A Chinese Film A Day

I Set myself a challenge to watch a Chinese film a day until January 1st 2013, because ...

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In the Mood for Love (2000) in 3 Minutes

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As requested, we quickly threw together our 15 favourite films from the so-called Hong Kong New Wave.

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20 essential Japanese New Wave films video

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After working in TV documentary I now know why I have despised watching them for so long.

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Day 61 - Feeling From Mountain And Water (Te Wei, 1988)

Without a doubt one of the best animations I've ever seen.

Its use of Zen Buddhist aesthetics and visual empty space almost makes it feel like you are taking a journey inside a Haiku poem. 

The film reminds me of a Zen Buddhist painting, I think its called 'The Lonely Sailor'. The painting relied on limited visual information,  consisting of a boat in the corner of the canvas and the remaining composition is empty space. The artist did not have to paint the water because the image is constructed in such a way that it influences us into filling the empty space ourselves. This method allows the work to become a part of us (almost personal), because it is our imaginations that have helped give it form. 

No dialogue is used in 'Feeling From Mountain And Water', a whole maternal relationship between an old man and young girl is told visually, playing with subtext in the most beautiful way.

  This verse from the Tao Te Ching sums up the films technique perfectly. 

  "We put thirty spokes together and call it a wheel, But it is on the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the wheel depends.

We turn clay to make a vessel, But it is on the space where there is nothing that the usefulness of the vessel depends.

We pierce doors and windows to make a house, And it is on these spaces where there is nothing that the usefulness of the house depends.

Therefore just as we take advantage of what is, we should recognize the usefulness of what is not."

  27/12/2012

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There was a father. // A young Ozu with his dad.

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Day 60 - The Red Detachment Of Women (Xie Jin, 1961)

One of the most entertaining of the 3rd generation Maoist propaganda films, by arguably its best director Xie Jin.

Surprisingly like most Xie Jin films of this era there are frequent lesbian suggestions throughout (though, not quite as obvious as another film of his "Two Stage Sisters"). I'm not sure if this was intentional or some kind of freak accident. 

If you can withstand the propaganda overload, it is actually a fairly entertaining (and sometimes quite moving) melodrama. 

26/12/2012

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Day 59 - Balzac and the little Chinese seamstress (Dai Sijie, 2002)

Such an interesting film to watch after viewing so many pro-communist/anti capitalist Chinese films. 

This film looks at the same events but from the other side.

Like most young people during the cultural revolution, who happened to come from families that arboured "rightist" persuasions, instead of being taken to a reform camp (like the adults) they were forced to attend "re-education" in the country side. 

The country side (or mountains in this case) were key areas for Maoism because as we have learned from films like "Breaking with Old Ideas" in the 1970s, the practical duties are far more important than academic ones.

The film observes two teenage boys who were sent to a mountain mining village as part of their re-education (washing them of western ideological influence). One is a keen violinist and the other is the son of a dentist, they both fall for the innocent charms of a beautiful young women.

They eventually steal a former student's secret stash of forbidden books (Balzac more specifically) and read them to the girl, realising that they are great storytellers they eventually end up telling the stories to the locals (of course not telling them that they posses none communist themes). The stories are so captivating that most of the locals can not tell them apart from the state propaganda. 

Despite several political themes and references, the film is more about the naive characteristics of first love and the nostalgic nature of it. The last scene I found very moving, when the two boys (who are now fully grown) have moved away from the village and reflect on their time in the mountains. They speak of how they lost touch with the girl and even though they have moved on with their lives, they realised just how much they both loved her. 

25/12/2012

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Day 58 - Our Ten Years (Jia Zhangke, 2007)

Okay … Another Jia Zhangke short film and I will go out and say it could be his best.

It focuses on a decade journey from the 1997 Hong Kong hand over to 2007. Like Remembrance it spans over a 10 year period in a short space of time (8 minutes), but what makes this film more effective is its subtle methods of suggesting the passing of time.

There is pretty much no dialogue in the film, only a selection of brief  mundane moments on trains.

The main character is a girl (whether she is from Hong Kong Or Mainland is not made clear) who over a 10 year period sits on trains and becomes fascinated by a woman she sees regularly. She does not speak with the woman, their encounters are transient, but she finds ways of capturing her image over the ten year period (from a sketch, to a picture taken on a polaroid camera). The girl witnesses the woman go through life changes, from standing with her partner, to being pregnant and eventually feeding her child on the train.  The film is essentially a compilation of brief encounters among strangers on a train (No Hitchcock pun intended) throughout a very important 10 year period for China and Hong Kong. 

We are never told if the strangers are Cantonese or Mainlanders and we don’t hear enough from them to distinguish if they are one or the other. This forces us to view them as simply “Chinese” … whether this is a method of embracing unity between Hong Kong and Mainland China, I’m not sure (It would explain the “Our” in “Our Ten Years”).

Nevertheless it is beautifully observed and there are no signs of any obvious political positions.

Our Ten Years is a great example of Jia’s ability expose us to a whole culture and history without ever telling us much at all. 

24/12/2012

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Day 57 - Remembrance (Jia Zhangke, 2008)

Another one of Jia Zhangke's impressive short films, although this one is quite different compared to his others.

In under 10 minutes the films follows a couple from 1998 to 2008.

It uses China's key historical events to divide their relationship into chapters. Beginning just after the "Hong Kong hand over, to the Millennium, to Beijing being announced as the 2008 Olympic hosts, to the SARS outbreak and pretty much ending around the time of the Beijing Olympics.

It is a very clever way of breaking down a relationship and demonstrating how society plays a bigger part in our relationships than we like to admit.

