Dust of Angels

Dust of Angels
Directed by Hsu Hsiao-ming
Produced by Hou Hsiao-hsien (Executive Producer)
Written by Hsu Hsiao-ming
Starring Jack Kao
Yen Zhenguo
Tan Zhigang
Vicky Wei
Blackie Ko
Cinematography Chang Hui-kung
Edited by Liao Ching-Song
Release date
 July 1992 (Taiwan)
Running time
 106 minutes
Country Taiwan
Language Chinese
Taiwanese

Dust of Angels (Chinese: 少年吔，安啦！; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Siàu-liān-ê Àn-la!) is a 1992 Taiwanese crime film directed by Hsu Hsiao-ming, executive produced by Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien. It was entered into Directors' Fortnight at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.[1] "Àn-la" (安啦) is read as "Àn-na." The Chinese title is a Taiwanese language colloquialism not readily intelligible when read in Mandarin Chinese. It roughly translates to "take it easy, lad" or "cool it, kid."

Plot

The story depicts the growth of Taiwan society under the influence of economic growth, showing the rapid growth of youth violence. The setting passes from the Beigang-zhen, Yunlin County, to Taipei, Wanhua District, Ximending; comparing the simple town with the bustling metropolis as a metaphor of erosion of society and changing values.[2]

Beigang teenagers A-guo and A-douzi spend their days fighting and cause trouble in karaoke joints, hanging around in the billiards room, taking drugs in upper rooms, and generally loaf and play all day. Little Gao, bro Jie, their friend from Beigang, has made something of a name for himself in Taipei, bringing his girl Meimei back to Beigang. A-guo and A-douzi accidentally grab a bag with guns and drugs, and head for Taipei looking for brother Jie.

Cast

Soundtrack

少年吔，安啦！
Siàu-liān-ê Àn-la!
Dust of Angels
Soundtrack album
Released 1992
Genre Soundtrack
Length 46:09
Language Taiwanese Hokkien
Label Mandala Works / Pony Canyon Taiwan (真言社 / 波麗佳音)

The soundtrack features ten Taiwanese, instrumental rock and ambient music songs by performers considered to be alternative or avant-garde in the Taiwanese music scene at the time. Some of the contributors to the album united in the mid-2000s for the series of Taike Rock Concerts (台客搖滾演唱會).

Popular singer Lim Giong's "A Soundless Place" (無聲的所在) performed with Hou Hsiao-hsien (the movie's producer) became a popular Taiwanese staple. Rock singer-songwriter Wu Bai who achieved immense popularity in East Asia the late 1990s and 2000s, contributed two songs including the title track under his given name of Wu Chun-lin. These songs represented Wu Bai's first major commercial music release and featured two of the three members of his band, China Blue. Fellow Taike performers Baboo contributed three songs and had backing roles on several of the others on the album. Chinese jazz saxophonist Liu Yuan also performed one of the album's songs.

For the 29th Golden Horse Awards in 1992, the soundtrack was nominated for a Golden Horse in the category of Best Original Film Music, losing to the soundtrack for Rebels of the Neon God. The song "Dust of Angels" was also nominated for the Best Original Film Song award the same year.[3]

  1. "A Soundless Place" (無聲的所在 Bô-siaⁿ ê só·-chāi) by Lim Giong & Hou Hsiao-hsien (林強&侯孝賢)
    Also translated as "A Place of Silence"
  2. "Lighting a Cigarette" (點煙 Tiám ian) by Wu Chun-lin (吳俊霖)
  3. "You're the Meanest" (你真正上厲害 Lí chin chiàⁿ siong lī-hāi) by Lim Giong (林強)
  4. "Cool It, Boy" (少年安 Siàu-liān an) by Baboo
  5. "Dreaming Peach Flowers" (Instrumental) (夢桃花 Bāng thô-hoe) by Liu Yuan (劉元)
  6. "Dust of Angels" (少年也，安啦！Siàu-liān-ê àn-la) by Wu Chun-lin (吳俊霖)
  7. "All the Lamp-posts" (電火柱仔 Tiān-hé thiāu-á) by Baboo
  8. "Come Get Money, Everybody" (赶緊來賺錢 Koáⁿ-kín lâi thàn-chîⁿ) by Lim Giong (林強)
  9. "Instrumental" (演奏曲 Ián-chàu khek) by Baboo
  10. "The One in My Dream" (夢中人 Bāng-tiong lâng) by Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢)

References

  1. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Dust of Angels". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  2. ↑ Sylvia Li-chun Lin The 2/28 Incident and White Terror in Fiction and Film 0231512813 2010 With its vivid depiction of violence and drug use, Dust of Angels was derived from the director's concern about a generation of youth from broken families in a rapidly changing rural society that is ill equipped to deal with the impact of modernization."
  3. ↑ The 29th Gold Horse Awards(in Chinese)

Further reading

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