart score warrants mention as a major enhancement. Part swing, part jazz, with hints of Asian atonality, it goes far to suggest the time, the place and the craving of newcomers to become American without completely losing their identities. Adler has even contributed a fine cover ballad, ”Spring in New York,” sung with finesse by Lynn Ray.
Most of ”Eat a Bowl of Tea” was shot in Hong Kong, where Wang grew up. Accordingly, the cast is a mix of locals and Chinese-Americans. Russell Wong
(New York) is convincing, if not memorable, as a thoroughly Yankee Ben Loy. Cora Miao (California via Hong Kong), who is married to director Wang, appears rather too prim for her role as the bride who takes a lover. Eric Tsang Chi Wai (Hong Kong) smoothly executes the part of Ah Song. These are adequate but rather too literal performances, as if Wang had no interest in encouraging his actors to explore their characters. As a director, he seems to favor the visual, not the emotional.
”EAT A BOWL OF TEA”
(STAR)(STAR) 1/2
Directed by Wayne Wang; written by Judith Rascoe, based on the novel by Louis Chu; photographed by Amir Mokri; production designed by Robert Ziembicki;
edited by Richard Candib; music by Mark Adler; produced by Tom Sternberg. An American Playhouse Theatrical Film release; opens Oct. 20 at the Fine Arts Theatre. Running time: 1:44. MPAA rating: R.
THE CAST
Ben Loy……………………………………….Russell Wong
Mei Oi…………………………………………..Cora Miao
Wah Gay………………………………………..Victor Wong
Lee Gong………………………………………Lau Siu Ming
Ah Song………………………………….Eric Tsang Chi Wai
