Early Train from Taipei is one of about 200 Taiwanese language films to have survived that were made between 1955-1970. This film was popular during its day and has been restored with only a few flickering skips still evident. There was no doubt what type of film this was going to be during the intro when an artist tells his friend there is a sad story behind two disparate paintings of the same woman. While I can appreciate its place in history, the endless melodrama and flat characters caused my interest to wear thin by the end.

Siu Lan and Hue Thao are two beautiful people who live and work in the countryside and love each other. Siu Lan’s father died leaving her ailing mother in deep debt. When the creditor comes calling demanding payment, Siu Lan asks a friend to find her work in Taipei. The work turns out to be as a taxi dancer. Within a couple of weeks, she’s sending significant money to her mother to help pay down the debt. Hue takes the train to visit her but derides her for her choice of employment implying she needs to go home. He leaves her a note and catches the train, hiding from her when she follows him to the station. Siu Lan attempts to quit but her boss does not handle her resignation well, and from there on her life takes a decided turn for the worse.

A heavy-set couple back home brought comic relief whenever they encouraged Hue to visit Sui Lan. But that laughter was soon drowned in a torrential flood of tears. Tears of guilt. Tears of loss. Tears of sorrow and anger. Tears of hopelessness and remorse. And tears of pain. The last third of the film was a relentless parade of pain. With each new dilemma the catastrophes felt more like manufactured drama desperately trying to force the audience to cry than from any organic developments to the story. Siu Lan and Hue were tortured over and again. The lyrics to the songs implied that Siu Lan had been enticed by greed and the big city lights, but she appeared to remain the same lovely girl she always had been and was only working in the city to pay off her mother’s debts. She would have preferred to stay in the country with Hue and her mom but her innocence was exploited by the cruel club owner. Whatever lessons fate was trying to teach her for having sought to make money in the city, I’d say it was overkill.

I did like that the connections between the women were strong. Siu Lan’s friend, Suat Gno, stayed loyal to the end and felt deep regret over finding Siu Lan a job at the club. Suat Gno also cared for Siu Lan’s mom when Siu Lan was unable to. It was good to see Ko Yu Min, veteran of numerous kung fu flicks, play the defense attorney (paid by Suat) exasperated with Siu Lan’s martyr complex. His perfectly timed eyeroll expressed my sentiments exactly. It was difficult to watch this woman who only had good intentions be victimized over and over again. First by the lascivious men in charge of the club and then later by the justice system. Lastly by herself. Taiwan was going through a growth faze with young people heading to the cities for better jobs. Apparently, this melodramatic tale connected with audiences and was quite popular. The Last Train from Kaohsiung was a successful prequel to this film and there was possibly at least one sequel to Early Train. I would like to find the sequel to see if they saved Siu Lan and Hue Thao not only from their emotional damage but also the physical damage they endured.

Early Train from Taipei was a love story between two people torn apart by the evils of the big city. Beauty and “greed”, even if used for protecting the family were punished like using dynamite on a gnat. I appreciated this time capsule for what it was and am grateful it was saved and restored for future generations to see. Despite that, I struggled with the almost gleeful degradation of Siu Lan and Hue Thao as a cautionary tale for young people desiring to leave home for the promise of a better life in the city.

17 April 2024