Film Festival

[Anonymous]

A few nights ago, a friend came over with the video "Double Happiness", knowing that I have been reading and watching all things Asian. It's the story of a first-generation-in-the- U.S.young Chinese woman, who is having trouble integrating her Chinese parents' demands to be a "good Chinese daughter" with her own "Americanized" desires to make her own choices in work and love. I think it's a situation many of our students will identify with. The content is more high school rated than middle school.

[clay dube]

Malynn brought up the film Hero (not directed by Tarantino, though, but by Zhang Yimou) and I thought you might enjoy reading reviews of the film:

http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=14271

A Chinese review in English translation: http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=14740

http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=14301

University of Redlands prof. Robert Eng's analysis of the politics of the film:
Is Hero a Paen to Authoritarianism?

[Anonymous]

Movies
Posted: 01-08-2006 11:42 AM
Ang Lee's 1994 movie, Eat, Drink, Man, Woman is a feast of the senses! This is the first film in which the director and writer, Ang Lee, was able to use true cinematographical means to achieve more depth and richness of portrayal. His former movie, The Wedding Banquet was a public success which gave him the means to develop technically. This film is on my top-ten list of great films of all times!
The story setting is modern day Taipei, Taiwan, where a generational clash is depicted in a new and inventive way. A widower of 16 years is a renown master chef who brings his culinary talents to the habitual Sunday dinner table with his three daughters who live at home but go to work daily in Taipei, leaving their father to attend to domestic duties. The food is beautifully prepared and reflects the ancient ways of cooking Chinese dishes. The viewer salivates to the close-ups of recipes in their prepratory stages and finally at the 12-course display at the dinner table every Sunday. The daughters' casual responses to the tantalizing dishes at first garner sympathy for the father and seem insulting to him after watching his long days of preparation. But Ang Lee wants the viewer to see in the character of the father a Confucian patriarch who is using food as a substitute for emotional closeness and
communication. Mr. Chu loves what he does, but it is rote for him at this stage in his life. Moreover, food seems cathartic for Mr. Chu who has repressed inner desires to lead his own life. His daily routine also reflects Confucian adherence to discipline and correct acts of parenthood. For example, every morning he runs, even though running hurts his back, and he washes his daughters' clothes, but unconsciously, or not so unconsciously, places them in the wrong drawers. Mr. Chu has no wife to ameliorate the emotional needs of his daughters, who care for him because they have been taught to be dutiful and obedient, but are frustrated by their own needs for love and independence. There is little understanding and communication between generations. The movie, then, becomes a journey for understanding and enlightenment for all involved, particularly the father who must change to adapt to a modern view of reality.
Ang Lee's own background is fascinating. In the DVD interview he tells of being the first son of a father who fled to Taiwan during the Communist Civil War. His grandparents had been executed in China. Therefore, Lee felt overwhelmed when he failed the college entrance exam, dashing his father's expectations, especially since he had been educated at a top school in Taiwan. Nonetheless, Lee was now able to pursue his life-long passion for filmmaking (not looked upon as a high profession in those days). It wasn't until Lee was 37- years-old that he made any money at all. Seems amazing for such a talented director, doesn't it?
If you haven't seen this film, please do so. You won't be disappointed. Ang Lee, who gave us the film version of Sense and Sensibility is a true master of family drama!
Edited by - tbarbarossa on Jan 8, 4:14:22 PM

