Australian
Screen

Teacher’s notes

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This clip set in the 1960s shows Rose (Joan Chen), a recent Chinese immigrant, angered that her Australian husband Bill (Steven Vidler) has departed for four months. Rose seeks familiarity and company at a local Chinese restaurant. Dressed in a glamorous outfit she walks along suburban streets to the restaurant, where she ignores the waitress and walks directly into the kitchen. She flirts with the young cook Joe (Qi Yuwu) and discovers that she and Winnie (Gabrielle Chan) would have been neighbours in Hong Kong. The clip is in English and Cantonese with subtitles.

Educational value points

• The interior scene in the house and the colourless backyard accentuate Rose’s incongruity with her domestic surroundings. The Hills hoist, a defining feature of suburban Australia, is shot from a low angle, allowing it to dominate and imprison Rose. The restrained beige and green colour scheme of the bedroom and Rose’s dishevelled pale nightdress contrast with the bright colours of the cheongsams she hangs on the washing line.

• The colour palette suggests Rose’s defiant transformation from Bill’s submissive wife to a confident sexually powerful woman. The strong blue of one of the cheongsams that Rose hangs out to dry is carried through into the beautifully choreographed street scene in which the blue of the cheongsam and parasol is echoed in shop walls, street signs and the clothes of passers-by. In the kitchen Joe’s white outfit contrasts with the bold blue of Rose’s outfit.

• The skilfully crafted soundtrack supports Rose’s emotional journey. At the start of the clip the conversation between Rose and her husband is backed by suburban sounds – chirping birds, children playing, a dog barking – that contribute to the sense of Rose’s entrapment. As she smashes the lamp there is a chord of music, which then builds in the following scenes. The hybrid score of Chinese and Western music and instruments echoes Rose’s increasing confidence.

• The shot of Rose smashing the lamp indicates her state of mind. Her angrily impulsive act in response to Bill’s departure is multiplied several times by being reflected in the mirror. This may be seen to represent Rose’s fractured mental state. It may also suggest an insight into an aspect of Rose’s personality that she would usually conceal, one that is only revealed when viewed from the indirect or otherwise impossible angle that the mirror allows.

• The relationship between Joe and Rose is foreshadowed in the kitchen scene. For many of the shots the camera is positioned next to Joe, showing Rose from his perspective. This device, along with Joe’s and Rose’s body language, hints at the potential relationship between the characters and reveals Joe’s physical attraction to Rose and her knowing manipulation of him.

• Rose’s difference is not only strikingly apparent as she strides along the reserved suburban streets but is played out on a more subtle level in the restaurant. In the kitchen Rose apologises to Winnie, a native of Hong Kong, for not speaking Cantonese very well, saying she grew up in Shanghai. Growing up in Shanghai and growing up in British-run Hong Kong at the time would have resulted in linguistic and cultural differences between the two women.

This clip starts approximately 1 hour 8 minutes into the feature.

Rose sits up in bed, talking to Bill as he packs his suitcase.
Rose You go how long?
Bill Four months, tops. It’ll go quickly.
Rose Your mother? She stay?
Bill Look, I know it’s not what we planned, but it’ll work out, I promise.
He gives Rose some money.
Bill I’ll send more as soon as I can.
Bill picks up his suitcase and belongings and leaves. There is intense music as Rose smashes a lamp.

We see Rose putting the washing out on the clothesline.

Rose walks through the local shopping strip in a beautiful traditional Chinese outfit, and immaculate hair and make-up. She enters a Chinese restaurant.
Waitress Do you need a menu?
Rose continues walking and enters the kitchen.
Rose Hello. Ni hao ma.
Rose and Winnie speak Cantonese.
Joe You have to order from the waitress.
Rose I don’t want what you serve Australians. I want to see your real Chinese food. Is your tofu fresh?
Joe You have to try it.
Rose eats a piece of tofu.
Winnie Who are you?
Rose I’ve just moved here from Hong Kong.
Winnie You don’t sound like you’re from Hong Kong.
Rose I grew up in Shanghai. My Cantonese isn’t very good.
Winnie You speak with a Shanghai accent.
Waitress Table five is in a hurry.
Rose You’re from Hong Kong aren’t you?
Winnie Mm-hmm.
Rose Where did you live?
Winnie Kowloon.
Rose I lived there too. Which street?
Winnie Tsim Sha Tsui.
Rose So we were neighbours. I lived in Hau Fook Street. My name is Rose.
Winnie I’m Ah Yin, call me Winnie.
Rose Ni hao.
Winnie Ni hao.
Joe (in English) Joe. My name is Joe.