Original subtitles

Stop there! Where are you going, you gallows-bird?

Don't move!

One more step, and I'll crush you like a bug.

You think tormenting me is funny, don't you?

You take advantage of my bad back.

...A TERRIBLE STORM WAS RAGING

THAT ONLY A GREAT POET COULD DESCRIBE...

Where to, sir?

Along with murder,

piracy is one of mankind's oldest practices.

Piracy has always exerted fascination.

These ocean daredevils were truly special men.

And in this specialness lies the secret of their fascination.

Like the Arabs and the Phoenicians, the Chinese practiced piracy

even before history was written.

And to the waters of the Four Seas pirates came from all over the world.

They tell heroic tales about famous pirates.

But few know about the legendary lady pirates

whose flamboyant adventures are still remembered today.

From the lurid taverns ofthe Yellow Sea,

from the slums and brothels of Indochina,

all the way to the Heavenly Chambers of lmperial Voluptuousness.

Good evening.

Please come, women very pretty.

Excuse me, Reverend. Where is the cosmology conference?

Right here.

- Come, follow me. - But I'm in the wrong place!

The taste for adventure and pleasure

filled the young lives ofthese ardent, insatiable females.

And their exploitas pirates were so daring,

they made some think

their stories were simply the fruit of people's imagination. - I can't stay!

One ofthese buccaneers was the magnificent Mary Read.

Her crews nostalgically sang her praises:

"Cunning tiger, daring gazelle,

hard as a tortoise shell."

She was beautiful, was Mary Read.

Dammit!

The beautiful Mary hauled up anchor, held the wheel.

She was beautiful, was Mary Read!

Her calloused hands were covered with pitch and tar.

Hands meant for caresses once smooth as velvet.

She was beautiful, was Mary Read.

But the mostadmired, the most lovely, the most irresistible

of all lady pirates was the gentle Cai Wen Li.

Favourite ofthe most daring pirate commander of all.

He was the legendary, melancholy, aristocratic Admiral Ching.

It's common belief that when sweet Cai Wen Li played,

he could grasp the feelings of her lute.

Cunning as a fox, sensual as a serpent.

May I? Good evening.

Good evening.

Solitude isn't the best company.

A good elixir gives the spirit wings.

Considering the target's size

we can say it's a good shot!

Take aim!

Light the fuses!

Like cockroaches from the cracks in walls,

these insatiable marauders crawl out wherever bays and reefs

favour their cowardly ambushes.

IMPERIAL EDICT

Depraved, deadly men attack our villages with ruthless ferocity.

Depleting the resources ofthe coastal population.

These sea robbers show no mercy to the weak.

They snatch bread from the poor.

They have no respect for the widow's grief.

They turn a deaf ear to the orphan's wailing.

Filthy creatures with no hygienic standards.

They kidnap attractive young girls

to sell as objects of pleasure on the markets of Macao.

It was during the year 1797, when the Anonymous Shareholders,

always looking for lucrative investments,

gathered to secretly finance pirate activities.

These lawless activities insured huge profits.

They unanimously voted to entrust Admiral Ching

with the sword of Supreme Command.

Their word is song,

from uncaged birds they learn to converse.

The coastal inhabitants implore the Divine Emperor

to end the scourge of piracy.

To prey on the rich is an offence.

To take from the poor is a crime.

To put an end to pirate raids

here is the government's decree:

All the coastal population,

men and women of all ages!

Supreme Commander Kwo-Lang, head of government,

orders the evacuation of all villages

and other inhabited places.

Abandon houses and barns. Destroy boats.

Burn all fishing equipment.

The population must move permanently inland.

Forgetting, for all the years to come, their villages,

the lands oftheir fathers.

The moon peeps appears in every puddle.

But there is only one real moon.

On the dump shrubs, evening dew glimmers,

lovelorn crickets chirr.

Who left me so much sadness?

You'll be 100 and I'll be 99.

Our hair will be white and I won't have changed.

Don't you change, either.

No, I won't have changed.

Forever I won't have changed.

Honourable shareholders, it is my duty to inform you that

with its imperial seal, the government has ordered

the destruction of 800 villages

to rob us of our future income.

Admiral Ching, it's clearly written here: Huge expenses, no profit.

The river of our earnings has dried up.

- All we have left is a bed of stones. - Gentlemen!

As the flow of water fertilizes the earth,

so the flow of money cannot be stopped.

Because its purpose is to fertilize more money.

And money, like water, always finds a way to continue its flow.

But for the moment, no loot, no pay.

I'll convey your new orders to the crew.

On the banks of the Three Seas not a single dog barks,

nor hen clucks.