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Total Posts: 33
The Joy Luck Club

tbarbarossa

Joined: 30 Aug 2005

Re: Movies
Posted: 01-08-2006 02:37 PM
Some thoughts on another movie: If you haven't revisited Oliver Stone's The Joy Luck Club, now is a good time while we are studying East Asia. What a family drama this one is! The ever-engrossing clash of generations is played out in mother-daughter relationships, the older generation molded by Confucian values and painful heritage in China, and the younger generation expressing Western values. The interweaving of the symbol of the swan feather throughout the story with the daughters' failures to meet their mothers' expectations suggests how instrumental heritage is in directing the lives of progeny. The swan feather represents the conveyance of good intentions, but good intentions are never enough; it's action that expiates. The choices which were made by the mothers in the past influence almost genetically the choices made by the daughters. When June travels to China to reunite her mother's family at the end, her mother's expectations are exceeded in a way her mother could never have imagined during her life. The story comes full circle with her daughter's act of expiation for her mother when the twins are reunited with their sister.
This film may be used to teach literary elements, such as, characterization, theme, symbol and much more for the 8th grade (gifted, I think) to adult English or history classes. The film is a rich source for the classroom either in clips or otherwise.

Edited by - tbarbarossa on Jan 8, 4:14:44 PM

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A Great Wall

tbarbarossa

Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Total Posts: 33

Re: Movies
Posted: 01-08-2006 03:14 PM
One more movie I want to comment on, and I'm not sure I'm doing this thread thing correctly, but here goes again.
In the 1986 film A Great Wall, Peter Wong directs and stars in this meeting-of- cultures comedy. The film crosscuts events happening in a poor section of Beijing with events occurring in upscale San Francisco. A younger brother loses his job with a computer company and is at last free to take that month's vacation with his wife and very Americanized son to visit his older sister and family in China. The film underscores lively differences in culture, but also presents universal similarities between generations, while seemingly outweighing the factor of cultural dominance. Some interesting highlights include:
*The generational gap in both cultures
*The insouciance of youth
*The wage differences of the time
*The role of discipline through exercise, i.e., Tai Chi Chuan (spelling?) vs. the fast run
*The competition between cultures represented in a championship table tennis game
*Bored teens in the classroom
*Prejudice across the board
*The importance of college entrance exams, especially in China
*Varying customs, especially in the expression of the relationship between the sexes
The movie reveals how Confucian principles guide the customs of the older generations in Beijing, but even have a residual effect on the brother, too, who has been living in America since he was ten-years-old. The Boston Globe called this film, "A comedy of culture collision," but I think the director was portraying more similarities than differences. What's your opinion?
Edited by - tbarbarossa on Jan 8, 4:15:10 PM

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[Edit by="tbarbarossa on Jan 8, 6:27:48 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I agree with Ctchir's point. In my opinion, if the actors or actress can convey the message of the author's story line, then I think the performers who are not the exact match in "real life" doesn't really matter at this point.

[Anonymous]

Please check out two different languages' (Chinese and Japanese)movie preview for Memoirs of a Geisha

http://www.sonypictures.com.tw/movie/geisha/
http://www.movies.co.jp/sayuri/

[Anonymous]

I have shown a bit of Hero to my class as an example of the Qin dynasty and the unification of the Warring States. I was surprised at first at some of the harsh reviews Clay posted links to. But I guess that anything that passes state censors in China are going to succumb to harsh reviews anywhere.

This brings me to a question: how much control does the state exercise in the creation of pop culture these days?

Another question is how historically accurate can any of these movies be? Surely the textbook I use in class does not have too much about the Shang and the Qin. One review Clay linked us to refers to the Emperor and the Assassin which (I think) dsenteno panned for us in the forum. The review says this is more historically accurate. How much is "true"?

As far as the Emperor and the Assassin movie, is that readily available in video stores or libraries? Where did people find that?

My two bits about Hero is that it's one of the most visually stunning films I've ever seen. I especially liked the horrific room where Nameless meets the Emperor. But the movie dragged on for me and I could not get into the romances much. In fact, I think I conked out in the theater when I first saw it, but just to give a look at an idea of what ancient Qin times were like, it was good 'nuff.

dan

[Anonymous]

