“The Knot” is of some significance in being the first joint blockbuster production between Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, and the first to use a Chinese company for its expansive digital effects work. Boasting a big cast of stars and an ambitious story which takes place in a variety of countries and periods of history, the film certainly bore the marks of a ready made pan-Asian hit.
The movie talks about Qiushui (actor Chen Kun, also in “The Little Chinese Seamstress”), a medical college student who tutors a school boy English but then falls in love with the boy's sister Wang Biyun (Taiwanese popstrel Vivian Hsu). Sadly, the amorous couple is parted both by Biyun's disapproving mother and by Qiushui's forced flee to the Mainland after the KMT government starts hunting down suspected left wing activists, where he later becomes a military doctor.
Moving around the country at an alarming pace, Qiushui finds solace in the company of perky nurse Wang Jindi (Li Bingbing, also in “Wait ‘Til you’re Older”), who slowly wears him down with her astounding decency and honesty. Meanwhile, poor Wang Biyun remains in Taipei, caring for her love’s aging mother and hoping against hope that fate will reunite them, while she herself is pursued by the astoundingly decent and honest Zilu (Hong Kong boy band member Steven Cheung).
It’s clear from the start of “The Knot” that the viewer is in for a heavy dose of melodrama and clunky old fashioned romantic values rather than anything gritty or challenging. Indeed, “The Knot” is populated entirely by characters that are quite happy to spend their lives pining away for other characters, whilst they in turn are pined after by a lesser sub-division of even more wretched and lovelorn souls. Since the film is without villains, and since none of the characters are willing to stoop to lies or deceit to try and further their romantic aims, the plot is oddly lacking in real drama despite its themes of loss and tragedy.
Still, the narrative is engaging enough and there is plenty in the way of soap opera style action, which mainly takes the form of endless scenes of heartfelt goodbyes and shots of tear-soaked faces staring glumly into the rain. As such, for viewers looking for an unashamedly sentimental sob story, the film certainly delivers. For viewers of other persuasions, the over the top hysterics to which the cast is prone frequently makes for unintentional amusement, and the film verges into the territory of being enjoyable trash. A great deal of the responsibility for this falls squarely on the shoulders of the two leads, with Chen Kun spending most of the film looking like an enthusiastic though not particularly intelligent puppy, and with Vivian Hsu pouting her way through a role which leads her from amusingly old looking schoolgirl to pained spinster.
Where the film succeeds most is in its impressive visuals, with the high budget clearly having been put to good use in building intricate sets and on a surprisingly judicious and effective use of CGI. Thanks to this, “The Knot” certainly looks gorgeous with some great sweeping camera work, and is lent a suitably epic air through its globetrotting plot, which spans the globe as well as the decades. As a result, there is a definite blockbuster feel to the proceedings, with a professional sheen comparable to similar Hollywood efforts.
Episode 1
Loving at the first sight. Qiu Shui, a medical college student found a tutor's job teaching a school boy English to help to [pay his tuition. Bi Yun, an art student, the sister of the boy Qiu Shui was tutoring, met Qiu Shui for the first time. They fell into love with each other.
Episode 2
Bi Yun was wild in love with Qiu Shui, finding excuses to approach Qiu Shui, who welcomed Bi Yun with open arms. They were beyond thmeselves with joy and excitement, enjoying the time they spent together.
Episode 3
What happened between Qiu Shui and Bi Yun was found out by Bi Yun's mother who had strong objection to her daughter marrying someone from a poor family. So she fired Qiu Sui despite the objection by Bi Yun and her brother. Qiu Shui went back home in a small village degressed. Just then his mother told her a girl from Taipai had come to see him and was waiting outside. Qiu Shui, too excited to believe it was true, dashed out in search for the girl he had so desperately longed for day and night.
Episode 4
A heart-rending Goodbye. Qiu Shui was forced to leave Taiwain for the mainland China to avoid the political pursecution by the KMT government.On his departure from Taiwain, Qiu Shui was bidding a goodbye to Bi Yun in the heavy rain. Very touching scene.
Episode 5
After Qiu Shui left Taiwan, Bi Yun kept her promise and took over the job of taking care of Qiu Shui's mother on behalf of Qiu Shui. During the school vacation, Bi Yun, an art teachenow, came to the countryside and visited Qiu Shui's mother. She asked Qiu Shui's mother to give her a wedding ring as a token to remember Qiu Shui by. Qiu Shui's mother urged Bi Yun to find another man to marry, but Bi Yun insisted on waiting for Qiu Shui to come back.
Episode 6
After he arrived at the mainland China, Qiu Shui joined the communist guerrilla in Fukian Province and worked as an army surgeon. After the Korean Was broke out, he went to korea and joined the Chinese Volunteer's army fighting against the Americans. In Korea Qiu Shui met a girl from Shanghai, an army nurse, Jing Di, who soon felt in love with Qiu Shui. Qiu Shui, still in love with Bi Yun, however, was not moved.
Episode 7
When the Korean War was over, both Qiu Shui and Jing Di were going back to their original Division. A few minutes before the departure of the train Qiu Shui was taking, Jing Di rushed onto the scene. While complainging that Qiu Shui had not written to her frequent enough, She filled Qiu Shui's pockets with boiled eggs and apples which she brought along, attracting all the attention from Qiu Shui's comrades who were truly jealous of him. Before departing, Jing Di grabbed a pen from Qiu Shui which triggerd some panic from Qiu Shui since the pen was a priceless gift from Bi Yun. Qiu Shui offred to trade the pen back with his binoculars, but it was too late. The train had sped up, and Jing Di had been left far back behind on the platform.
Episode 8
A couple of years later, Jing Di came to Qiu Shui's medical college to visit Qiu Shui. In the hallway, she saw Qiu Shui's name on the list of the people who volunteered to be transfered to work in Tibet. Jing Di was not happy about the news since she knew that Qiu Shui, born and grew up in Taiwain, would not survive the trecherous weather in Tibet. From the bottom of her heart, she was relunctant to let Qiu Shui go. Jing Di cired during the conversation, but Qiu Shui left for Tibet anyway.
Episode 9
Episode 10
Qiu Shuiand Jindi's wedding.
Episode 11
