Not to be confused with the silly horror film with William Hickey about possessed toys killing people, this is a Taiwanese film I found in book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I hoped it would be one that deserved that placement, directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou (A Time to Live, a Time to Die; A City of Sadness). Basically it tells the story of Li Tian-lu, Taiwan's most celebrated master puppeteer. He had a troubled childhood, he started by joining a travelling puppet theatre and subsequently making a career. During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan in World War II, he was faced with Japanese rulers using the traditional Chinese puppet theatre for their war propaganda. Only after the war street theatres start playing again, and Li Tian-lu maintained his puppetry for 36 years. Starring Tian-Lu Li as himself, Giong Lim as Li Tian-lu (young adult), Kuei-Chung Cheng as Li Tien-lu (teenager), Juwei Tzuo as Li Tian-lu (child), Liou Hung as Li Hei (grandfather), Chen-Nan Tsai as Komeng Dang (father) and Ming-Hua Pai as Ong Hsiu (Grandmother). I tried to keep up with the story as best as I could, it could have been more intricate and intriguing, but there are some good dramatic sequences, and the several puppetry displays are wonderful to watch, and some traditional symbolism as well, a reasonable biographical drama. Worth watching!
Review of The Puppetmaster