Memoir of a Geisha is on my list to see. But I want to talk about a movie that I borrowed from Mr. Ball a few weeks ago ,”From Mao to Mozart ” I have been having a hard time putting my feelings to words about this movie, that is why I’m writing with a big delay, about this documentary.
This movie, although is educational, but it makes you cry, makes you sad, makes you angry, makes you smile, makes you laugh, and makes you wonder about life.
In 1979 Isaac Stern visited China as an official guest of the government to give concerts, travel the countryside and say hello with music.
Filmmaker Murray Lerner documented this trip, and the resulting movie won the 1981 Academy award for the Best Documentary. Although the focus is more on Stern and not on China, but It gives you some good ideas about what it means to be locked in behind those high mountains, plateaus, deserts and seas, and not being able to share all the goodness that existed behind the great wall. Isaac admires the talented young musicians who are thirsty to learning.
It is nice that a second movie is attached to this CD which shows the return of Stern to China some twenty years later, and the audience gets a chance to see the eager faces of the children during the first visit, as successful adult musicians.
What was most interesting to me was the story of a professor which was told with a genuine honesty and a great deal of emotions. The fact that he was thrown in jail by the son of his friend, and the fact that he was treated like an animal and degraded for no crime was heartbreaking.
There is more history to learn in this movie than anything else.
I watched it four times. I think you might want to see it at least once.

[Anonymous]

I was hoping to read more in your review of Memoirs of a Geisha ... apart from you saying that you have been influenced since you were a little girl regarding Asian culture, you do not mention specifics. I am curious as to whether or not the film created an accurate atmosphere for the time period.

I found the movie to be visually dark ... often when we use the term "dark" for a film, we mean psychologically. This however, wasn't the case. Don't get me wrong, the opening scene when the girls are sold and then separated was a dark scene (although predicable) the movie overall was perhaps, just as I mentioned, predictable. The attempt to create a period piece with character depth was there but it didn't work for me. The Hollywood ending was the clincher for me to feel that I could have written it!

I love films -- and love having good discussions afterwards ... but I just didn't feel inspired to comment or wonder ... the story just flowed. It was okay, but not great.

[Anonymous]

Reza mentioned a film,”From Mao to Mozart ” that won the 1981 Academy award for the Best Documentary. He also mentions a second movie attached to this CD which shows the return of Stern to China some twenty years later.

Is this a film that I am able to rent at Blockbuster or Hollywood? It sounds very interesting and I would like to rent it for my personal viewing. Can you give some info as to where is the easiest place to find it and hopefully, find it on DVD not VHS?

Also, is this a film that is just for personal use or do you use it with the students? If it is used in class, how do you incorporate it into the curriculum?

I'll try bugging you in class tomorrow, too. If you can bring the film, that would be even better!

[Anonymous]

jwchen wrote:
Please check out two different languages' (Chinese and Japanese)movie preview for Memoirs of a Geisha

http://www.sonypictures.com.tw/movie/geisha/
http://www.movies.co.jp/sayuri/

I checked the Japanese and Chinese previews of the movie. Very interesting. Here's one opinion:
Chinese: It appears to focus in the harshness that she endures to become a geisha. She must use manipulation to influence those around her and try to achieve being the best.
Japanese: This preview seems to focus on the love story. She is a little girl and sees a man that she must be with. She risks it all to be a geisha and eventually sacrifices all to try and be with him.
Am I talking about the same movie? I recomend others to go and check out the two movie previews. I would like to hear others interpretations. I have not seen the movie yet so obviously some of my assumptions from the previews are not completely accurate.

[Anonymous]

