The Puppetmaster
1993
Directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien
I told my sister I had to get off the phone last night so I could finish a two and a half hour Taiwanese biopic about the life of a puppeteer. I don't think I inspired a lot of envy with that statement.
The film tells the story of Li Tian-lu who became a puppeteer during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. That's pretty much it. The only slightly interesting/sleazy thing about the movie was that he took a mistress.
The historical context was somewhat intriguing, but the rest of this film was incredibly dull. I have never really had even the slightest interest in puppets (I have an aversion to all things Muppets). The puppet shows actually got on my nerves a lot because of the incessant gong hitting. I suppose it was the only music they could provide but it got to be headache inducing. Sorry puppet people.
Sorry for the short review, but this movie just didn't leave a lasting impression.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
The second film in Hou's historical trilogy.
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