Movies

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

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![Edit by="tbarbarossa on Jan 8, 4:14:22 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

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.

[Edit by="tbarbarossa on Jan 8, 4:14:44 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

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? [Edit by="tbarbarossa on Jan 8, 4:15:10 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Before I took this seminar, all I knew about China's first emperor was that he was some kind of legendary character who existed more in story than in historical record.

In that context, Hero works for me. An unwaveringly honest and principled warrior is able to defy the corrupt forces of disunity and all with really cool martial arts.

Now that I've studied Ancient China, Jet Li is utterly unconvincing as Qin Shi Huang Di. Where is the standardization of writing, the creation of a non-hereditary bureaucracy, the book burnings?

This movie is an enjoyable ride, but I’m not sure I want my students learning anything this film has to teach.

[Anonymous]

T (sorry I forgot how to spell your name)

Where are you finding all these great movies? and are they subtititled or dubbed in English?
I absolutely enjoy foreign films and have so for quite some time.

What other Asian films or directors do you suggest for a beginner?

jem

[Anonymous]

There are two new movies that became available on January 10th. They are directed by the same gentleman that directed "The Joy Luck Club" and S"moke." I have not rented either, but wanted to let everyone know, in case they are interested:
1. "Chan is Missing": Two cabbies follow the trail of a mysterious character after he disappears with $4,000. of their money. Probably more for your own personal enjoyment, then the classroom.
2. "Dim Sum": A widow faces the New Year with apprehension after it is foretold that it would be th eyear she would die. Ditto.

[Anonymous]

There are two new movies that became available on January 10th. They are directed by the same gentleman that directed "The Joy Luck Club" and "Smoke." I have not rented either, but wanted to let everyone know, in case they are interested:
1. "Chan is Missing": Two cabbies follow the trail of a mysterious character after he disappears with $4,000. of their money. Probably more for your own personal enjoyment, then the classroom.
2. "Dim Sum": A widow faces the New Year with apprehension after it is foretold that it would be the year she would die. Ditto.

[Anonymous]

Has anybody checked out Memoirs of a Geisha yet? I've seen the previews and read a few reviews, but could the film be useful for educators?

[Anonymous]

I have not yet seen Memoirs of a Geisha but understand that it is out in the theaters again. In Orange County it was down to only one theater but has reappeared after the recent academy awards. It won oscars for cinematography and costume design. I'm sure it is a sight to see on the big screen. I didn't see it earlier because I was determined to read the book before seeing the movie. What an amazing story. I hope to catch it before it leaves the theaters. - Ana

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,
To make things a bit easier on readers, please put all movie-related posts in the "film festival" thread. Thanks!

To see the most recent posts, click on the link to the last page. Up at the right, you can also choose to display posts "most recent to oldest" instead of the "oldest to most recent" format that is the default.

[Anonymous]

I am so sorry for not responding sooner. I am definitely not adept at computer travel and didn't notice that someone had a response to my post.
Ang Lee is a favorite director of mine, so anything you can find that he has directed in his native country is wonderful. I happened upon him years ago when watching night time TV on the Independent Film Channel and also the Sundance Channel. Both these channels show foreign films often, so check it out. Some of the others I found in the foreign film section of Blockbuster on Eagle Rock Blvd. Happy hunting.

[Anonymous]

Interestingly enough the movie "The Grudge" Horror film was shot in Tokyo, Japan. The story follows an old Japanese saying that when something evil happens the evil occupies the space where it happened. It continues to say that when a person enters the evil space they become contaminated and the evil follows you until it has you!!!

Related movie: Scary Movie 4 totally mocks this movie!

[Anonymous]

Have you seen the original? It was definitely better than the american version. Much more scary. I also watched the original Ringu to compare.

[Anonymous]

Not One Less

My husband and I just watched the film Not One Less (Zhang Yimou) -- thanks to Netflix. It's a very charming movie. Some observations I made

The movie highlighted the extreme difference between the rural areas and the city. If you watched the beginning of the movie, you might think you were watching life in the early 1900's, but then the scene changed to the big city and you saw a bustling, somewhat modern environment. The small, poor, rural areas seem to exist today.

The children were taught songs about fighting on behalf of their country, etc. These little children are charming as they sing songs of fighting and loyalty to their leaders. You see how little understanding they have of the songs.

Most of the people speak in a curt, unpleasant tone of voice. There was virtually no polite, gentle conversation (except by the television interviewer when she's on camera). I had always heard that Chinese, especially women, speak shrilly and in a somewhat demanding tone. This movie seemed to reinforce that. It didn't bother the young teacher; she seemed to take it in stride and simply state her case repeatedly. That makes you think that such a manner of speaking is not unexpected.

My husband said my students should watch the movie in order to appreciate the advantages they have. The substitute teacher was 13 years old, the school was decrepid, they had only a little chalk, the teacher hadn't been paid in six months, and the teacher slept in one bed with three girls. I can't say whether the quality of their education was good or bad, but if they are learning, it would be hard to make a case that excellent environments would help our teaching efforts.

Courtney

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,
To make it a bit easier on readers, please put feature film posts in the "film festival" thread.

[Author]

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