I know I saw The Last Emperor years ago, but since I am now so immersed in Asian culture, especially that of China, I decided to revisit this film. I viewed it with my sixth and seventh graders in mind considering how I might incorporate it in someway into our studies of China. Since the movie itself is three hours long I obviously will not be showing the fillm in its entirety. However, if you can wade through it there are several scenes which would visually enrich middle school children studying China.
The film by director Bernardo Bertolucci is the life saga of Emperor Pu Yi, the last emperor of China who is taken from his mother at the age of three to the Forbidden City where he lives like a prisoner until he is finally expelled, bescomes the puppet of the Japanese, is imprisoned by the Communists and finally dies a peasant gardener.
Particularly spectacular are the scenes which take place in the maze of the Forbidden City. Spectacularly filmed was the vastness of the city, the oppulence of the art, and the thousands of courtiers who served the emperor indulgling his ever whim. The scenes of daily life in this historical drama would give a middle school student the visual images needed to understand the great power of the emperor. The movie portrays how he was treated as a God and respected by his subjects. His food is tasted in an elaborate ritual to make sure he isn't poisoned, his servant is punished for his bad behavior (a concept to surely appeal to 12 year olds), and he is wealthy beyond belief. The film goes beyond scenes of daily life into much deeper political and social issues which might not be discussed with middlle schoolers but could be analyzed by high school students in a world history or government class.
Picking out the scenes to show students would be a lot easier with a DVD. I think showing clips of this film would be especially powerful in creating a visual image of the importance of the emperor in the lives of the Chinese people. Watching the film after appropriate instruction about the role of the emperor and his position in China would be a worthwhile use of time in my opinion.

[Anonymous]

I have always wanted to watch The Little Buddha, but have never taken the time. It surely is not a classic film, but in the eyes of middle school students it would be engaging. It is another film by the director, Bernardo Bertolucci who directed The Last Emperor which I also watched this week. The Little Buddha can not hold a candle to The Last Emperor for its dramatic appeal, but I think it would be worth showing some of the scenes when teaching about Buddhism. The film depicts the life of Siddhartha in his quest to find Enlightenment and the contmporary quest of Lama Nurbu who believes he has found the reincarnation of his former teacher in a Seattle child. The story unravels as the child learns about the teachings of Buddism. In classic Bertolucci style, the viewer is served a visual banquet. The cinamatography is beautiful, the costumes are suberb, and the acting is adequte. Tthough the plot is rather unelievable in part it will appeal to a 12 year old. The film could be shown in its entirety or just certain scenes could be shown. Some of this might even appeal to an elementary student.
The film may seem too simplistic to a Buddhist, but to the novice who does not know the story of Siddharha's life it can serve as a good introduction into Buddhist teachings. Buddha/Siddhartha who was a prince forsook courtly life and his family at age 30 and began fasting in a secluded way of life. There are four signs that lead to his inner struggle to search for a meaning to life. Once he sees suffering, he is changed and gains compassion. Eventually after observing the middle path, he reaches enlightenment under a bodhi tree. He then spends the next forty years known as the Buddha or the "awoken one" teaching others.

[Anonymous]

I too, saw Memoirs of a Geisha and absolutely loved it. Prior to seeing the movie I had not read the book and now I look forward to reading the original version of this fascinating story. I have read numerous reviews on the forum and have had alot of my lingering questions answered. I am still fascinated at the unique culture of a geisha as depicted by this hollywood film and continue to wonder if it is a somewhat realistic portrayal. I am attempting to compare the life of a geisha to life of young women in our western culture, and cannot seem to find a culture that exists within our society that is similar to that of a geisha.... which I find to be the best part of the story! I look forward to reading more reviews.

[Anonymous]

I used to think that my wife was strange every time I found her watching Chinese or Korean movies in their original languages. Sometomes I would sit there and watch whatever she was watching just because I did not want to be selfish and ask her to change the channel. Did I understand any of it? Ofcourse not!

A while after starting the NCTA seminar, we purchased an internationa dish and receiver (The majority of channels are East Asian). Now I find myself doing what my wife used to do. The only difference is that instead of following the story and laughing or crying. I watch the details, like what they eat, how they do things, what the home decorations look like. what kind of cars are driven, and many other cultural and noncultural deatails. Now my wife is not strane to me because I'm doing the same thing she used to do. It is interesting, and it is all Clay's fault.

Try it. You will enjoy it too.

Reza

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the correction on the director. For some reason, it gives more credibility to me that it was entirely created by a Chinese crew. I'm sure we could have a discussion iwhether my response is a good or bad thing

[Author]

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