"The Story of Qiu Ju"

The Story of Qiu Ju is another film directed by Zhang Yimou that was released internationally with great success. The director of Raise the Red Lantern, Shanghai Triad and Ju Dou delivers again with this “dramedy” about injustice and the relationship amongst neighbors.

Released in 1992, The Story of Qiu Ju received the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival; the film also received many other awards when released.

The film stars Gong Li, as she receives the title role in many of Yimou’s films. Qiu Ju played by Gong Li, is a poor country girl that is about seven months pregnant. She lives with her husband Qinglai and his sister and father. They struggle to get by. One day Qinglai was having a conversation with the head of the village (Wang Shantang) when something he said was taken wrong. Wang beats him repeatedly in the groin causing severe damage, which causes him to miss work. Qiu Ju is extremely devastated by this and decides to take action against Wang. She goes to the local police office and complains. The authorities order Zang to pay 200 yuan to Qinglai. Qinglai refuses to apologize and throws the yuan at Qinqlai. Qiu is unhappy with the actions of Zang and decides to file another complaint. Zang is then ordered to pay 250 yuan to Qinglai, he does but with the same disrespect as before.

Its now months later and Qiu Ju is going into labor. Qinglai runs to Zang’s house and begs for his assistance in Qiu Ju’s pregnancy. Zang gathers up a crew to get Qi Ju to a hospital safely where she delivers a healthy baby boy.

Later on, Qiu Ju invites Zang to a baby showers. At the baby shower the police come and arrest Zang, saying that the injury to Quinlai was more severe than first thought. Qiu Ju immediately tries to get the police officers attention to let them know that Zang saved her life. It doesn’t seem as if she got the officers attention as the movie freeze frames on Qiu Ju’s face. 

"Raise The Red Lantern"

Raise The Red Lantern is a slow film with deep and touching intentions. The films raw portrayal of the Chinese culture is as emotional as poignant.

Directed by Zhang Yimou and released in 1991 (1992US), Raise the Red Lantern was well received in the United States as well as internationally. It was the recipient of many awards including a nomination for Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards. Even with the stellar reviews and awards many critics believe that this film is a criticism of contemporary China. Zhang Yimou denies this Belief.

The film was set in 1920’s China. Young Songlian (played by Gong Li) is sent to become a mistress in the Chen concubine after the death of her father. She is one of four mistresses but is the youngest, most recent and prettiest. Every night Master Chen (played by Ma Jingwu) chooses which mistress her will spend the evening and eventually the night with. This mistress is then showered with special treatment from the maids as well as delightful meals along with the Master’s attention. At first young Songlian is treated with great preference and royalty in which the other women envy her. The concubine in whom the Master decides to spin his time subsequently has a Red Lantern lit to make this known. Soon after Songlian realizes that the Master doesn’t tend to all the concubines, creating competition amongst the mistresses. The first Mistress is a bit older and has borne a son by the Master decades ago. She is ok with Songlian but feels she is getting too old for the game of checkers that the Master plays. The second mistress initially befriends Songlian, complimenting her on her youth and beauty even showering her with gifts. Only to be recognized as a fraud by Songlian because of her actions with the third mistress.

Songlian vies for this attention so much that she tries to become pregnant for she believes this will give her the attention from the Master. It is revealed that the third mistress is having an affair with the family doctor, in which later she is hung. It is also revealed that one of the maids is secretly obsessed with the lifestyle of the mistresses and hangs Red Lanterns in her housing complex is a metaphor of her obsession. It is also revealed that she has slept with the master on several occasions. In a visually striking scene her lanterns are burned in the snow as she kneels down pleading for mercy.

After a while Songlian realizes that everything is a facade and that she is not made for that lifestyle. She is seen later in on of the scenes running around in a school dress, portraying the actions of someone that has gone completely insane.

This movie was as visually great as it gets. The reds were very powerful and the blues were equally chilling. The colorization of the two made the tone at time powerful and at other times; like towards the end with the hanging and death of the maid, it made cold and somber. I think this movie is for a patient viewer and isn’t for everyone. But overall it is nicely done.  

"Yi Yi"

Wow! What a great movie. This was a great story. A three-hour piece that filled each moment with suspense, sadness or smiles. What was ironic but captivating about the film is that it started with a wedding and ended with a funeral.

