Thousand Pieces of Gold

Directed by Nancy Kelly

Year: 1990

Country: U.S.

Language: English

English Closed Captions

Set in a mining town in the 1880s, Thousand Pieces of Gold is based on the classic novel by Ruthanne Lum McCunn with a screenplay by award-winning filmmaker Anne Makepeace (Tribal Justice). Upon its release in 1990, the film won immediate acclaim for its portrayal of the real-life story of Lalu (Rosalind Chao), a young Chinese woman whose desperately poor parents sell her into slavery. She is trafficked to a nefarious saloonkeeper in Idaho's gold country. Eventually Charlie (Chris Cooper), a man of different ilk, wins her in a poker game and slowly gains her trust. Way ahead of its time, the film resonates even more powerfully today in the era of #MeToo. Nancy Kelly became a victim of prejudice against women directors within the American film industry and was never offered another movie to direct in spite of extraordinary reviews from critics, some of whom compared her talent to that of John Ford.

Reviews

"...a cross between a Western period piece and a romantic drama and features two incredible performances between Chao and Cooper. It practically swept me off my feet."

- Monica Castillo, NPR / Pop Culture Happy Hour

"A cross between a Western period piece and a romantic drama and features two incredible performances between Chao and Cooper. It practically swept me off my feet."

- Monica Castillo, NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour Podcast

"A small gem of US independent filmmaking that’s well worth rediscovering."

- Dennis Harvey, 48 Hills

"Excellent. Kelly’s direction and Anne Makepeace’s script gurgle with frustration at the political and social realities. Cooper is nothing short of galvanizing."

- Michael Snydel, The Spool

"Uncommonly good. This exceptionally fine, independently produced film is a small-scale, clear-eyed, sharply observant drama...it offers the audience a vivid and involving look at a fascinating chapter in American history that usually is relegated to the status of footnote."

- Joe Leydon, The Moving Picture Blog

"The entire film revolves around Rosalind Chao’s assured performance. The story is an interesting one and is deftly handled by Nancy Kelly to produce a film that tells Lalu’s story without over-romanticising."

- Marie O'Sullivan, The Movie Isle

"This movie is beautiful, it is inspiring, it is tragic, and it is scary all at the same time."

- Marc Morin, TwoOhSix.com

"[Nancy Kelly's] great achievement here is in simulating 19th century Mongolia and the American West, putting flesh and blood people in those locales and telling a grounded story on a shoestring, making it look like an A-picture."

- Roger Moore, Roger's Movie Nation

"Ahead of the times. As Lalu, Rosalind Chao brings an emotional intensity to the role, while the always superb Chris Cooper complements Chao with a calm, thoughtful presence."

- Diane Carson, Alliance of Women Film Journalists

"Thousand Pieces of Gold features stunning landscapes of a developing settlement and its surroundings while immersing us in the mud and mess of the wild west. A worthwhile exploration of individuality and agency as well as a beguiling love story."

- Lisa Trifone, Third Coast Review

"Rosalind Chao lights up the screen. The camera loves Chao: Her deeply expressive eyes dominate the screen and envelop the viewer in heartfelt emotion. It’s hard to imagine that it’s Kelly’s only fiction movie. Kelly is in full command of the story, which is gorgeously photographed by Bobby Bukowski and keenly edited by Kenji Yamamoto, along with a vivid score by seven-time Emmy winner Gary Malkin."

- This Week in New York

"Rosalind Chao is a marvelously expressive actress. Chris Cooper, as a gentleman among roughnecks, has one of the most naturally touching faces on the American screen."

- San Diego Reader

"Rosalind Chao's performance is a wonder. Angry and romantic, Gold tells a powerful, poignant tale."

- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"A genuine triumph. This is classic Western filmmaking: the lucid lyricism of a John Ford, a Budd Boetticher, a George Stevens. But, since Kelly is dealing with different kinds of conflicts, the film always seems to be opening up a new world."

- Michael Wilmington, Los Angeles Times

"Kelly's astute direction is all the more noteworthy because her only previous films were the documentaries Cowgirls and A Cowhand's Song. Anne Makepeace's script deftly touches on the loneliness of the raucous miners even as their anti-Chinese bigotry spills over into violence. The jewel in the crown is Rosalind Chao's stunning performance as Lalu Nathoy."

- Judy Stone, San Francisco Chronicle

"Even in moments of terrible anguish, Rosalind Chao projects the character's steely will."

- Stephen Holden, The New York Times

Cast

Rosalind Chao
Chris Cooper
Will Oldham
Michael Paul Chan
Dennis Dun
Jimmie F. Skaggs

Crew

Produced by Kenji Yamamoto and Nancy Kelly

Dennis Dun as Jim and Rosalind Chao as Lalu in Nancy Kelly's THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD.

