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| Children of the Silk Road |
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  (7/10)
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Runtime: 125 |
| Public Rating: 8.50 (2 votes) |
Director: Roger Spottiswoode |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: drama, war |
Year: 2008 |
| Writer(s): James MacManus and Jane Hawksley |
| Distributor: 20th Century Fox |
| Reviewed by: Avril Carruthers |
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Produced by Arthur Cohn, Wieland Schulz-Keil
Cast: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Radha Mitchell, Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh
Children of the Silk Road was inspired by the true story of George Hogg, a young English journalist who travelled to China in 1938 to cover the Japanese occupation. Set in spectacular scenery with a background of violent war, the film tells a story of a journey, with the help of an American nurse and a Chinese guerrilla leader, to take 60 orphaned boys on a 600 mile journey to safety. Screenwriter James MacManus’ book Ocean Devil: The Life and Legend of George Hogg, gives what has been omitted in this fictionalised account. The main force behind the boys’ journey was actually New Zealand-born communist Rewi Alley.
When Hogg (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) arrives in Shanghai fresh from Oxford, he’s an eager, back-slapping kind of fellow with more enthusiasm for adventure than good sense. Keen to go to Nanjing, despite it being overrun by the Japanese and closed to the press, he and experienced war correspondent Barnes (David Wenham) impersonate Red Cross supply drivers - with appalling results. Chinese guerrilla leader, ‘Jack’ Chen (Chow Yun Fat), narrowly saves Hogg’s life before they end up in a field hospital run by American nurse Lee Pearson (Radha Mitchell) who seems to be single-handedly responsible for bringing medical care to inadvertent victims of war as well as soldiers. Lee sends Hogg to rural Huang Shi, where he finds 60 orphaned boys running feral in a rat- and lice-infested abandoned school. He puts his enthusiasm to pragmatic use in feeding and caring for them despite the sullen opposition of their erstwhile leader Shi-Kai (Guang Li).
Lee visits periodically with medical supplies and lice treatments, but in between leaves Hogg to discover his own caring imperative and innovative solutions. The relationship that gradually develops between them is complicated by a secret Lee keeps defensively hidden from everyone but Jack, a former lover. Much of the film rests on the positive changes Hogg is gradually able to effect in the often-traumatised boys, and his close relationships with them as they open up to the safety and stability he is able to provide. Uncertainties of war and changing social rules make the situation palpably uneasy. The imminent arrival of Japanese soldiers necessitates a flight on foot, through the snow with mules and handcarts, on the old Silk Road. They aim for Shandan, a sanctuary on the edge of the Gobi desert. The caravans of camels and sturdy Mongolian tundra horses who pass them on this obvious busy route show them to be in a foot-travelling minority.
There’s a kind of momentum George gathers around him to enlist the help even of hostile forces, and there are others, including the merchant realist Mrs. Wang (Michelle Yeoh, with serene presence), who are won by his cheerful optimism. There are sober crises when the realities of habitual deprivation intrude despite hopes of a better future, and a sentimental note when the balance shifts between the three main characters and Jack commissions George to care for Lee.
The film reinforces life-affirming humanity when at the end real life survivors of the journey with Hogg, still living in Shandan, describe his persistent smiling humour and care with obvious sincerity. Rhys Meyers is convincing as the good-natured Hogg, while Chow Yun Fat is surprisingly light as Jack-the-guerrilla-in-the-box, popping up when needed. Australian Radha Mitchell’s American accent wavers more than it holds, but her performance can’t be faulted. The heart-wrenching little boys shine equally.
© Avril Carruthers 4th July 2008
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