The film was released in 2000 and was an instant classic. It was recognized as one of the ten greatest films of the last 20 years, along with Raging Bull, Chunking Express, and Blade Runner etc.

Director Edward Yang received the Best Director award at the Cannes film festival in 2000 for Yi Yi. It was also recognized as one of the best films of 2001 by many film societies and received great reviews by many American publications like Chicago Times, New York Times and News Week.

The film tells the story of a Taiwanese family (The Jiang Family) seen through the eyes of the father NJ played by Nien-Ju Wen, son Yang-Yang played by Jonathan Chang and daughter Ting-Ting played by Kelly Lee. The two children face obstacles in school and with friends. The father is having trouble at work and the mother has left to “find herself”. The family is continuing to deal with financial, emotional and mental stress. NJ is unable to take proper care of his kids because his computer business is failing and he must tend to that. He is sent to Japan for a meeting where he meets his first love. Ting-Ting falls in love with her friend next door's ex-boyfriend and doesn't allow herself to sleep since she blames herself for her granny's awful state.

The film is shot from a voyeur’s position. The viewer never really gets to close to the character. Maybe this was done because of the level of intimacy can best be viewed from a distance. The movie is very consistent with its story and doesn’t wonder of like some movies viewed for this course. Yi Yi is touching film that relates to any family. This is a great movie that I’m happy I got the chance to see. I will defiantly recommend it to a friend.  

"Chungking Express"

Chungking Express is a film that tells two stories one after the other. Ironically, both stories involve love and a policeman. The stories only intertwine when the first one is ending and the second one is beginning.

Chungking Express was a 1994 film written and directed by Wong Kar-Wei. The Chinese film title translates to “Chungking Jungle” which means “jungle of the city”. The English translation is Chungking Mansions, which is the midnight express food stand where one of the characters works.

The first story stars Takeshi Kaneshiro as Cop 223 who recently was dumped by his girlfriend and Bridgette Lin a woman in a Blonde wig that is trying to survive in the harsh and cruel world of drug smuggling. Cop 223 is a very entertaining character. He recently broke up with his girl and refuses to get into another relationship for a month, which will be May 1st. One night he approaches the woman in the blonde wig at a bar, she is so tired that she falls asleep in a hotel. He leaves her at the hotel. On his birthday he receives a message that says Happy Birthday, he meets a woman at a snack food store it’s at this point that the stories intertwine.

The second story stars Cop 663 played by Tony Leung and Faye played by Faye Wong.  Cop 663 also is recovering from a recent break-up until he meets Faye at a snack bar. Faye is also an interesting character because she is secretly obsessed with Cop 663. At first he shows interest but then he is a little resilient because he catches her sneaking in his apartment while he was out at work to “improve his living conditions”. But this aside, he still have feelings for her, she is making him a happier person. They agree to meet for dinner but she stands him up, stating that she wanted to find meaning in her life and see the world. He is devastated. They meet up later after Cop 663 buys the snack bar that Faye used to work at. They are reunited and are a couple again.

The movie was very eccentric. At times it was confusing. Mainly because the stories don’t really intertwined.  It’s kind of like your watching one story one second and another the next. The editing and music were very upbeat with quick cuts and matching music. The cinematography was good, a lot of shots from different places. I think I would like to watch this movie again so I could get more out of it. 

"Eat Drink Man Woman"

Eat Drink Man Women is a film directed by Ang Lee. The film was released in 1994. The title comes from the notion eat and drink and to have sex. Which are said to be human’s natural desire. Eat Drink Man Woman starred many of the cast from one of his earlier successful films, The Wedding Banquet. This was Ang Lee’s first film made in Taiwan. Since the releases of this film, Lee has directed a number of award winning films like Sense and Sensibility, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain.

The film stars Sihung Lung as Chinese Master chef Chu, the father of three girls all of which reside with him in modern day Taipei, Taiwan. Master Chef Chu holds a big traditional Sunday dinner in which he cooks a big meal.  The three girls Jia-Chien, Jia-Jen and Jia-Ning all have their own dilemmas in which they seek each others help but more importantly the help of their father. Jia-Chien loves cooking and secretly would like to become a Chef like her father but unfortunately woman aren’t permitted to do so. Jia-Jen is unmarried and skeptical about being in a committed relationship. She often has disagreements with her siblings about the discrepancies in their relationships. All of that changes one day when she meets a volleyball coach. Her attraction to this new guy leads her to stalk him vigorously. Jia-Ning is a college student who becomes pregnant from the frequent sexual encounters she has. She is the complete opposite from her sister Jia-Jen.

