Filmography
May. 22nd, 2007 05:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_lady_lilyFarewell my Concubine
This is one of those films that keeps on getting cited, apparently because it's an influential work coming out of the Fifth Generation movement in Chinese film making, which got China noticed in international circles - it was the first film from the People's Republic of China to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, apparently, which says something about the sort of film it is.
The plot revolves around the Beijing opera Farewell My Concubine, wherein a concubine kills herself with her king's sword when he is surrounded by an enemy king, although he doesn't want her to. Traditional motif of loyalty, Chinese culture etc. This is important, because the two leading men, Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou, are incredibly famous opera singers. The story starts with Dieyi's entrance into an opera 'troupe' or training academy, and the incredibly harsh training that these boys undergo in order to obtain fame. As time progresses, the Japanese invade Beijing, then the Republic takes over, then the Communists take over, and then the Cultural Revolution takes place, meaning that the old forms of art are basically destroyed. One strand of the film's story follows the way that the opera troupe as a whole try to balance their lives given these shifting political waters, and its portrayal of more recent events actually got the film banned in China upon its release.
The relationship between Dieyi and Xiaolou echoes that between the concubine and the king, which are the characters they each take on the stage. We see scenes from the opera played again and again, under differing circumstances both public and personal, but never the moment when the concubine commits suicide - until the very final scene, when both Dieyi and the concubine kill themselves, with an incredibly significant ancient ceremonial sword (let's just note the ownership of sword/phallic power motif and move on, shall we?). The devotion between the two men is tested when Xiaolou gets married to a courtesan, Juxian; it becomes clear that Dieyi wanted more than just friendship from the incredibly queeny fit he throws when he discovers this. It's also clear just how much pressure the Communist regime put people under when the bonds of trust are completely ruptured when the opera actors are 'punished' at the start of the Cultural Revolution - Xiaolou accuses Dieyi, Dieyi reveals Juxian's past, Xiaolou rejects Juxian - Juxian goes home and hangs herself. Just - uck.
The acting throughout is incredibly theatrical, even off the stage - the idea seems to be that Beijing opera permeates every level of Dieyi's life, and thus those of the people around him, meaning that scenes move from naturalistic to incredibly formalized in seconds. It's done more subtly than I'm giving it credit for, but it is noticeable and occasionally jars.
Four and a half stars - partly because of the occasional theatrical overpush, and partly because of the amount of violence and unplesantness and psychological ick. Although it's grippingly performed and the acting is excellent, it's never going to be a five-star film to watch over and over for me. However, I am incredibly glad to have seen it, and will try to pay more attention to Chinese filmmakers in the future.
This is one of those films that keeps on getting cited, apparently because it's an influential work coming out of the Fifth Generation movement in Chinese film making, which got China noticed in international circles - it was the first film from the People's Republic of China to win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, apparently, which says something about the sort of film it is.
The plot revolves around the Beijing opera Farewell My Concubine, wherein a concubine kills herself with her king's sword when he is surrounded by an enemy king, although he doesn't want her to. Traditional motif of loyalty, Chinese culture etc. This is important, because the two leading men, Cheng Dieyi and Duan Xiaolou, are incredibly famous opera singers. The story starts with Dieyi's entrance into an opera 'troupe' or training academy, and the incredibly harsh training that these boys undergo in order to obtain fame. As time progresses, the Japanese invade Beijing, then the Republic takes over, then the Communists take over, and then the Cultural Revolution takes place, meaning that the old forms of art are basically destroyed. One strand of the film's story follows the way that the opera troupe as a whole try to balance their lives given these shifting political waters, and its portrayal of more recent events actually got the film banned in China upon its release.
The relationship between Dieyi and Xiaolou echoes that between the concubine and the king, which are the characters they each take on the stage. We see scenes from the opera played again and again, under differing circumstances both public and personal, but never the moment when the concubine commits suicide - until the very final scene, when both Dieyi and the concubine kill themselves, with an incredibly significant ancient ceremonial sword (let's just note the ownership of sword/phallic power motif and move on, shall we?). The devotion between the two men is tested when Xiaolou gets married to a courtesan, Juxian; it becomes clear that Dieyi wanted more than just friendship from the incredibly queeny fit he throws when he discovers this. It's also clear just how much pressure the Communist regime put people under when the bonds of trust are completely ruptured when the opera actors are 'punished' at the start of the Cultural Revolution - Xiaolou accuses Dieyi, Dieyi reveals Juxian's past, Xiaolou rejects Juxian - Juxian goes home and hangs herself. Just - uck.
The acting throughout is incredibly theatrical, even off the stage - the idea seems to be that Beijing opera permeates every level of Dieyi's life, and thus those of the people around him, meaning that scenes move from naturalistic to incredibly formalized in seconds. It's done more subtly than I'm giving it credit for, but it is noticeable and occasionally jars.
Four and a half stars - partly because of the occasional theatrical overpush, and partly because of the amount of violence and unplesantness and psychological ick. Although it's grippingly performed and the acting is excellent, it's never going to be a five-star film to watch over and over for me. However, I am incredibly glad to have seen it, and will try to pay more attention to Chinese filmmakers in the future.