A good government knows how

to convert the hostile into allies.

Imperial skiff to portside!

I am the official emissary, sent by the imperial government

to represent the Supreme Emperor, Sovereign of All the Orient.

I am Captain of the Royal Marine of Andorra, momentarily not in service.

Honourable Madam, the supreme council of government

has unanimously voted to appoint Admiral Ching

Master of the Royal Corsairs.

In exchange for his oath of obedience to the Divine Emperor.

The admiral's obligations in this post

should be considered a pure formality.

Thank you, Mr. Emissary.

An advantageous offer, an easy way out.

When the way is too easy, beware of the dagger.

Good. Very good.

The events you are watching really happened.

And through this representation, you will learn their consequences.

The theatre, Senhores,

holds up a mirror for you to observe

men's behaviour and the value of things.

Or better: Our lives.

After your body crosses the gate of Hades,

your mouth will be cut open so you'll tell the truth.

He who mistreated children shall be boiled,

and his little victims will tear out his heart.

Merchants who cheated with their scales

will have their heads cut off and weighed.

Doctors who, for profit,

prescribed useless or harmful medicine

will be sawed in two to satisty their ambiguity.

He who mistreated animals will be roasted until completely consumed.

We're like waves blown by a raging tempest.

We fight and plunder without hesitation.

And yet, we are no more than vapours in the air,

twigs snapped by the wind's fury.

Offended honour is not washed by words

or with soap.

I shall wear this armour, I shall take up his sword!

Thus those who sail these seas, spying us from afar,

will think they see the noble figure of Admiral Ching,

still on his watch and leading his formidable pirate bands!

Without corrupt generals

or greedy shareholders!

Long live the widow Ching!

Long live the new admiral!

Can a woman's arm bear the weight of a sword?

The arm's strength lies in the mind that moves it.

New route: Southeast!

Hoist the mainsail!

Bowsprit mast.

Four to starboard.

The fox flag became the emblem of the new admiral,

the widow Ching.

Her other ships were entrusted to her late husband's lieutenants.

The veteran Bear Jaw,

the mildest man to ever sink a ship or cut off a head.

And the cunning Opo-tae, alias Stone Bird.

Each flew his own flag.

So began days of unforgettable adventure.

The widow Ching's fame was equal to the fiercest pirates'

who sailed the Three Seas of China,

Chen-ChiLing and bloody Chin-Yih,

and the most respected ofthem all, Prince Koxinga.

Off the bowsprit!

Ship to windward!

- Pull in the helm! - All hands to their stations!

Helm to starboard!

- Merchant ship on the bow-go! Load the guns! - Balls and powder!

Wait! It's flying the Dragon's colours.

The ship is under government protection.

Cannons on the bow! Ready for the warning shot!

The whole government will come after us!

- Fire the warning shot. - It's an insult to the generals' pride.

It's what they deserve, Captain.

Everyone is who he is. We are who we are.

Everyone must do what they must.

Do you disapprove, Captain?

Do I owe an answer to the lady, or the pirate?

That woman has cancelled heaven's law.

Preventing her crimes is your business.

Never in the course of centuries,

have even the most wicked, rebellious men

dared to commit such a sacrilege!

No man has ever profaned the lmperial Colours.

- Hey, onboard, where are you? - There's nota living soul.

It must be a ghostship!

Boarding hooks! Heave ho!

It is highly prohibited

to loot objects for personal use.

- What are you doing? - Gentlemen of the crew are reminded

Leave me alone!

that according to the Senhora Commander's new rules

the word "loot" is vulgar and unworthy of our honest work.

From now on, it will be called

"transhipped goods". All goods will be registered.

Each crew member shall receive for himself two parts out of ten.

The rest will be considered common property.

No one aboard my ships

shall abuse the female prisoners for their own satisfaction.

Anyone found, at any time,

using violence on an honest woman

will be hung from the yard-arm and left to the offence of the sea,

until he repents.

And anyone wishing to use a female

must have permission from the ship's purser.

- A bad habit, Captain. - Do you disapprove, Admiral?

To whom do I owe an answer, the gentleman or the rogue?

For a woman, she has the balls of a real man.

Archers and crossbowmen.

- Footsoldiers and knights. - Harquebusiers and gunpowder men.

- Gunners, buglers and flag-bearers. - How fine they look!

Honourable Generals! Widow Ching's pirates attack our merchant ships!

- Merchandise and women to thieves! - The lmperial Colours

no longer protect us. - Pirates don't care about lmperial Colours!

It's the end oftrading!

No more earnings, no more taxes!

- No more taxes, no more arms! - Oh, no!

Your Majesty, no trading, no earnings.

No earnings, no taxes.

