Review of the Movie King of Masks

 

When the movie began, I thought it was going to be like every other Chinese movie I have seen, with kung fu.  “The King of Masks” was a good movie to learn about China’s history and how it has changed from the 1930’s to 2000.  China is not like this anymore.  I thought that China’s idea about girls was not worth anything was wrong because if there was not any girls in the world where would the boys come from.  I thought the way the Chinese treated girls was very wrong.  I felt bad to see Doggie being treated so badly just because of her gender.  I thought that everything Doggie did to bring happiness to her “master” was right and he was just cold hearted.  It was a relatively sad movie, but it had a happy end.  Girls and boys should always be treated the same.  
- James Hu Chinese 1

 

The King of Masks was a very good depiction of what sexism is like in
china. It showed how kids were just bought, sold, or given away with almost
no care at all. It was fast paced, even though there was no hard action, I
was always intrigued with what was going to happen. The movie was not very
predictable, which is good. It was a little hokey how the kidnappers could
not keep track of the children. The cinematography was great. I particularly
enjoyed the scene where the girl was on the dock, and the old man was on the
boat, rejecting her. Very symbolic. I don't know exactly how it ended, so I
cannot critique that half. I give it 3 stars
- Nick Phelps Chinese 1

 

The King of Masks is a heart-warming film about a street performer and his relationship with an orphaned child. I found the movie to be surprising at times, but the end was almost predictable.  From the beginning, I had a sense of what was eventually going to happen, but scene after scene I was unexpectedly met with minor conflicts embedded in the encompassing issue of continuing a well established tradition.  In short, I found the movie to be a unique variation of a common concern that we still deal with today

- Molly Fu Chinese 1

 

This was a good movie.  I enjoyed learning about the Chinese culture.  It was neat to see the performance that the king of masks put on.  It was also interesting to see how differently he would act once he found out he thought he had a son but it turned out it was a daughter.  I thought it was an interesting storyline to add in Tianci and the reaction that that got.  I also felt they displayed the theatre very nicely and I got a feel for how big a part of their lives it is as well as mixing it with their religion and beliefs.  Overall I liked this film but I didn't care for the ending. 
-Carrie Schmertz Chinese 1

 

The King of Masks¡± was a great movie. I liked the plot. But I dislike
the idea of preferring boys over girls because without girls there would be
no boys. It showed how the old man overcame sexism, and started to respect
girls. The movie showed that girls could do as much as boys could do. I
would give this movie two thumbs up!
-Ed White Chinese 1

 

I think the movie is good for entertainment and educational purposes. it gave a great example about sexism in china and how china worked in the old time. i hope we see more movies like this in the future
- Byron Chan Chinese 1

The King of Masks" illustrated the unequally between men and women in China and how a character over came the difficulty of accepting a girl as his heiress. I was shocked to see the part in the beginning where children were sold by their own parents. Especially, girls were even sold free because they were

considered to be worthless than boys. I was very glad I was not born as a girl in China at that time. Even though in modern days, foreign ideas have influenced the traditional beliefs of Chinese people, there still seems to be a discrimination between men and women. In the movie, I also noticed the gap between rich and poor. It seemed to be very harsh for poor to live at that time. I was very happy when the main character finally accepted his 'grandson' and inherited the secrets of the Masks to 'him'.

-Sakai Yukiko Chinese 3

 

The movie "King of the Masks" takes place about 40 or 50 years ago. The movie is about this old man who makes a living as an entertainer. His special talent is changing masks. This movie shows how sometime, the most unexpected things can happen, when you least expect it. At the end, he ended up showing his talent to his adopted grand daughter. It shows that no matter what the sex is, you can do anything as long as you put your mind to it. She also saved his life, it shows what a brave girl she is. 

She must also love her grandfather/ boss very much and respect him or she would have not done it. She has a big heart, and the movie shows that even it you are a young girl about eight, you can still make a difference. I think she grew up too fast. Living in the society that she lived in, she has to survive. She understood things that most eight years old can not understand. She matured early and she thought like an adult. I think that the lesson of the movie is to listen and respect every living soul, old or young. They can make a difference and you never know when you'd least expect help from them.

-Liu Sue Chinese 3

 

I thought the movie "King of Masks" was a very touching and heartfelt story. I liked the storyline because it could really relate to a real life situation of a little girl and an ordinary street performer. This story was very realistic and I think that's what caught my attention throughout watching this whole

movie. This movie also showed they types of hardships the working classes had to go through at the time to survive.

-Alice Feng Chinese 2

 

The movie The King of Masks was a very good movie, involving old world traditions and striving to survive in the new world. It was a movie that changed just when you thought you knew what was going to happen next. Its social problems relate to normal lives in many ways. Prejudice of both age and gender are as old as time and the want to pass down ones life long accumulation of knowledge when death is knocking on your door will always be with us. The movie causes one to question the world around them. "I wouldn’t be like that, would I?" This is one of the questions that ring through your mind as you see the injustices thrown at the main characters. The movie also has great insight into the lives of lower middle class people in China, where tradition still rules the lives of most. I hope others enjoyed this movie as much as I did and I recommend it to anyone who wishes for a movie with meaning.

-Michael Yang Chinese 2