The Nightingale story
A Chinese Emperor finds true friendship from a lowly kitchen maid and a plain little bird; both of whom are worth more than they appear. Starring Mick Jagger as the Emperor, Barbara Hershey as the Maid, Bud Cort as the Music Master, Mako as the Gardener, Keye Luke as the Imperial Doctor, Edward James Olmos as the Prime Minister, Anjelica Huston as Primrose, and Jerry Hall as Pansy. Narrated by Shelley Duvall (who also performs the voice of the Nightingale). Written by Joan Michelin Silver. Directed by Ivan Passer.
15 total · 10 major · 5 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| absolute monarchy | major | The story concerned the Emperor of Cathay and his activities in governing the empire. |
| appearances can be deceiving | major | The moral of the story was more or less spelled out by the narrator in the beginning. It is that there can be more to people (and nightingales) than first meets the eye. The kitchen maid was disdained by the aristocrats, and the nightingale put aside for a clockwork bird; yet they both ended up saving the Emperor. |
| courtly intrigues | major | The story is set in the imperial court of the Cathay Emperor and his ministers and bureaucrats were all scheming and maneuvering. |
| friendship | major | In her introduction, Shelley Duvall summed up the story as being about "an emperor who finds true friendship (with a little song bird)". |
| human vs. technology | major | The nightingale had a human-like personality and was offended at being pitted against a mechanical bird. The Emperor soon came to regret his foolish decision. |
| loyalty | major | The nightingale remained loyal to the Emperor in the end. The kitchen maid searched for the nightingale in an effort to restore the king's health while his bureaucrats plotted to replace him. |
| master and servant | major | The story concerned the aristocrats in the imperial palace, and their interactions with various servants. |
| music | major | The story concerned a nightingale who made beautiful music. |
| nature vs. artifice | major | The living nightingale was contrasted with a mechanical one in various ways. When the mechanical nightingale proved useless in saving the Emperor's life, the living one swooped in and saved the day. The mechanical nightingale's song was always the same, whereas the living nightingale's singing varied from day to day. |
| rich character vs. poor character | major | The Cathay Emperor was contrasted with a lowly kitchen maid. The story variously featured their respective points of view. |