The Last Princess of Manchuria

Yoshiko Kawashima (1990) is the tale about the last crowned Princess of Manchuria. She lived a sad and depressing life that was controlled by others. As a child she was sent to live in Japan. Whilst there she adopted a Japanese name and was basically a pawn throughout her entire life. Anita Mui stars as the "Last Princess of Manchuria". She gave a depth to this complex character that a few actresses could have pulled off. Andy Lau (who acted his tail off) co-stars as the Chinese nationalist who's life is caught up with the Princess turned Japanese agent in war torn China circa. 1930's. Sadly this film has been neglected over the years. I found this to be the perfect companion piece to "The Last Emperor". This movie chronicles a forgotten part of history (at least to a westerner such as myself). I highly recommend this movie. I have never witnessed such a fine performance from either Ms. Mui or Andy Lau. The acting and direction was highly entertaining and the storyline was very strong and easy to comprehend. After watching this movie you'll understand how much of a loss it was when Anita Mui passed away. This has to be her finest hour as a actress and as a singer. Highest recommendation possible. The ballad near the end of the movie (sung by Anita Mui) fits in perfectly. Even though I couldn't appreciate the lyrics (they were sub-titled in Chinese characters) I found it to be very haunting and well suited for this movie.