tallmark2
OK, I will admit upfront that I am biased about this movie. "Thousand Pieces of Gold" had its world premiere in my city in Idaho in 1991 because it was the only sizeable town with a large old movie palace near the locations where these true-life events took place (but NOT where they were filmed, which was in Montana). (Lewiston even gets a shout-out in the subtitles near the beginning of the film.) During the several weeks that this movie played, I went to see it MANY times on the BIG SCREEN; watching it on TV screens just does not do the scenery justice, though we will perhaps never see it again in theaters. The story of Polly Bemis that the movie is based on is real, though the filmmakers do take some liberties with the facts. That does not bother most of us locals. We were all thrilled to see this story brought to life on film by many fine actors, capturing the flavor of what life was like in 19th Century Idaho mining towns--especially if you were not white. Rosalind Chao's performance is exceptional, and I have been told that this was the FIRST American movie made with a Asian-American actress in the lead role. Although the film seems to come to a rather abrupt end -- as though the filmmakers ran out of money -- it is still a fantastic film that deserves more attention than it has received, and certainly should be released on DVD. Make a point to see it, or own it on VHS, if you can.
David_Brown
What is shown in the film is how much honor and self respect that Lalu/Polly has. Even when she was in China, she was at the bottom of the barrel, but she refused to accept her status in life, held her head high, and never gave up. She worked hard, learned how to do things better than anyone, and most important. learned and mastered how to get along with others, without compromising her values, so she would be able to deal with different kinds of people, on whatever basis was necessary. Spoilers Ahead: At the end of the movie, when the Klan-type of gang, were chasing all of the Chinese away, she was riding back in on a horse, and they chose not to bother her, and she stayed. Why was she treated differently by them? The film does not say, but I have a feeling a large part is the way she carried herself. She could not be bullied and intimidated, and although they did not care for her, by facing them head on without fear (As she did towards any obstacle in her path), she gained their respect. It is an outstanding Western, and from me it gets 10 Stars.
juliearleen
This is a movie I have seen on TV twice - an inspiring movie about one woman's determination and industry. There is also a touching love story. But one of the most amazing parts of this very interesting film, is that it is based on a true story and, if I am not mistaken, shows a picture of the real heroine of the story at the end. This is an important story for women's "herstory". The acting is fantastic, and the story is compelling. My only real challenge with this movie, is that I decided I wanted to see it again and can not find it anywhere! But I will continue my search for this important historic film until I find it - I believe it is worth the effort :-)
Prof_Lostiswitz
A gorgeous and very intelligent movie. Highly unusual to make a western from the Chinese point of view, also to make one from the woman's point of view.These people do it without sentimentality; there's never a false note in it. Lalu has three strikes against her: an ethnic Mongol in China, a woman in a male culture, a Chinese in America. Yet she can draw on her warrior traditions forb a sense of pride inaccessible to most of her compatriots.The relationships she gets into seem totally real; at the same time, there is no attempt to cover up the ugly reality of white racism (not that the Chinese men are much better than the Americans).This is how the old west must have been, and this movie gives us an honest and dramatic portrayal. It deserves to be much better known.
AD
