Scenes 21 to 30
On a lively street Manchu-style queues are cut off. A youth does not want his queue to be cut off, but soldiers force him to; he first cries, but after he is given a bowl of noodles he is easily consoled. (This is one of the few comic scenes in this movie).
Yuan Shikai is introduced. He talks with the empress dowager, says he approves a constitutional monarchy and opposes the republican idea. The empress dowager gives him money to fight against the South, where the republican government was just established.
(Yuan Shikai as well as his soldiers have not cut off their queues and demonstrate loyalty to the old system. The setting of the scene bespeaks a symbolic intention: crows circle in the air, the light is damp, thus foreshadowing disaster).
Sun wants to organise a campaign against the North. In the course of the discussion a lot of problems appear: The state has no money, there are still foreigners who threaten China's integrity, and the government in reality has only very limited military power. Wang Jingwei 汪精衛 and Song Jiaoren are not really loyal to Sun; they suggest to make a deal with Yuan Shikai and pressure Sun to offer his resignation in favour for Yuan to become provisional president. Ma Junwu 馬君武 attacks them for this to protect Sun. Huang Xing is upset by all this and stresses that he cannot really match the military power of the North; then he spits blood. All are preoccupied and the discussion is over, but Sun in the end asks Ma Junwu to apologize to Song Jiaoren.
Sun inspects troops who since half a month have nothing to eat but rice soup. He is moved by this scene and stands there silently.
Yuan Shikai and his men make plans against the South; meanwhile the dynasty has to abdicate. (Yuan Shikai is shown as a clearly wicked person).
Sun plays with his two daughters in his office and talks with Lu Muzhen 盧慕貞, his first wife, about things concerning leaving Nanjing. Then he goes back to work with his secretary Soong Ailing and gives Hu Hanmin some instructions, including the refusal to let his brother Sun Mei get a higher office. Meanwhile Ma Xiang 馬湘 helps to pack things. Song Jiaoren talks with Sun about his draft of the provisional constitution; Song is confident of having a chance to limit Yuan Shikai's power by this device.
(This is the only scene where Sun's family – and his first wife! – come in, even though it is noteworthy that his son Sun Ke – the only one of his children that had any political significance – never physically appears in the whole film).
Song Jiaoren talks with members of the senate outside the senate-building about the constitution. Inside the senate hall Song Jiaoren gives an interview; he is asked about the rumours that some of the "old powers" are not pleased with his actions, but he is confident that he is not going to be killed. Song, Huang Xing, Chen Qimei and others go to the station by a horse-drawn carriage. When Song Jiaoren takes his leave at the station he is shot dead.
Sun Yat-sen and Hu Hanmin (who both had to flee because of the failed "second revolution" against Yuan Shikai) arrive in Japan and are received by Miyazaki and another old Japanese friend, Hirayama Shû 平山周.
H.H. Kung (soon to be Sun's brother-in-law via his marriage to Soong Ailing and Sun's to Qingling) brings Soong Qingling to Sun's house and introduces her to Sun; she is Sun's new secretary. (This is the only time H.H. Kung – later to be one of the richest bankers of China – appears).
More than 30 people, among them Huang Xing, Hu Hanmin and Chen Qimei, listen to Sun's speech. Sun wants to manage the "third revolution" strictly by himself after the "second revolution" had not been successful. He wants to bear responsibility alone and asks everyone to take an oath on him personally and seal it with a fingerprint. In Sun's eyes, one of the main reasons why the "second revolution" failed was, that there was too much struggle amongst the revolutionaries, and thus they became weak. Huang Xing refuses to take an oath on a person, as this is contrary to the principle of democracy. Hu Hanmin agrees with Huang Xing since this smacks of secret societies. Chen Qimei takes the oath and puts on his fingerprint. Huang Xing then stands up in protest.
The text shown reads: "July 8th, 1914, foundation of the Chinese Revolutionary Party (Zhongguo Gemingdang)."
(At least from a Western point of view, in this scene Sun looses a lot of his image as a great democrat as which he should be presented – besides being a revolutionary – according to point one of the "ten principles that must be considered when producing this movie", the guide lines for this film – cf. the book on the film: Sun Zhongshan: Cong Juben Dao Yingpian [Sun Zhongshan: From Screenplay to Film], Beijing 1991).
| previous next | back to top |