Country boy Shuisheng is brought to 1930s Shanghai by his uncle who wants the boy to become a member of the powerful gang ruled by manipulative Tang (Li Baotian). In fact, Shuisheng will serve Tang's capricious mistress Bijou, a nightclub singer whom the boss proclaimed "the Queen of Shanghai." When the boy's uncle and the gang's several other members die during a rival gang's unsuccessful attempt on Tang's life, the latter retreats to a remote small island, taking both Bijou and Shuisheng with him and thinking of revenge. The film's English-language title is a little bit deceiving (the original Chinese title translates to "Row, Row, Row to Grandmother's Bridge," a line in Tang's favorite song performed by Bijou), as this film centers more on the boy's coming of age and Bijou's disillusionment and arrogance than on Shanghai gang wars.
(Theme)
The theme shows the cruelty of human nature, and the innocents are always suffer because of it. The director used familiar image to show this. In the beginning of the film, he showed the innocent face of the main character. In the end he showed the main character’s hang up side down. This showed how he changed because of some inhuman humans.
(reaction)
I thought this film was excellent. It does have a slow beginning but it picks up and holds your attention up to the very end. The actors didn't have too much energy but they still got the lines across.
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