Hou Hsiao-hsien 17: Contexts 8 - The Rice Dumpling Vendors (Hsin Chi, 1969)

https://notesonfilm1.com/2021/06/16/hou-hsiao-hsien-17-contexts-8-the-rice-dumpling-vendors-hsin-chi-1969/ A discussion of Hsin Chi's THE RICE DUMPLING VENDORS, a rare male melodrama. The protagonist kicks his wife out of the house for perceived infidelity; as soon as he does the whole family falls apart and is plunged in a spiral of poverty, the father at one point abandoning his baby even as his two minor children take on jobs in order to buy milk. The film documents a society on the cusp of modernity and suffering the effects of the social and economic effects produced by it. Stylistically, the film is highly skilled and gorgeous to look at. Character's thoughts are offered in voice-over or through song. There is a mix of genres: noir/action/family-melodrama/documentary. It's a cinephile's film, with references to PSYCHO and other films. The music borrows from CINDERELLA as well as then current pop-hits as Sinatra's version of 'I've Got You Under My Skin'. We also discuss the extent to which this film is an influence on Hou Hsiao-hsien's THE SANDWICH MAN. The more Hsin Chi films we see, the more we like and value them.