Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Daughter of the Nile Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 25, 2018

The disconnect between youthful idealism and hardscrabble reality has been the basis for any number of memorable films, but Daughter of the Nile has a unique focus that sets it apart from many of its cinematic siblings. Playing almost like a live action version of what anime fans might call a “slice of life” entry, Daughter of the Nile offers a snapshot of sorts of Taiwanese culture in the early eighties, a time fraught with both (ostensible) opportunity and (undeniable) frustration. As the informative commentary by Richard Suchenski gets into, this was an era of profound change for China in general and Taiwan in particular. This island “nation” (more about that in a moment) has had a somewhat fractious history, as Sinophiles may know, having been annexed by Japan for decades after the Sino-Japanese War, and then drifting into a kind of netherworld in the wake of World War II. That came to a rather abrupt end with the rise of Communism on the Chinese mainland, at which point Taiwan famously became a refuge for the so-called Chinese Nationalists under the command of Chiang Kai-shek. Chiang more or less proclaimed the Taiwanese government as the de facto “Republic of China”, and with the Cold War firmly underway by that time, many global democracies did in fact recognize the tiny island as representing “China” in general. With President Nixon’s now legendary trip to mainland China in 1972, the scales seemed poised to tip in another direction, as they obviously ultimately did, but the eighties were still a time when the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan was tenuous. Suchenski makes an interesting point that kids raised on Taiwan during this period were taught that they were the bearers of “real” Chinese culture, but what Daughter of the Nile makes abundantly clear is that an increasing globalization and a simultaneous thrust of Capitalist energy (as evidenced by the somewhat funny use of a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in the film) made any claims of “cultural purity” somewhat suspect.

That reference to anime above is perhaps especially appropriate given the fact that the film’s title alludes to a real life Japanese manga called Crest of the Royal Family, which perhaps unexpectedly did become a major cultural phenomenon in China as well as Japan. Crest of the Royal Family documents a time traveling Egyptologist named Carol who ends up back in Ancient Egypt and becomes enamored of a young pharoah. The actual connection to Daughter of the Nile’s focal character, Lin Hsiao-yang (Lin Yang), is probably tenuous at best, but her interest in the story is perhaps indicative of her desire to escape a world where she’s forced to work at a fast food emporium (the aforementioned Kentucky Fried Chicken) while attempting to navigate some roiling waters in terms of both her own desire for a romantic relationship, as well as some simmering dysfunctions in her nuclear family.

There are a number of interesting if arguably tangential plot points that play out, vignette style, as Yang navigates an environment that is (as Suchenski points out in his commentary) still under longstanding martial law, but which is beginning to feel the impact of the “freedom” of huge economic growth. That “freedom” only seems to chain Yang, though, as she works at a dead end job while pursuing what is probably a dead end relationship with a so-called gigolo named Ah-sang (Fan Yang), a guy with a “business” relationship with Yang’s brother, Lin Hsiao-fang (Jack Kao). Fang in fact has found there are other “opportunities” at play in the raucous streets of Taiwan, and the film hints at some underworld activity without really deeply exploiting it.

If the story here is intentionally slight (which is not to say lacking profundity), Hou Hsaio-Hsien’s stylistic approach is frequently fascinating, if perhaps unavoidably distancing. As can even be seen in several of the screenshots accompanying this review, and in an approach that Suchenski repeatedly points out in his commentary, framings frequently employ doors, windows and other interstitial objects that tend to place characters at least in a midrange spatially, and often further back than that. It’s as if Hou is struggling to either provide some objectivity or, on the other hand, get close to these characters. It’s a really interesting conceit, but one that really doesn’t materially affect the emotional tether to Yang and her family, especially as some revelations spill out. This may not be prime Hou, but it’s an arresting film from a number of standpoints, and fans of Hou’s other work (A City of Sadness, The Assassin, Flowers of Shanghai) will almost certainly find this a worthwhile viewing experience.

Daughter of the Nile Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Daughter of the Nile is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Film Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Cohen touts a 4K restoration which I'm assuming was utilized as the source for the British Blu-ray released by Eureka Entertainment last year. This is a beautifully organic, if sometimes intentionally diffused looking, presentation, one that features a nicely rendered accounting of Huai-en Chen's cinematography. As addressed above in the main body of the review, and as can easily be seen in many of the screenshots accompanying this review, key scenes of the film play out in confined spaces, often with Hou and Huai-en Chen framing things with objects in front of the supposedly focal characters. As such, quite a bit of the film tends to play out in midrange shots where characters are placed some distance from the camera, where fine detail levels simply aren't that prevalent. Many interior scenes have a kind of garish orange quality, something that's echoed in scenes of a neon lit Taipei that can verge on the unreal at times. When the film ventures outside in brighter sunlight conditions, the palette warms considerably and looks quite vivid (again, consult some of the screenshots I've uploaded to the review). Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation, and there are no problems with compression hurdles.

Daughter of the Nile Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Daughter of the Nile features an LPCM 2.0 mono track in the original Mandarin, with optional English subtitles. There's some very slight but noticeable distortion in the upper midrange that occurs on occasion, in both dialogue and score, though interestingly less so in terms of effects like the zooming motorcycles that are often on display in the teeming nightlife of Taipei. It's a relatively minor annoyance (and one that might not even be noticed by some listeners). Otherwise, this is a solid accounting of a kind of verité-esque sound design, one that offers the sometimes boisterous sounds of an urban environment contrasting with the quieter climes of Yang's home life.

Daughter of the Nile Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Feature Length Audio Commentary by Richard Suchenski is consistently interesting and informative, but it sure sounds like this was recorded on an old cassette player or something (I jest, of course, but only slightly). There's also at least one kind of odd edit (early on), where what I assume was dubbed or corrected information is suddenly mono right for a moment. These passing anomalies aside, Suchenski offers a nice analysis of the film within its sociopolitical context, while he also points out some of the stylistic proclivities employed.


• Tony Rayns on Hou Hsaio-Hsien and Daughter of the Nile (1080p; 42:01) finds the avuncular critic and writer in fine form as he discusses both this film in particular and Hou's career in general.


• Daughter of the Nile Original Trailer (1080p; 1:08) is a frankly kind of odd and rather brief montage of scenes, one which reveals little about the film.


• Daughter of the Nile Re-Release Trailer (1080p; 1:35)

Daughter of the Nile Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Daughter of the Nile is reportedly based on some real life experiences of screenwriter Chu T'ien-wen, who also wrote Millennium Mambo, another Hou film with at least some plot (and even casting) connections to Daughter of the Nile. Daughter of the Nile doesn't quite have the almost carnival like style of Millennium Mambo, and as such may be perceived even by some Hou fans as a little tamped down. But those with an eye for detail will notice a wealth of wonderful character moments in this film. Technical merits are generally first rate, and Cohen has provided some enjoyable supplements on this release. Recommended.