Technically the film is very different to Jia's other work, the camera work is dreamy and shots do not last very long.  I don't think it is one of his best shorts, but I do think it achieves what it sets out to do and as always, is extremely creative. 

The only problem is its lack of subtext, for me the lyrical suggestiveness is usually what makes Jia's films so great. 

23/12/2012

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Day 56 - Secret Love in Peach Blossom Land (Stan Lai, 1992)



A post modern masterpiece and one of the most significant works of the second wave of Taiwanese cinema.

Originally a smash hit play, it concerns two theatre crews who are hoping to do one final run through of their plays. But a problem occurs, the theatre has double booked them in, as a result they have to take it in turns rehearsing. This results in distractions and conflict between the two crews and cast.

One play is a drama ("Secret Love") set just after WW2 where two lovers who no longer can be together have to migrate to Taiwan from China. The man gets old but can never free himself from the memories of the young women he once loved.

The other play is a comedy based on an old Chinese poem called "The Peach Blossom Spring", where a fisherman stumbles upon a beautiful land where everything is covered with peach blossoms. However, even after finding this utopia, he is overwhelmed by nostalgia for his humble home and wife (even though things are much better in the peach blossom spring).

The film is about time, place, memories and nostalgia done in the most creative way.

It doesn't matter how much we want to relive our memories, time changes everything and they only stay the same in our thoughts.

Nostalgia can be a powerful emotion, one that can prevent us living the present to its fullest.

22/12/2012

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Day 55 - Seventeen Years (Zhang Yuan, 1999)

It almost works like a parable or folk tale about forgiveness.

It is such a complex story formatted into a very simple narrative.

It’s extremely dramatic but never overstated, everything is subtle and played down.

It is quite Ozu like in the fact emotion is shown in brief interludes, only once or twice in the whole film.

It is one of the best films of the 6th generation. 

21/12/2012

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Day 54 - Breaking With Old Ideas (Li Wenhua, 1976)

One of the most important films made during the 3rd and 4th generation transition.

Mao died in 1976 and the 3rd generation film-makers explore (retrospectively) the Communist Party's "over-abundances". Obviously restrictions were enforced ...

Okay this film like many red films is balls out communist propaganda, but it is also a good historical document of certain attitudes different people had during the lead up to the cultural revolution.

It is also interesting that this is the second propaganda film (the other being "Civil War/Nanzhengbeizhan ") I've seen that ends with a letter from Mao being read out to a crowd of people informing them of his support for their cause. Mao seemed to be so God-like that his mere acknowledgement or confirmation was enough to coherently conclude a story.

This film is the first I've seen of its kind, that attempts to ideologically justify/rationalise Maoism. For me that should give it some brownie points. 

  20/12/2012

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Day 52 - Disorder (Huang Weikai, 2009)

One of the most lyrically and contextually explosive documentaries I've seen for a while.

It almost works like photography, capturing unique visual moments that are edited together like an orchestra.

The filmmaker (Huang Weikai) edited together several amateur videographers footage of the Guangzhou city (one or two shot by himself).

The film uses the mundane and the extreme like a symphony conductor uses rhythm and melody. They dance together in harmony to the sound of the city.

There were also some very disturbing moments, one that sticks out to me is the abandoned baby girl ... quite horrific.

The film embraces the poetic value of the mundane and bestows the cinematic power of a city in its most extreme circumstances.

A balance that can only be achieved by the best of editors.

Another great example of the "new Chinese documentary movement" and its profound relevance in the cinema today.  

18/12/2012

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Day 51 - The Day That Doesn't Exist (Wellson Chin, Danny Ko, 1995)

kind of like two twilight zone episodes linked by a comic relief character.

The mid 90's seemed to be an interesting period in Hong Kong for horror films and is an area I need to explore more.

This film is known as a "Date movie", that features two stories linked together by a dopey police officer (Dayo Wong). The first story follows Sheila Chan, who loses her fiancée in a car crash. He mysteriously returns, but has to stitch himself together every night  The second story is about Bowie Lam, who dies (again in an auto-mobile accident) but returns in the body of Anthony Wong. He wants to be with his family again but when he discovers the truth about them and his new life, things kind of get complicated.

There are some genuine spooky moments in it and some even more genuine funny moments (Anthony Wong and Dayo Wong make a pretty good comedy duo). 

I think this style of comedy/horror directly evolved from the Hong Kong films of the 1980's; "Mr. Vampire" and "Chinese Ghost Story"come to mind. 

A fun film. 

17/12/2012

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Day 50 - Street Angel (Yuan Muzhi, 1937)

Easily one of the best films of the 2nd generation and one of the subtlest in expressing an anti capitalist agenda (and that's saying a lot because this film is not subtle with its anti-capitalism)

It almost works like a silent film, there are whole sequences where no dialogue is used at all and one character (Zhao Huishen AKA the prostitute) hardly speaks at all.

Yuan Muzhi usually produces very physical comedies with dramatic undertones and being one of the major film-makers for the leftist Diantong Film Company his political position is never made quiet. 

"Street Angel", despite having its slapstick moments (to which I felt were very effective) it is much more serious than what I've seen of Muzhi's other work. In fact it starts off as a comedy and the more it develops, the more of a tragic drama it becomes. 

There are some beautifully lyrical moments in the film and both Zhou Xuan and Zhao Huishen's performances are amazing. 

The usual 2nd generation themes plaster the film; forced prostitution, consumerism, the rich-poor gap and the need to work together as one. However this is one of the films that serves a greater cinematic value and is almost up there with Yonggang Wu's "The Goddess".

Also the music sequences are very beautiful :)

16/12/2012