A part of the journey from China to the West as portrayed in Nancy Kelly's THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD.

Michael Paul Chan as Hong King in Nancy Kelly's THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD.

Chris Cooper as Charlie in Nancy Kelly's THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD.

Chris Cooper as Charlie and Rosalind Chao as Lalu in Nancy Kelly's THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD.

Michael Paul Chan as Hong King and Chris Cooper as Charlie in Nancy Kelly's THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD.

Producer / editor Kenji Yamamoto and producer / director Nancy Kelly on set.

Director Nancy Kelly sets up a shot for THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD.

THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD star Rosalind Chao confers with director Nancy Kelly.

Director Nancy Kelly in command on the set of THOUSAND PIECES OF GOLD.

Venue	City	State	Screening Options
a/perture cinema	Winston Salem	NC	Virtual Cinema
AFI Silver	Silver Spring	MD	Virtual Cinema
American Cinematheque	Los Angeles	CA	Virtual Cinema
Amherst Cinema	Amherst	MA	Virtual Cinema
Autry Museum of the American West	Los Angeles	CA	Virtual Cinema
BAM Rose Cinemas	Brooklyn	NY	Virtual Cinema
Brattle Theatre	Cambridge	MA	Virtual Cinema
Capri Theatre	Montgomery	AL	Virtual Cinema
Cincinnati World Cinema	Cincinnati	OH	Virtual Cinema
Cinema Lamont	Oak Park	MI	Virtual Cinema
Clinton Street Theater	Portland	OR	Virtual Cinema
Coral Gables Art Cinema	Coral Gables	FL	Virtual Cinema
Corazon Cinema	St Augustine	FL	Virtual Cinema
Countryfest Community Cinema	Dauphin	MB	Virtual Cinema
Darkside Cinema	Corvallis	OR	Virtual Cinema
Film Streams	Omaha	NE	Virtual Cinema
Fine Arts Theatre	Asheville	NC	Virtual Cinema
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival	Fort Lauderdale	FL	Virtual Cinema
Fox Theatre	Toronto	ON	Virtual Cinema
Gene Siskel Film Center	Chicago	IL	Virtual Cinema
Harris Theater	Pittsburgh	PA	Virtual Cinema
Hawai'i International Film Festival	Honolulu	HI	Virtual Cinema
Lark Theater	Larkspur	CA	Virtual Cinema
LeFont Film Society	Atlanta	GA	Virtual Cinema
Liberty Theatre	Camas	WA	Virtual Cinema
Lyric Theatre	Blacksburg	VA	Virtual Cinema
Magic Lantern Theatre	Spokane	WA	Virtual Cinema
Manlius Art Cinema	Manlius	NY	Virtual Cinema
Midtown Cinema	Harrisburg	PA	Virtual Cinema
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston	Houston	TX	Virtual Cinema
Northwest Film Forum	Seattle	WA	Virtual Cinema
Pacific Arts Movement	San Diego	CA	Virtual Cinema
Park City Film	Park City	UT	Virtual Cinema
Parkway Theater	Minneapolis	MN	Virtual Cinema
Pensacola Cinema Art	Pensacola	FL	Virtual Cinema
Pickford Film Center	Bellingham	WA	Virtual Cinema
Plimoth Cinema	Plymouth	MA	Virtual Cinema
Red River Theatres	Concord	NH	Virtual Cinema
Rialto Cinemas Sebastopol	Sebastopol	CA	Virtual Cinema
Rodeo Cinema	Oklahoma City	OK	Virtual Cinema
Ross Media Arts Center	Lincoln	NE	Virtual Cinema
Salem Cinema	Salem	OR	Virtual Cinema
Sea View Theatre	Eastsound	WA	Virtual Cinema
Sebastiani Theatre	Sonoma	CA	Virtual Cinema
Smith Rafael Film Center	San Rafael	CA	Virtual Cinema
Suns Cinema	Washington	DC	Virtual Cinema
The Frida Cinema	Santa Ana	CA	Virtual Cinema
The Little Theatre	Rochester	NY	Virtual Cinema
The Loft Cinema	Tucson	AZ	Virtual Cinema
The Nightlight Cinema	Akron	OH	Virtual Cinema
The Strand Theater	Zelienople	PA	Virtual Cinema
Tivoli at the Nelson-Atkins	Kansas City	MO	Virtual Cinema
Tower Theatre	Oklahoma City	OK	Virtual Cinema
UW-Madison Cinematheque	Madison	WI	Virtual Cinema
Varsity Theatre	Davis	CA	Virtual Cinema
Vermont International Film Festival	Burlington	VT	Virtual Cinema
Wexner Center for the Arts	Columbus	OH	Virtual Cinema

Thousand Pieces of Gold

Directed by Nancy Kelly

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Thousand Pieces of Gold

Directed by Nancy Kelly

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