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GENERAL FATHER, GENERAL SON (1985)
CAST
BACKGROUND This is the sequel to, "The Legend of the General Who Has Who Never Was" or "Sit Yan Gwai Jing Dong", which starred Man Chi Leung and Tang Siu Mun, and the second part of a Trilogy. The third story was based on Sit Ding San's son Sit Kong which was called "Destined to Rebel", or "Sit Kong Fok Kwok", starring Lau Ching Wan. This trilogy was set in the Tong Dynasty. The first part "The Legend of the General Who Never", was during Tong Tai Jong Lee Sai Mun's rule. Whether Sit Yan Gwai really existed in history I'm not sure. He was the greatest knight according to the story. Out of all the Sit family I think Sit Yan Gwai achieved the most. He was a peasant who became a general and fought many wars. However after 10 years of fighting he decided to return home to see his wife. On the way back he runs into his son, and accidentally shoots him with an arrow. He thought he had shot a white tiger. The ending for the first part is therefore very tragic. Does Sit Ding San Live? Enter "Sit Ding San Jing Sai", the sequel. TVB began filming this series right after they shot "Sit Yan Gwai Jing Dong". Again this story was only 20 episodes long. Wong Yat Wah played Sit Ding San, Money Chan Mun Yee played his wife Bak Yin Kap, Kung Chi Yan played a mountain robber and Sit Ding San's second wife. Sharon Yeung Pan Pan played his sister, Sit Gum Lin. HISTORY This story is based towards the end of Tong Tai Jong, Lee Sai Mun's rule. Lee Sai Mun took the throne with force in 627 AD, by killing his brothers and ruled until 649 AD. China entered into a golden age of peace and prosperity during his rule. His son Li Zhi (mandarin name), ascended the throne in 650 AD to 683 AD. According to history Li Zhi was weak Emperor and had little control over military and political matters. His wife Wu Zetain's faction held the military and political power. After the death of Li Zhi in 683 AD, his eldest son Li Xian (mandarin name) ascended the throne in 684AD. He too was only a puppet King with Wu Zetain's faction in control of the palace. He exempted the throne in the same year. His younger brother Li Dang was chosen by Wu Zetain as the next puppet King and held the throne from 684AD-690AD. He too was exempted. Wu Zetain then ascended the throne and changed the name of the rule from Tong to Wu (Chou in mandarin). She held rule from 690 AD to 704 AD. During her late 80's Prince Li Xian returned with help from loyal soldiers to overthrow Wu Zetain and regained the throne, re-establishing the Tong Dynasty in 705 AD. Wu Zetain was not killed but died of illness the same year. Li Xian lasted only 5 years on the throne before being poisoned in 710 AD. SERIES REVIEW SUMMARY After being shot by his own farther Sit Yan Gwai and falling down a cliff, Sit Ding San is saved by a Taoist monk. Angry Sit Ding San wants to get revenge on the old man who shot him. The Taoist monk then tells him that the old man was his farther Sit Yan Gwai. He also told Sit Ding San that he could not see his old man until 20 years time, or there will be trouble in his family. Therefore Sit Ding San spends 20 years at the cliff learning martial arts from the Taoist monk. We rejoin the story eighteen years later and with only two years remaining before Sit Ding San can see his farther. Sit Ding San has waited so long and plans to leave. However the Taoist monk catches him and instructs him to stay put. Whilst wandering around the cave he comes across an evil spirit, Yeung Fat. They fight and Sit Ding San scars the evil spirit's neck with his sword. The Taoist catches Yeung Fat and places him in a jar. The Taoist instructs Sit Ding San not to let the evil spirit out or the evil spirit will take revenge on his family. However Sit Ding San doesn't listen yet again, remember his mother Lau Gum Fai had told him to wait for his farther to return but he didn't listen and look what happened. Sit Ding San attempts a hastily exit but in the process knocks over the jar holding Yeung Fat. The evil spirit escapes and heads south and becomes another Nation's big general. The Taoist is not pleased but tells Sit Ding San that he can't leave yet. Meanwhile Sit Yan Gwai has just come back from another war and is about to lead an army to the south. During this time he avoids a plot to kill him by a descendent of Cheung Si Gwai. However the strong old knight Wat Chi Kong kills himself in order to save Sit Yan Gwai. After bidding farewell to his wife Lau Gum Fai and daughter Sit Gum Lin, he takes the Tong army South. However