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An Autumn's Tale

An Autumn's Tale

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the most romantic movies ever
Review: A friend commented once that he wondered if the theme of unrequited love is a recurring one in Asian films, to which I replied, but of course. As far as I can remember, the allure of romanticism is not so much in the happy ending of the couple who live happily ever after but in the thought of what could've been that stays forever. It is a romance that will never fade as it lives only in your mind.

So what has that got to do with this movie? This is a perfect example of that. This is a tale about a woman (Chung) who comes to New York to meet her lover. Instead of a ring, she gets snubbed for a richer, more sophisticated new girlfriend. The only person she knows in the entire country is a distant cousin (Chow), a rough ruffian who knows love as much as Tarantino does romantic movies. Slowly, a bond develops between the two bumbling losers and as fast as the love blossoms, the flame is extinguished when Chung moves on to take another job in other part of New York.

In the tradition of 'A Roman Holiday', the setting in a foreign land accentuates the romance. They are the perfect strangers who are pushed together by the force of circumstance. The chemistry between Chow and Chung work out great on screen and the acting, albeit low key, is very convincing. Chow is a master of turning an ordinary character into one that instantly engages you and strikes you as interesting.

I first watched this film when it was released. Years passed and I even forgot its title. I never forgot the movie though (although I did the ending). One day I decided that I wanted to see it again and looking at Chow's career history, I finally found the English title and managed to get my hands on a copy. Talk about something that lives in my mind forever.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: One of the most romantic movies ever
Review: A friend commented once that he wondered if the theme of unrequited love is a recurring one in Asian films, to which I replied, but of course. As far as I can remember, the allure of romanticism is not so much in the happy ending of the couple who live happily ever after but in the thought of what could've been that stays forever. It is a romance that will never fade as it lives only in your mind.

So what has that got to do with this movie? This is a perfect example of that. This is a tale about a woman (Chung) who comes to New York to meet her lover. Instead of a ring, she gets snubbed for a richer, more sophisticated new girlfriend. The only person she knows in the entire country is a distant cousin (Chow), a rough ruffian who knows love as much as Tarantino does romantic movies. Slowly, a bond develops between the two bumbling losers and as fast as the love blossoms, the flame is extinguished when Chung moves on to take another job in other part of New York.

In the tradition of 'A Roman Holiday', the setting in a foreign land accentuates the romance. They are the perfect strangers who are pushed together by the force of circumstance. The chemistry between Chow and Chung work out great on screen and the acting, albeit low key, is very convincing. Chow is a master of turning an ordinary character into one that instantly engages you and strikes you as interesting.

I first watched this film when it was released. Years passed and I even forgot its title. I never forgot the movie though (although I did the ending). One day I decided that I wanted to see it again and looking at Chow's career history, I finally found the English title and managed to get my hands on a copy. Talk about something that lives in my mind forever.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A warm, sweet story.
Review: A warm, sweet story about a shy young woman named Jennifer who leaves her family and upbringing in Hong Kong behind to study acting with her boyfriend in New York. She is introduced to New York by "Figurehead", who assigns himself the task of assisting his "4th aunt's 13th cousin" to settle down in the slums of her new hometown.

Shy and unsure of herself, Jennifer is assisted through homesickness, a bit of culture shock and a broken heart by "Figgy". Though he is uncouth and crude he is kind and faithful, unlike Jennifer's fickle upperclass boyfriend.

After many trials and tribulations, Figgy falls for Jennifer. Of course there are complications, and that's what this film is about: the complexities of love.

Chow Yun-Fat gives an outstanding performance as Figgy, and Cherie Chung is superlative as usual. This film won Best Picture at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1988, and Chow and Chung were nominated as Best Actor and Actress respectively. Chow is very under-appreciated as a dramatic and comedic actor outside of Asia; anyone seeing this film or some of his other roles such as those in "Dream Lovers" and "All About Ah Long" will be convinced of his range.

Beautifully shot and directed with style and humanity. A good film for the entire family.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A warm, sweet story.
Review: A warm, sweet story about a shy young woman named Jennifer who leaves her family and upbringing in Hong Kong behind to study acting with her boyfriend in New York. She is introduced to New York by "Figurehead", who assigns himself the task of assisting his "4th aunt's 13th cousin" to settle down in the slums of her new hometown.

Shy and unsure of herself, Jennifer is assisted through homesickness, a bit of culture shock and a broken heart by "Figgy". Though he is uncouth and crude he is kind and faithful, unlike Jennifer's fickle upperclass boyfriend.

After many trials and tribulations, Figgy falls for Jennifer. Of course there are complications, and that's what this film is about: the complexities of love.

Chow Yun-Fat gives an outstanding performance as Figgy, and Cherie Chung is superlative as usual. This film won Best Picture at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 1988, and Chow and Chung were nominated as Best Actor and Actress respectively. Chow is very under-appreciated as a dramatic and comedic actor outside of Asia; anyone seeing this film or some of his other roles such as those in "Dream Lovers" and "All About Ah Long" will be convinced of his range.

Beautifully shot and directed with style and humanity. A good film for the entire family.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One to watch again and again
Review: As a new Chow Yun-Fat fan(after watching Anna and the King), I have rented or bought more of his movies and this oldie impressed me much more than his action flicks. No one falls in love on screen better than Chow Yun-Fat and I wish HOllywood would showcase his amazing talents in movies like this! My only complaint was that the english subtitles were hard to read or omitted in more than half of the movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Autumn Love
Review: Every Chinese immigrant dreams of making it big in America, especially in New York. Most will find only a harsh life of sub-minimum pay working as waiters, and living in near-crumble apartments where the bath tub is, believe it or not,in the kitchen. To find love in this enviroment makes the harsh life seem better. But, alas, the harsh reality of poverty may interfere in this love story. This story is captivating and funny at times from the brilliant performance of Chow Yun-Fat as the leading actor. The audience will desparately hope that he makes it in NY as well as in his quest for true love.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Must See! Best non-action film of Chou Yun-Fat
Review: Everyone knows Chou Yun-Fat as an action star, but in this film, you can see him as a character actor who can be funny and sad at the same time. This is his best in the non-action film category!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful from beginning to end....
Review: Great story, brilliantly performed by all. This is arguably Chow Yun-Fat's finest performance ever. All bravura to most in the film, his character shows the most gentle nature when he thinks no one is looking. It was amazing to watch him fall hopelessly in love with Cherie Cheung. Most touching was the scene where he chases after her car, not to catch up with her, but to just to get a chance to look at her one more time.

Now, I LOVED "The Killer" and "God of Gamblers" just like everyone else, but please do not expect this to be one of Chow's "heroic bloodshed" roles. This film has far more substance and a much bigger payoff. Don't miss it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Break From The Action!
Review: If you are a fan of the actor and not just the action star, you will enjoy the movie!! The movie is a definate date movie, but it is worthwhile.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: For True Chow Fans
Review: If you are a true Chow Yun Fat fan, then you will want to watch those movies beside the gun fights in which he is known for. From this film, and others like "All About Ah-Long," "Hong Kong, 1941," or "God of Gambles - I" you will realize that he really is an all-around great actor. He really cannot be categorized as only an action star, as Hollywood has seem to do so. With movies like "the Corruptor" and the low office box turnout in "Anna and the King" due to weak directing and the fact that everyone knows the story already, Hollywood is not introducing the real Chow to the American audience. So if you are his fan, stick to his older movies, although many of them are bad too.


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