Through tough times the family share secrets over dinner. Master Chef held the biggest secret. Mr. Chu’s big announcement: he will marry Jin-Rong, a younger girl that has always been regarded as a close friend to the family.  

Eat Drink Man Woman is a great film. The plot and the dialogue along with the actors and actresses deliverance were great.  I particularly liked the montage at the beginning of the film that showed Mr. Chu preparing the food for the family’s dinner. A remake of the film called Tortilla Soup was released in 2001. Pretty good movie and I will recommend!

Farewell My Concubine

Farewell My Concubine is a pretty long movie with a complex storyline. The movie is shot over a 50-year period in which main characters Douzi and Shitou, from childhood to their adult lives.

Chen Kaige directed the film and it was released in 1993. The film received international acclaim as it received nominations from the Academy, Golden Globes and BAFTA organizations. Farewell also won awards at international film festivals like Cannes and many film societies. Farewell My Concubine is said to be one of the central works of the fifth generation movement that has brought Chinese directors to world attentions. Like many other Fifth Generation Films, Farewell My Concubine involves China’s political turmoil in the mid-20^th century. The film is an adaptation of a novel written by Lillian Lee.

The film stars Leslie Cheung as Dieyi (Douzi) and Zhang Fengyi as Xiaolou (Shitou). Douzi and Shitou are young boys who are in an abusive situation at an Opera school in Beijing, China. The purpose of the school is to groom the young boys into stars, as well as to add mental toughness. Douzi is told at a young age that the only way for him to become a star is for him to portray himself as a woman. At first he opposes this and is tortured by the other boys for setting the school back, for he is the lead. He eventually runs away but returns. At the school he meets a friend name Shitou. Shitou is an older boy who is feared by the other boys but for some reason he and Douzi have a liking for each other.

As the boys get older they are on the brink of stardom. Finally Douzi accepts his role as a woman and he finally becomes a star. After one show Master Zheng sexually violates Douzi. I believe from this point on he has changed. Douzi and Shitou join an opera company and are given new, adult names by the company's manager. Douzi becomes Cheng Dieyi and Shitou becomes Duan Xiaolou. Dieyi and Xiaolou gain fame for their performance of the opera Farewell My Concubine.

Dieyi becomes a famous dan without Xiaolou, who, after his marriage, no longer plays Dieyi's counterpart. Dieyi deals with his jealousy of Juxian by smoking opium. At the request of the Japanese police, Dieyi and Xiaolou perform the opera Farewell My Concubine again but Xiaolou refuses to continue after Japanese soldiers beat up Chinese natives. Xiaolou is arrested and Juxian begs Dieyi to save him. Dieyi agrees if Juxian will leave Xiaolou. Dieyi performs opera for the Japanese official, winning Xiaolou's freedom, but Juxian breaks her promise and stays with Xiaolou.

Deiyi and Xialou meet on last time as older men, Dieyi returns to China where he later loses his apartment.

This film had a great look. I wasn’t a fan of the score but that’s probably a preference thing. I personally thought that the story was a bit complex at times and found myself falling away from the movie. It was a very long movie and it had few climax and action scenes towards the beginning and end. I can see why it was received with such grace but I wouldn’t it or watch it again.

 

The Wedding Banquet

The Wedding Banquet was a great movie, which brought purpose and reality to the spectators viewing experience. Although, “The Wedding Banquet” may be a bit extreme for a real life situation, it involves family, comedy, sexuality and love, all of which are necessities for the complete fulfilling life.

Directed by acclaimed director Ang Lee, “The Wedding Banquet” was released in 1993 and received numerous awards most notably “ Best Foreign Film” in the Golden Globes as well as in the Oscars. Ang Lee also directed “Brokeback Mountain” another gay themed film that received Oscar nods.

The film stars Winston Chao as Wei-Tung Gao, Mitchell Litchenstein as Simon and May Chin as Wei-Wei. “The Wedding Banquet” has dialogue in Mandarin as well as English, which compliments the versatility of the Chinese actors.

