Cape No. 7 (海角七號)

Cape No. 7 (海角七號)
Light-hearted cultural fare or clarion call to preserve Taiwanese identity?
By Scott B. Freiberger

At its core, “Cape No. 7” (海角七號) is a dramatic love story laced with ample Taiwanese humor and a chart-topping Mandopop soundtrack. The plot weaves a modern bicultural relationship with events that transpired sixty years ago between a Japanese national forced to leave Taiwan at the end of the occupation (1895-1945) and the Taiwanese woman he had promised to spend eternity with. On the voyage home we hear “Teacher,” voiced by Kageyama Yukihiko (蔭山征彥), composing seven letters to his beloved “Kojima Tomoko,” played by Rachel Liang (梁文音 Liáng Wényīn). Teacher deeply laments his country’s loss, his personal cowardice and their star-crossed fate; he wishes her the best that life has to offer and pledges to always cherish the time that they had shared. After he passes away, his daughter mails a package containing these heart-rending letters, as well as a photo captured in her youth, to his long lost Taiwanese love. The address is marked, “Cape No. 7.”

While viewers learn more about these lovers from a bygone era, a modern romance develops between Taiwanese singer/guitarist A-Jia (Van Fan) (范逸臣 Fàn Yìchén) and Tomoko (田中千絵 Tanaka Chie), a Japanese manager at a talent agency. It’s clear that writer/director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖) took painstaking effort to ensure that the two stories were dramatically interwoven so that the protagonists, A-Jia and Tomoko, would not fall pray to the same fate of the earlier couple, and that the audience would cheer on their budding romance. It’s also clear that, with his superb cast of both young and old and hit soundtrack that includes dulcet ballads, traditional Taiwanese folk songs, and melodic, fast-paced power pop rock, he intended to target audiences of all ages on Taiwan. The lovelorn letters, recited in Japanese throughout, also helps the film appeal to a broader audience.

From a socio-political perspective, Taiwanese strongly identify with the film because it embodies local characters of all ages that they could relate to. And unlike blockbuster Chinese movies filmed on the mainland by Taiwan native Ang Lee (李安), “Cape No. 7” was filmed entirely on the island; in addition, most dialogue in the film is the local dialect of Taiwanese (閩南語 milanyu), rather than Mandarin. The heart-rending historic love story and Japanese interspersed throughout also reminds Taiwanese people that their past, however painful, is theirs alone to reflect upon and learn from.

“Cape No. 7” opens with a Taipei alley shot of a frustrated A-Jia, on a dimly-lit street, boarding his motorcycle. After a decade of striving for rock stardom in Taipei, he packs up what’s left of his belongings and high-tails it out of the capital in the middle of the night, but not before smashing his electric guitar against a street pole. Director Wei does a wonderful job of capturing capital landmarks in these opening scenes. We view Taipei 101, currently the world’s tallest completed building, from a street in A-Jia’s Taipei neighborhood, and Shinkong Mitsukoshi Life Building, now the second-tallest building on Taiwan (across from Taipei Main Station), in A-Jia’s side-view mirror as he bitterly heads south and races away from his angst-ridden past.

The next few scenes, shot in Hengchun Peninsula, Pingtung County, introduce Tomoko, a talent agent/publicist representing her company on Taiwan. Her dissatisfaction is also immediately evident, as a former model she only reluctantly manages events for the company. The opening world-class cinematography briefly decreases a notch as viewers see a handful of foreign bikini-clad models tailed by a frustrated foreign photographer. A brief scene with Tomoko arguing with her boss would have sufficed to inform the audience of her profession and willful personality; instead, we view what appears to be a cheesy excuse to throw foreign faces into a local movie.

The van driver transporting the models, photographer and Tomoko becomes distracted by a foreign fanny and accidentally forces A-Jia’s grandfather, “Old Mao,” a motorcycle-riding postal delivery worker brilliantly portrayed by Johnny Lín Zōngrén (林宗仁), off the road. As a result, after arriving in Hengchun, A-Jia must assume the role of local postal delivery person. He fails to deliver a plethora of letters, including the mysterious coffee-colored, rope-tied package addressed to “Cape No. 7.” Curious, he opens the package, carefully examines the contents and comes to realize that it must be delivered to its rightful owner.

