Buddha Bless America
Linda Li
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Set in southern Taiwan during
the '60s, BUDDHA BLESS AMERICA is the account of a small village
exchanging one yoke--the Japanese occupation--for another two: the
Nationalist government of Mainland China and the U.S., its military ally.
Under the Japanese, you might lose your fingers in a factory accident
without so much as an apology. Under the Nationalists, people get screwed
out of everything, even a straight translation. Under the Americans, well,
folks aren't quite sure what to expect, due to the language barrier and
hostile Mainlander translators.
"Brains", the most
educated man in the village, is an enthusiastic cheerleader for American
know-how and panache. But when U.S. troops are stationed in their midst to
conduct anti-Communist war exercises, the villagers are by turns inflamed,
spooked and yet intoxicated by their firsthand encounters with Americans.
Wu's extensive screenwriting
career includes working with Taiwan's New Cinema filmmakers Hou
Hsiao-Hsien and Edward Yang.
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