Wai and Simon are two lovers trying to make ends meet in the pricey, competitive city of New York. Back at home Wai’s parents are adamant about finding him a spouse to wed and have children with.  They are unaware of his homosexuality. Wai’s parents send him request forms to fill out so they can be as accurate as possible when choosing a spouse. When all attempts fail, Wai and Simon decide to involve a tenant (Wei-Wei) in the scheme who wants to marry an American citizen so she can receive her green card; she is also attracted to Wai. Made unaware to his parents, Wai and Simon set up a scheme to introduce Wei-Wei as his love interest. To Wai’s shock his parents decide to make the trip to New York from China to arrange the Wedding.

When Mr. and Mrs. Gao (Wai’s parents) get to the home, Simon introduces himself as the landlord and good friend of Wai. They decide to wed at city hall, which actually was preferred by Wai and Simon. After the wedding Wai thought his parents would go back to China and he could continue on with his life, as he knew it. But at a dinner that night, Wai meets a friend of his fathers who is so grateful for what his father has done for him that he decides to repay him by throwing his son (Wai) a wedding banquet; much to Wai’s disapproval. At the wedding banquet, Wai accidentally impregnates Wei-Wei. When Simon finds this out he is very upset. His father is ailing but desperately wants a grandson. Simon and Wai’s relationship is on the ropes until Wei breaks the news to his mom about his sexuality. Eventually Simon and Wai reconcile and acknowledge the baby and Wei-Wei as a part of their family. The only concern left was telling Wai’s father. No need he already knew, his gracefulness and wisdom along with the knowledge of his sons heart allowed him to see that he wasn’t truly happy with Wei-Wei, from there it was just putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

“The Wedding Banquet” was a great movie. There wasn’t really a specific look or score that had a real effect on the movie. Surprisingly, it wasn’t as colorful as most Chinese themes films, which could be because it took place in NY or because it’s just not Ang Lee’s style. I really enjoyed the movie and I definitely understand why it is condemned a foreign classic. 

Ju Dou

Ju Dou is a film that is visually a masterpiece but at times was tough to watch because of its moral values. Directed by Zhang Yimou and Yang Fengliang, Ju Dou was released in 1990 and received nominations at the Cannes Film Festival and the Academy Awards (Best Foreign Film). Ju Dou is a romantic tragedy. The film was first released on DVD in 1999 but re-released in 2006 as part of Zhang Yimou's collectors edition DVD. Zhang Yimou is most notably known in America for his martial arts film call Hero starring Jet Li. 

Ju Dou (Gong Li) is a young woman who was bought by an older woman beater named Yang Jinshan (Li Wei). His adoptive nephew Yang Tianqing is works for him at his very successful silk dying plant. On several occasions Tianqing hears yelling and screaming at night coming from his uncle and newly purchased aunts bedroom. At first, he's reluctant to get involved out of fear and respect for his uncle. As the screaming continues Tianqing finally tries to investigate, he picks up an axe and makes his way to his uncles bedroom only to be convinced by his uncle that there isn't much going on. The next day Ju Dou is alone with Tianqing and tells him everything that has been going on. She admits that she is suicidal and is constantly beaten by her husband. At this moment something strange happens, Ju Dou make love right on the dye machine. They never looked back.

A short while later Ju Dou realized that she was pregnant. She told the village and her husband that he (Jinshan) was the father but she was telling a lie, Tianqing had fathered the baby.

The day Tianqing found out he so happy. Surprisingly, he wasn't really worried about his uncle finding out the truth. Soon after the birth of the baby Jinshan was paralyzed. When he eventually found out he did everything in his power to kill his wife, nephew and their son. When the boy grew old he carried Jinshan's name and legacy, he didn't refer to Tianqing as his father but as his brother. Years later, the affair between Ju Dou and Tianqing continued. Their son hated Tianqing and became very violent as he got older. After Jinshan's death, their son went wild. He eventually ended up killing Tianqing later in the movie. 

The cinematography in this movie was great, although is was slow at times it made up for its pace with great dialogue. All the actors were great, especially their son, something stood out about him. The torture scenes in the beginning of the movie were kind of hard to watch. Other than that okay movie. Would recommend it. 

 

Lan Yu

Lan Yu is a Chinese film released in 2001 by acclaimed director Stanly Kwan. Lan Yu received rave reviews when it premiered at many notable film festivals (most notably Sundance and Cannes).  Lan Yu was the first film of main land China to show a full nude male on screen. The film was a gay-themed romance about a wealthy businessman that has a fling with a college student who seemingly wants more. The film stars Liu Ye as the young boy and Hu Jun as the businessman.