At the film’s outset we’re also introduced to A-Jia’s stepfather (馬如龍 Mǎ Rúlóng), a bellicose local Taiwanese politician, literally referred to as “Mr. Representative.” With his brash demeanor, quick wit and trailing cronies, Ma truly captures the essence and irony of local politics. A local hotel manager, played by Zhāng Kuí (張魁), devises a scheme to make Hengchun Peninsula more international by inviting Atari Kousuke (中孝介), a Japanese pop star, to perform. Wanting to stress the importance of Taiwan’s cultural heritage, the representative won’t allow the event to take place unless a Taiwanese band opens the show. The hotel manager agrees, Tomoko is assigned to manage the event and, after a humorous audition process, A-Jia reluctantly becomes the band’s lead singer and guitar player. Let the romance, and mayhem, begin!

Throughout the film, viewers are introduced to a distinctly motley ensemble. The lively Malusan (馬念先 Mǎ Niànxiān) is an avid plum wine salesman-turned-bassist, and Dada, played by Joanne Yang (楊蕎安 Yáng Qiáo'ān), is a timid ten-year old church pianist-turned-band keyboardist who heartily concludes each piece with “Amen.” Hoppy-go-lucky mechanic-turned-drummer Frog (應蔚民 Yīng Wèimín) secretly desires to be with his boss’ wife, and hot-headed aboriginal police-officer-turned-band guitarist Laoma (民雄 Mín Xióng) initially rages because his wife has recently left him.

Rebellious hotel housekeeper and seemingly hard-hearted single mother, Shino Lin (林曉培 Lin Xiao-pei), gives a credible performance in her debut film role as Dada’s mother and, ultimately, Kojima Tomoko’s granddaughter. Much of the film’s humor derives from Old Mao, from lecturing his grandson to involuntarily trading his traditional Chinese lute to learn how to play bass, which he admittedly can’t do after being selected to join the band. With his straight-talk and dead-pan humor, Mao clearly demonstrates impeccable delivery and timing. Add a splash of scenic southern beauty, a smattering of drama and a healthy dose of humor and Taiwan, you’ve stirred up a hit movie.

“Cape No. 7” has recently been released on DVD (just in time for Chinese Lunar New Year), the movie truly captures the song, spirit and colorful essence of Taiwan. The movie has also turned little-known actors into overnight celebrities, who are eagerly capitalizing on their newfound fame. Van Fan currently tops the Mandopop charts and can be seen performing in arenas while Japanese pop singer Atari Kousuke’s music could also be heard regularly at area KTV parlors and live at large venues. Tanaka Chie stars in a 7-Eleven® commercial and “representative” Ma Ru-lung recently appeared before the President of the Republic at a concert (his appearance was also broadcast on the news for the island’s 23 million residents to view). Audiences also went wild when Chie appeared beside Fan during a recent performance (also shown on the news). And “Old Mao” and “Malusan” now hawk everything on TV and billboards from telecommunications services to insurance.

Since A-Jia and his grandfather were both postal employees and a handful of scenes were shot at a local Hengchun Peninsula, Pingtung County post office, Chunghwa Post Co., Ltd. (中華郵政公司), the official post office on Taiwan, is also capitalizing on the film’s success with “Cape No. 7” stamps (NT $399) and commemorative postcards (NT $250). Chances are Shino Lin would also be appearing more in the spotlight if not for a fatal DUI crash she had caused on June 7, 2007.

“Cape No. 7” raked in over NT $400 million domestically, becoming the second-highest grossing movie in Taiwan’s history, second only to “Titanic,” and the highest-grossing Chinese-language film in Taiwan's box office history. Pride over the film reached such a fever-pitch that pirated copies open with a message imploring those watching to view the film in theaters. It was the first movie to roll at the 10th Taipei Film Festival, won NT $1 million and three awards at the event, the grand prize at the 2008 Asian Marine Film Festival and an award for Best Cinematography at the 2008 Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival. The film also took home the Best Narrative Film Award at the 2008 Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival, as well as nine nominations and six awards at the 2008 Golden Horse Awards.

As a testament to his unrelenting belief in this picture, Director Wei mortgaged his home and ran up a personal debt of NT $30 million to cover the film’s NT $50 million budget. Since the movie had a limited budget and most actors had little formal training, the film’s success is evidence that dreams, however small, could become reality with timing, luck, and persistence.

The movie is slated to open in Mainland China on Valentine's Day.

Copyright © 2009 Scott B. Freiberger
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