南北和 (1961)

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南北和 (1961)

The Greatest Civil War on Earth

Reviewed by: Stephe
Date: 01/27/2011

Being an American who does not speak Chinese and has never
visited the Asian hemisphere, I went in to seeing The Greatest
Civil War on Earth assuming that this cultural comedy of manners
pitting Northern (Mandarin) against Southern (Cantonese) mores
would go over my head, but surprisingly found few impediments to
enjoying this classic film. Cathay mainstay Liu En-Jia, a jovial,
rotund man who is usually given supporting roles, is here one of
two lead characters, the other being likewise portly. The two men
are tailors and have daughters who fancy suitors from the other
culture. They continually try to one-up each other and make a show
about how their culture is best, while the harried daughters try
to make the best of things. At one point, mismatched couples go to
the movies, and we're treated to three scenes of Grace Chang in
The Wild Wild Rose. Liu En-Jia's character's daughter, a
stewardess with a stylish bob, is played delightfully by Kitty
Ting Hao, and Kelly Lai Chen plays a role that has layers that
are at first not readily apparent. This film breezes by at a fast
clip like an old Hollywood comedy. Highly recommended.

Reviewer Score: 10