If you have two pennies, spend one on bread.

With the other buy hyacinths for your soul.

On the 18th day of the eighth month, as the rainy season approaches,

having attacked and plundered every sort of merchant vassel,

the widow Ching in now making her way

undisturbed up the mouths of the Si-kiang river

to procure food reserves.

Raiding even the poorest river villages.

The terrified population is seeking refuge in the swamps

pushing into vegetation infested by poisonous spiders

and deadly snakes.

The new Emperor Kia-King, now on the throne of All the Orient,

entrusts Supreme Admiral Kwo-Lang

with punishing the widow Ching for her misdeeds.

The Emperor warns Admiral Kwo-Lang that he is in charge of punishment,

not clemency.

Alarm! Lmperial vessels to portside! Warships inside a league.

Men to their guns!

- Ready to fire! - To combat positions!

Arm the prow!

Maximum range!

Fire!

- Reload the guns! - Increase fire!

Side cannons!

You wear the clothes of a valiant admiral.

If you are a real soldier you know the laws of war.

Today, I lost a battle,

not my honour.

Everyone saw that what happened here

took place without me raising my sword.

Yet I will be blamed

for killing Admiral Kwo-Lang.

Dishonour and shame!

An offence to the memory of the late sovereign emperor.

The remaining ships

return shamed with defeat.

Supreme Admiral Kwo-Lang

has cleansed his dishonour with honourable death.

The young Emperor Kia-King, Son of Heaven and Lightof the Orient,

entrusts the Sword of Supreme Command

to cousin Thing-Kvei, imperial prince.

We bow to the will of the Divine Emperor

and confidently place the destiny of the government

in the worthier hands of Prince Thing-Kvei, Lord ofWar.

In the clash of war,

supremacy belongs to the forces in the field.

But in the clash of forces,

supremacy belongs to the mind.

The new war junk which will bear the young emperor

is being armed with firepower

ten times superior to any previously known weapon.

Batten the hatches!

Test of cannons!

Crew to maneuvering!

Untie that line! Idiot!

Turn sternward and lower sail.

Lower sail!

- Untie the lines! - Lower sail!

We'll anchor here for a few days.

Crew members are obliged to remain on board.

Haul down the mainsail!

Landing is prohibited

until the coasts are explored by daylight.

God be with us.

How often

have I seen sea monsters floating in the waves!

And the most terrible of them all is the sea pig.

It follows ships for days on end until...

until one stormy night it rises from the water

to beg for food! If a sailor throws it some bread,

it disappears into the sea.

But if it goes on following you

then you have to scream and beat a stick on the side of the ship

to scare it away!

Otherwise the monster

will bite the ship

I'm scared!

and sink it!

The moon appears in every puddle.

But there is only one real moon.

On the dump shrubs evening dew glimmers.

Lovelorn crickets chirr.

Who left me so much sadness?

You'll be 100 and I'll be 99.

Our hair will be white and I won't have changed.

Don't you change, either.

No, I won't have changed.

Forever I won't have changed.

Wake up! Alarm!

- Load the guns! - Powder and fuses ready!

Forgive the intrusion and my unusual garb,

but the gravity of the situation obliged me to inform you

that as of now we must consider ourselves surrounded. - We're surrounded?!

The imperial fleet is heading straight at us. We're broadside, completely exposed.

Our position allows for no defence.

- Order the men to turn head-on. - If l may, Admiral,

it's totally useless. They're ready to fire.

Virgem Maria!

There are so many, the sea's not big enough!

They've blocked our escape.

Such a massive fleet can only escort the lmperial Vessel!

The Emperor's ship?

No one before you has ever been so privileged.

It's the first time the Son of Heaven is present at a sea battle.

It has never happened before!

Haul down these rags!

Look! They're lowering their sails!

They're taking position.

What's going on? They're opening the hold?

- Heaven help us! - What an infernal contraption!

It's monstrous! I've never seen anything like it!

The unexpected difficulty of the situation

obliges me to remind the gentlemen of the crew

that whoever loses a joint in battle

shall receive400 piasters indemnity,

for an eye, right or left, 500,

and in the case of an entire limb, 800.

- How much? - 800.

Furthermore, we must be ready for battle

at any time.

Gentlemen,

this may be our last battle.

In case of defeat no one will be spared.

Each of you has practiced our profession with skill and courage,

and almost all of you with loyalty.

Very shortly, in government chambers and public assemblies

they'll exalt over our demise,

accusing us of infamies.

It's true.

We've practiced theft and crime,

bur we've never hid the fact we're robbers and murderers.

But we fight in battle, everyday risking our lives.

Like honest outlaws.

