The Knot (2006) User Reviews

Nationalist Soap

[gabridl · 3/10 · 10 March 2007]

"The Knot" opens with a long, virtuoso shot reminiscent of Hitchcock, Antonioni, and De Palma. Don't get your hopes up. The rest of the movie is cheese, with comic characters, awkward dialog, sappy lighting, and an absurd story. Even the score is derivative in the silliest way, at one point—and I'm not making this up—reprising the theme from "Star Trek." Most disturbing, though, is the film's unrelieved nationalism, evidenced in the locations, the final image, and the symbolism of the story, none of which differentiate the film from propaganda.

On the plus side, the director did create a beautiful village with a really old tree and some very clean peasants.

Good Movie

[liuyonghui17 · 9/10 · 2 January 2007]

I saw this movie with a bag oranges for an afternoon entertainment but I ate only two before I felt guilty. This is a moving story telling about true love and should be dealt with seriously.

The story began in the 1940s when Chen Qiushui(Chen Kun)was a diligent medical student who came to a rich dentist's home as a home-teacher.There he met the pretty girl Wang Biyun(Xu Ruoxuan)who was the elder daughter.By teaching Biyun's younger brother they had a pleasant time together and eventually fell in love with each other.Later Chen was discovered to be a communist radical. He was fired by Biyun's mother and he had to escape from TaiWan. However,Biyun was determined to wait for Chen. She engaged with him the day he left. Chen came to mainland, served as a doctor in the army, participated the Korean War, and went to Tibet after the war. In Korea he met Wang Jindi(Li Bingbing),Jindi fell in love with Chen, who refused her because of Biyun. But Jindi's love is sincere.She paid full respect to Wang Biyun and she knew it's impossible for Chen to reunite with Biyun. Chen was in a dilemma, for one thing it's not probable to see Biyun again, for another Jindi's sacrifice made her love hard to refuse. He get married with Jindi.Several years later he was killed in an accident. In Taiwan, Biyun was still waiting for him and took care of his mother for him.This waiting lasted for as long as her life.

Tai Wan get rid of Japanese Control in the year 1945 and from then on there's gap between Taiwan and mainland. Especially before 1970's, no communication is possible.Under distorting political events young people's love is always smashed. We all should think about whether it is worthwhile to wait for a lover that much. I think yes, for the more we cherish love, the more resplendent love is. But I fully respect your choice for we are not living in a movie after all.

It tells you the history at least.

[jueyinwang · 8/10 · 22 June 2007]

The love story may seem unbelievable nowadays, but remember it happened 60 years ago. You can't judge it with your own experience. But one thing for sure is that it tells you some history which is real. THe other thing is that there were/are people out there somewhere who are stubborn/faithful enough in terms of love: they found their true love, they lost it because of some historical problem (not because of themselves), but they still have hope and faith in their love and they never seize to look for it: one love in one life time. Remember it happened long time ago in a place that traditional thoughts dominated. We need to appreciate history. If there were no war, then the separation wouldn't be a separation of a life time and it wouldn't be such a tragedy.

A beautiful Human Story

[Tottie1946 · 10/10 · 27 August 2015]

I don't write reviews that often. but I had to write about the effect this story had on me.

The sensitivity and beauty portrayed and expressed by all the characters is rarely found on the screen. It must be said that although there are aspects to this story that might only found in the political atmosphere of that era (that is the Cold War and the relationship between 'Formosa' and mainland China) it is a story that is universal.

One of the many things I admired about this film was that it never descended into sentimentality. Something that could have happened quite easily in less expert and competent hands. The director has steered this film with just the right touch.

One reviewer was unhappy with the musical score. Just as an aside the song the young lovers sang together fitted perfectly with the narrative and the times. It is from the film 'The Great Waltz'. the lyric is '...you told me you loved me when we were young one day.' How apt isthat to the context of the film.

Anyone with a love of cinema will be richly rewarded by taking the time to appreciate this film. I am sorry that I could only watch it on my laptop. The cinematography would have been breathtaking on the big screen.