Man Bo nu lang

Grace Chang was a big star phenomenon in the 50s and early 60s. It's not hard to see why in MAMBO GIRL. What we'd call camp (but who knows what this excessive style means to viewers 40 years ago?) starts with the very opening credits, as we see Chang's legs sinuously move to music down stairs on a stage. With big nods to Western styles--opera, torch songs, Latin music, film noir--this movie proclaims its modernity. The contemporary Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Liang is a huge fan of Grace Chang--see especially his loving homage to her outrageous songs in 2000's THE HOLE (e.g., the "Achoo Cha- cha"). In MAMBO GIRL Chang is the seductress with the heart of gold, giving a performance every bit as spellbinding as Marlene Dietrich or the 20th century's other Euro/American movie and music divas.

This was the first Grace Chang film I've seen, and it was better the second time around! What could have been a fun, but vacuous film about having dance parties with your friends turns out to be a film with emotional depth, sadness and, best of all, pure joy. Grace Chang is beautiful, especially when she smiles. She just lights up a room. She is also a good actress, as her range is tested here in a number of situations in which she does wonderfully. It doesn't matter if you need subtitles to know the lyrics to the songs, the songs are so much fun, and Ms. Chang is a good singer. The supporting cast is fine, but it is Ms. Chang's film. If you ever want to see one Grace Chang film, this is the one. You'll fall in love with her and want to be part of the dance. Bravo, Grace!