Thousand Pieces of Gold

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Thousand Pieces of Gold

1991

1h 45m

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Set in the 1880s, this film chronicles the journey of Lalu (Rosalind Chao), a Chinese woman whose financially desperate family sells her as a bride. She is sent to the United States, where she is bought by sleazy barkeep Hong King (Michael Paul Chan), who plans to make money off of Lalu by forcing her into a life of prostitution. Unwilling to submit to his demands, she begins her own successful business venture and captures the attention of the troubled but kindly Charlie (Chris Cooper).

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Critics Consensus

Thousand Pieces of Gold's technical deficiencies are handily outweighed by sterling work from a 24-karat cast -- and a story that has a fresh perspective on the American Old West.

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Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

02/16/2022

2.5/4

Chao is charming and believable as strapping Lalu... How she comes to find angels in a country that in 1882 expelled Chinese immigrants makes for an involving tale.

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Eleanor Ringel Cater

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

02/16/2022

Ms. Chao gives a spirited performance that's matched expertly by Mr. Cooper's aw-shucks courtliness and Mr. Chan's slick villainy... This first feature by independent filmmaker Nancy Kelly is a most winning little western.

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Martha K. Baker

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

02/16/2022

Despite some amateurish acting and editing, Thousand Pieces of Gold demands attention because of the very peculiar nature of this story of Lalu Nathoy (Rosalind Chao).

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

02/18/2022

3.5/4

Thousand Pieces of Gold confronts the West, both its history and its place in American cinema.

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01/31/2010

The story is told with power and high drama, however, and the love that grows between Lalu and Charlie, like all loves that smoulder for a long time, becomes a great passion. And Rosalind Chao's performance is a wonder - the sort that, in a conventional Hollywood epic, would inspire Oscar speculation.

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01/14/2010

Very good, heart warming of a woman who was sold from China from her family and would not be a whore in a mining town. She worked as a slave until one day a man gambled and won her freedom. She gained respect from the town, and later lived out her life on her own homestead.

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11/01/2009

Hhhmm. I like Chris Cooper and I liked him together with Rosalind Chao. It felt like the story was there but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I don't know what it was that kept me from liking it more.

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12/02/2008

Great movie! The scene on the cover they show with the synopsis on flixster is not even in the movie... so that's a little misleading, I guess. But great acting! I haven't seen Chris Cooper in a role like this and he was amazing. The story is obviously Hollywood-ized. I'm sure their love story was a lot less dramatic but the drama makes for an excellent film.

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09/01/2008

Plot keeps moving at a good pace. Is an interesting enough period piece that holds the viewer's attention.

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03/06/2008

This is my Roots. Chao does a brilliant job.

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Nancy Kelly

Director

Rosalind Chao

Lalu

Chris Cooper

Charlie

Dennis Dun

Jim

Michael Paul Chan

Hong King

Jimmie F. Skaggs

Jonas

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Synopsis

Set in the 1880s, this film chronicles the journey of Lalu (Rosalind Chao), a Chinese woman whose financially desperate family sells her as a bride. She is sent to the United States, where she is bought by sleazy barkeep Hong King (Michael Paul Chan), who plans to make money off of Lalu by forcing her into a life of prostitution. Unwilling to submit to his demands, she begins her own successful business venture and captures the attention of the troubled but kindly Charlie (Chris Cooper).

Director: Nancy Kelly
Producer: Sarah Green, Nancy Kelly, Kenji Yamamoto
Screenwriter: Anne Makepeace
Production Co: American Playhouse, Filmcat, Channel Four Films
Genre: Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 26, 1991, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 45m