Illustrious Energy

Illustrious Energy video

Illustrious Energy aka: Deams of Home - 1988

Mirage Entertainment Corp. Ltd. - 100 min.

Cast: Shaun Bao, Harry Ip, Peter Chin, Geeling, Desmond Kelly, Peter Hayden, Heather Bolton.
Screenplay: Martin Edmond, Leon Narbey; Photography: Alan Locke; Production Design: Janelle Aston; Editor: David Coulson; Original Music: Jan Preston; Percussion and voices: Don McGlashan; Producers: Don Reynolds, Chris Hampson; Director: Leon Narbey.

Two poor Chinese gold miners in Otago in 1895 dream of returning home after 12 years. Chan has a wife in China, as well as a child that he has not seen. One day they find enough gold to pay their debts and return home. Chan goes to town to buy supplies and pay the debts. He encounters prejudice, religion, opium, hookers, the circus, and love (among other things). Despite a tempting offer to stay with the circus and the beautiful Li, he opts to return to his old friend so that they can fulfil their dream of returning home - things don't go as planned, however. Some rough edges, but excellent photography and soundtrack. Some editing issues and dialogue problems, but generally a well crafted product. Recommended.

Censor Rating: PG -- Review Rating: B-

AVAILABILITY OF VHS OR DVD COPIES

New copies were available recently in PAL VHS from NZ sources for about $40nz, but that may no longer be true. No known NTSC or DVD copies. No known sources for used copies.
Note: There is a dubbing service, Video Search of Miami, that will provide a copy on dvd-r ntsc for $15us + shipping. This dub, from a good vhs source, has non-removable Portuguese subtitles in addition to the original English audio track. Currently this is about the only way to see this movie, outside of New Zealand, and the only dvd source I have found, anywhere.

SOUNDTRACK ON AUDIO CD

There are no known soundtrack CDs of this title.

Link to soundtrack sample download

TRAILER - REVIEWS - MISC

Opening Video Clip

Information at IMDB

Jan Preston - Composer - Official Website

Six Reviews at the National Film Archive

TV Guide Review

IMDB User Comments

"Illustrious Energy was to begin filming in the summer of 1986 but there was a delay. The production paid for Narbey and designer Janelle Aston to continue working. 'Having a year of pre-production on Illustrious Energy was fantastic. It enabled Janelle and me to come to terms with all the locations, the props, the dialogue. We could go over it again and again and become totally familiar with all the nuances and the subtext. It was very valuable.'" - (Leon Narbey in, Douglas Jenkin, "A rare energy", NZ Listener, October 22, 1988)

"It's seemingly simple story of two impoverished miners and their sad fate, conceals a much more complex drama of human frailty and demolishes many of the myths about the Chinese way of life a century ago. It also faces up to the climate of violence and ugly prejudice that existed towards the Chinese and the ingenious way they were eventually to overcome same without sacrificing their identity [...] The production values are near flawless. Director Leon Narbey has a painter's eye for detail and the dense colour photography literally textures landscape, players and story into a single form" - (From 1988 Auckland International Film Festival programme)

OFFLINE REVIEW SOURCES

North & South Review by Brian McDonnell - June 1988

AWARDS

1988 - Taormina Film Festival: Bronze Charybdis.
Hawaii Film festival: East-West Centre Award for Best Film.
London Film Festival - Official Selection.
1988 New Zealand Listener Film and Television Awards:
Best Director, Best Cinematographer, Best Design, Best Music, Best Editing, Best Soundtrack,
Best Supporting Male Actor - Peter Hayden, Best Supporting Female Actor - Heather Bolton.

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