While others, so-called respectable citizens,

honoured and revered, steal and extort

protected by rules and privileges they make themselves.

We need not marvel at such wickedness

under the guise of false legality.

Heaven help us!

If Heaven listened to the prayers of dogs, it would rain bones!

True.

Gentlemen of the crew, we are solemnly gathered together

to judge the evil misdeeds of a poor dog!

A human wreck, guilty of piracy on the high seas!

And now, you gang of thieves,

all rise for His Excellency the lmperial Judge!

Be seated. Your Honour: This criminal's list of crimes

is longer than the imperial court's expense report.

A scoundrel who has survived tempests,

always reaching land safe and sound, even when his ship was lost.

It means he wasn't born to drown!

It means we aren't fools!

Bravo! Well said!

- Shame on you! An insult to the court! - Shut up, you sewer rat,

or you'll hang like a wretch from the yard-arm

and be left to dry into a scarecrow!

Silence!

He challenged divine law and government's gallows

and never stopped pillaging ships

and abducting women.

But the worse crime this gallows-bird committed

is to have drunk only a few drops of cider.

Since the world began no teetotaller

has been a reputable person.

I, too, would have spoken better

was our stock of rum not depleted.

Sentinel!

Who goes there?

- Why are you in the water? - Betrayal!

Commander Opo-tae has deserted! He went over to the government.

- What's going on? - His whole crew swam to the imperial ships!

They left their ship last night.

They received three parts of pork and wine.

Opo-tae even got a state pension!

All hands on deck and double the guard!

Every attempt to desert will be punished by death.

Fire! Wake up! Hurry!

- Get up, wake up everyone! - Something is burning!

Let's reach the sea!

There is smoke!

Behind the mainsail!

The Emperor's junk is on fire!

- What's burning? - On the admiral's deck!

We're saved!

- What's on fire, Captain? - Maybe the hold is on fire.

But I see no flames.

Black smoke, it's pitch!

Funny, there's no one on deck. No sign of panic.

What is it, then?

They're manoeuvring!

It's a smokestack.

Are these old eyes deceiving me?

They're advancing without oars or sails!

That monster has a machine in its belly.

It's some modern devilry!

It's a warning from heaven!

They're coming from down there!

From the imperial ships!

What's this writing?

It's an ancient custom, sending writings on these messengers' wings.

What does it mean?

It's in the language of the Shang dynasty,

the earliest writing.

- Can you read them? - It's written:

"Punishment and Forgiveness."

At the beginning, when the phial of the hour-glass

is still full,

the sand seems to fall

very slowly.

And you think time will never pass.

But when the sand has almost run out

the hours race by faster and faster.

And the days...

fly by.

You were the favourite handmaid of mandarin Tao-Qian

when my husband sank your ship.

Remember?

By now, I've erased all my memories forever.

You listened to him talk, you read his books.

Now everything lies at the bottom of the sea.

But do you know what is meant

by "punishment and forgiveness"?

More than 1000 years ago, General Liu-Theng

rebelled against lmperial Prince Hans-Hsin.

So the prince ordered his troops to make giant kites

and fly them to fall on the enemy.

Every kite had fragments of a message

painted on its wings.

And what was the message?

The general refused to say.

At dawn he attacked the imperial army.

He and his rebel soldiers

found no escape.

- It's mine! I made it a house! - Orders of the widow Ching!

- She wants all the kites. - She's bad!

Here: The fragments and the message are now complete.

"The lmperial Dragon, Sovereign of the Wind and Rain,

asks the butterfly Hu-Die to fold her wings, like flower petals closing."

- A fairy tale? - The ancient fable

of the Dragon and the beautiful butterfly Hu-Die

who escaped from the Celestial Garden.

"The Divine Sovereign is Supreme Judge of punishment and forgiveness."

- Here's the phrase. - "He awaits the return of Hu-Die

to the flowers of the Celestial Garden."

The music went on and on, accompanying the setting sun.

While, on the opposite horizon,

the lady of the night was already making her entrance.

The sweet melody wafted on night breezes

continuing until the firmament's last light went out in the sky.

Then everybody understood

that the final moment was at hand.

If you accept a kind gesture,

you must put down your sword.

May I have the honour and the privilege

of paying my respects to the Senhora?

You've always been beautiful,

but now you are even more so.

You already knew how this story would end.

I knew the story,

but not your heart.

Why fight?

Forgiveness is mightier than the law.

From that day on, writes the poet, the ships found tranquillity.

The Four Seas and countless rivers were safe once more.

And so it was that men, finally at peace,

could sell their swords and buy oxen to plough the fields.

While women's voices regaled the day

singing behind screens.