during the war they are trapped inside a castle and are drained of food. Sit Yan Gwai also gets serious injured and later dies. Sit Yan Gwai enters spiritual after life, there he is told that he hasn't finished his business during his life. He is also told that his son Sit Ding San will one day come back and kill him with an arrow, to pay back the arrow that he used to shoot him. He drinks a cup of, Mang Por Cha (forgetting tea), and is sent back to earth. However from this day forth he is haunted by a dream. He dreams that a young knight will shot him after he battles with Yeung Fat. Both Sit Gum Lin and Sit Ding San gets hold of the news that their farther is in trouble. The Taoist finally tells Sit Ding San that it is time to leave. He is given 3 tools to help him on his journey, special strength armor, a sword belt, and special spear. In order to rescue his farther, Lee Sai Mun, Prince Li Zhi decides to open a competition with the highest Kung Fu person becoming the General to lead the rescue mission. Sit Ding San beats his own sister who had dressed up as a man in an attempt to win the position. Finally the family is once again reunited. Lau Gum Fai decides to go with Sit Ding San and Sit Gum Lin on their mission to rescue Lee Sai Mun and Sit Yan Gwai. On the way they run into mountain robbers and Sit Ding San is captured. He is released after promising to marry the mountain robber's sister. The mountain robbers then decide to join him on his mission. During the rescue he flies in the air and aims an arrow at an enemy near Sit Yan Gwai and kills him. Sit Yan Gwai turned and saw that this young knight is the same knight that was in his dreams. At once he is not impressed and asks for the young man's name. In reply the young man happily say's " I'm your son, Sit Ding San". Unconvinced and without a word he goes over to he's wife Lau Gum Fai for an explanation. He then realized that in fact that was his son, but leaves without acknowledging him. Sit Ding San was left in shock. In the meantime Bak Yin Kap was with her master another Taoist priestess. When she is about to leave her master, she is told that she'll marry a great knight called Sit Ding San soon. Instantly she fell in love with Sit Ding San without knowing what he looks like, and who he is. She was eager to find out though. Meanwhile Yeung Fat had made arrangements with her farther to marry her. Under pressure her father agrees to it. Upon arriving home she heard the news that she was to be married. She was so excited because she thought it was going to be Sit Ding San. She was then told that her future husband was Yeung Fat. Immediately she refused causing heaps of trouble for her family. However since their nation is under attack from the Tong Dynasty army lead by Sit Yan Gwai, she is able to delay the marriage. During this time Sit Yan Gwai in an attempt to avoid fate, being killed by his own son, strips Sit Ding San of his General position, and sends him to the kitchen. By doing this he thought, that without his son, in the battlefield he wouldn’t be killed. However Sit Yan Gwai attempts to defeat the southern country is foiled by Bak Yin Kap. Sit Yan Gwai is also defeated by this woman warrior in a duel, so I guess he is getting old. However Bak Yin Kap led the army with the purpose of seeing her future husband. Finally Sit Ding San unknown to his father leads the attack against Bak Yin Kap. However he overestimates his own abilities and is captured. At once Bak Yin Kap wants Sit Ding San to marry her or she won't release him. But everyone knows that love can't be forced. Sit Ding San agrees to marry Bak Yin Kap in 3 days time, without the intention of actually doing so. At once Bak Yin Kap informs her family of the marriage and they are unimpressed. Yeung Fat also get news of this and is outraged and sets out to kill Bak Yin Kap's family. In 3 days time Sit Ding San did not show, so Bak Yin Kap searches for him and finds that he is already engaged to the mountain robber's sister. This does not deter Bak Yin Kap however. On the way back home her family’s bodies are flying left right and center. She hits those bodies and believes that she killed her own family. At this point Sit Ding San decides to marry Bak Yin Kap for the good to the two nations. On the wedding day, Bak Yin Kap runs out after news of her involvement of with her parent's death gets out. After some investigations Bak Yin Kap, realized she did not kill her parents after all, but that it was Yeung Fat. After convincing Sit Ding San of the truth they decide to get married only to have it stopped