The films main character Lan Yu seems to be a lost young man taken under the wing of Chen. In the first scene of the movie Lan Yu is shown naked on Chen’s bed as Chen begins to seduce him and furthermore. This scene was a bit surprising because for some reason I didn’t expect that. Throughout the movie Chen and Lan Yu’s affair continues. In one occasion Chen actually brings Lan Yu to meets his parents, telling them that he is a brother of Chen’s friend.  Chen also showers Lan Yu with expensive gifts all in point to make Lan feel wanted. In one scene, Chen is actually caught in the act cheating with another young man, just like the average couple Lan runs downstairs with Chen chasing him shouting words of apologetic feelings. Adding to the drama, Chen is extremely depressed with his company in trouble and his new engagement with a woman he met. Chen leaves Lan Yu more than once to pursue the traditional values of marriage and family, but finds that he can't fulfill his societal duties.

 Ultimately, he has to learn to be true to himself, much as Lan Yu has always been. The acting in this movie is what makes it worth watching. We’ve all seen movies about two lovers, one falling in love with someone else but eventually redeveloping feelings for the person before. The writing is also descent. Visually there’s nothing special about this film. The cinematography, editing and score were ok. But I think what gave this movie its spunk was the strong performances given by Hu Jun and Liu Ye as Chen and Lan respectively.

I personally don’t think this movie will be one of my favorites this semester just because it was nothing to take away from this film. I honestly felt the same way watching the closing credits as I did popping it in my DVD player. I wouldn’t watch it again but I will recommend it to friend (only if they were into foreign dramas). 

Shanghai Triad

If you are looking for a movie with great dialogue, great acting with outstanding cinematography and look, than "Shanghai Triad" is for you. “Shanghai Triad” reveals 7 days in the life surrounding Jinbao, Shuiseng and Boss. A week that reveals betrayal as well as loyalty, truth as well as lies and ones vibrant life; which turns to a pale death. "Shanghai Triad" was released in 1995 to stellar reviews and international acclaim, including awards at the Cannes Film Festival and a Cinematography nomination at the Academy Awards. The film was directed by Zhang Yimou; who also directed "Raise the Red Lantern". The film stars Gong Li as Miss Jinbao, an uptight city girl with a bad reputation and an attitude to match. Wang Xiaoxiao as Tang Shuisheng, Jinbao's new servant and Li Xuejian as Uncle Liu. All of which delivered strong performances in this gripping crime drama. Shuisheng Tang is a 13 years old boy that was hand-picked by his uncle, Lui, to come to the city of Shanghai to serve Miss the wife of the highest boss in the city. To the Tang family it is more of an honor to serve in the city as a servant than to live in countryside as peasants. Uncle Lui feels that serving in the city as a servant makes the Tang family relevant and honors the family’s ancestors. When Shuisheng is met off the boat, Uncle Lui immediately greets him and shows him the ropes on what a servant does when in the presence of royalty but more importantly what not to do. Immediately, Jinbao (Miss) waste no time enforcing her will on Shuisheng. She immediately made him feel uncomfortable and lower. One night Shuisheng over heard an argument that Miss was having upstairs while Boss was out of town. It became obvious at that moment Miss was doing things that Shuisheng knew could get ugly if got out, she was having an affair with Boss’s right hand man. The next day Boss’s enemy attacks, killing Uncle Lui. Boss credits Uncle Lui for his loyalty to him throughout the years. Immediately, Boss and his entourage goes out in hiding to a countryside where Miss and Shuisheng begin to develop a better understanding of one another. As Miss is enjoying the country life and becoming more civilized, Boss has plans of his own. It’s all a set up to weed out Miss and his right hand man Song for they’re mischievous acts against Boss. Ironically, Shuishang breaks in on a card game to tell everyone that he overheard some men saying they wanted to kill Jinbao (Miss). This is when everyone is made aware that it is all-a part of the game Boss has constructed. Miss and Song are eventually killed for the acts of betrayal.

This film was a pleasure to look at. Not often do you see a film that has a deep warm golden tone in one scene and in the immediate next scene it’s portrays night with a deep cool blue tone. The contrast in the two scenes could past for two totally different movies. I appreciated great cinematography and deep writing. This film had my attention from the beginning and I would definitely recommend it to fellow avid filmgoers.