again because Sit Ding San thinks that Bak Yin Kap already has a child of her own. She then runs off and becomes a Taoist priestess. During this time Yeung Fat traps Sit Yan Gwai in the forest. Sit Ding San then engages in a rescue mission, however he accidentally shoots and kills Sit Yan Gwai with an arrow. He thought he had shot a white tiger. Later Sit Ding San is captured by Yeung Fat but is rescued by Bak Yin Kap. Sit Ding San decides to marry Bak Yin Kap after being saved by her. This time there are no complications. They get finally get married. Outraged Yeung Fat seeks revenge and injures Sit Ding San. The mountain robber's sister then does a blood transfusion with Sit Ding San, to save his life. Yeung Fat continues to go after the injured Sit Ding San again, he'll only be happy when he sees Sit Ding San's grave. Bak Yin Kap manages divert Yeung Fat's final attempt to kill Sit Ding San. Yeung Fat is lured up to the mountain, where he was killed by Bak Yin Kap. However his evil spirit seems to have entered into Bak Yin Kap's son's body Sit Kong. At the end Sit Ding San also marries the mountain robber's sister. But is that the end of Yeung Fat???? FOLLOW ON The third part of the trilogy is "Sit Kong Fok Kwok", starring Lau Ching Wan as Sit Kong, Law Wai Kin as the Weng Tai Princess, and Kwan Lai Kit as Li Xain (mandarin name). Sit Kong is possessed by Yeung Fat and kills his own mother Bak Yin Kap. Ching Ngow Gum and Sit Ding San both die a terrible death at the hands of Empress Wu Zetain. Ching Ngow Gum hand both his arms and legs, not to mention head cut off. Wu Zetain gains the throne by plotting the murder of Emperor Li Zihn and exempts Li Xian from the throne. Sit Kong escapes this tragedy and with the help of his noble knights and friends goes to a neighboring country to lend troops, to help Prince Li Xain regain what is rightfully his. However all of Sit Kong's friends and farther in law wants Sit Kong to take the throne for himself. But he his very loyal to Li Xain. In the end Sit Kong leads the army and overthrows Wu Zetain. Prince Li Xain is restored as King. The first sign of gratitude he shows towards, Sit Kong for helping him retain the throne, is to kill all of his noble knights and friends. Next he bestows the greatest honor upon Sit Kong, killing him in cold blood and sending him to hell. Only then did Sit Kong realize what a fool he was to trust this man and place so much loyalty upon him. This all over the Weng Tai princes who loves Sit Kong and not Li Xain. However the Princess commits suicide and dies by Sit Kong's side. At the end Li Xain lives. But not for long because in history Li Xain was poisoned 5 years later. RATING (5) I must admit, I'm not one of the biggest fans of this series. After watching, "Sit Yan Gwai Jin Dong", I expected more from this series. I don't particularly like this story. This story also had too many flat spots, for my liking. For example how many times did Bak Yin Kap captured Sit Ding San to try and force him to marry her. It was like flogging a dead horse. Also the countless interruptions between their marriage. Another dead spot was, Sit Yan Gwai attempting to cheat fate and demotes his son from General to the Kitchen. I thought Sit Yan Gwai of all people should know that you can't cheat fate. That was the morale, of "Sit Yan Gwai Jing Dong", that by attempting to prevent fate, you actually cause it to happen. The cast was okay and the acting was good. The only thing letting this Series down is the story. TVB used the same costumes used in "Sit Yan Gwai Jing Dong" for this series. I know this Serial was kept as an opera so I guess they were trying preserve this theme. For example the light blue knights are always evil. WONG YAT WAH AS SIT DING SAN Sit Ding San is a very rash and arrogant character and often gets into trouble because of it. His rash nature is demonstrated when he refused to wait home for Sit Yan Gwai to return home when he was a child. Another example was his attempt to leave and reunite with Sit Yan Gwai after spending 18 years at the mountain. However he knocks over the jar containing Yeung Fat, leading to the death of the entire Sit family at end of the Trilogy. Sit Ding San is also a stubborn person and this was demonstrated by his lack of trust of Bak Yin Kap. Wong Yat Wah emphasized this well in the series. I must admit that, this role is not one of the toughest roles Wong Yat Wah has ever had. However he did do a good job in the series.
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CREDITS HK
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