Great Director: Zhang Yimou
Man...an ancient race. SUPPORT THE GLF!!
st...@steve.com wrote:
> Anyone interested in this director?
>
> Raise the Red Lantern
> To Live
> Story of Qui Ju
> Red Sorghum
> Not One Less
> etc...
>
> I think his stuff is very intense. "To Live" exposes the cowardly
nature of
> china's communism and the dark side of human nature. "Raise..." is
stylish
> and interesting. "Red Sorghum" is beautiful and terrifying.
>
> Not to mention great musical scores.
>
> Anyone out there a ZY fan?
>
I think he was overpraised among the socalled fifth gen chinese
filmmakers because his works were most western, emotionally accessible
and universal, and pretty to watch.
Red Sorghum is visually impressive but just a jumble of influences
tossed together as in stir fried chinese vegetables. Little rashomon
here, little comedy there, little patriotic film there, and some
feminist rhetoric tossed here and there.
Characters were thin, situations were either familiar or just plain
silly and that stuff with the japanese came out of the left field and
didn't fit in with the rest of the movie.
Judo was a much better movie about how chinese society believe love and
freedom should be wed together. But even here, there were too many
visual flairs.
didn't see raise the red lantern.
Did see To Live and here yimou moved away from his overly stylistic
excesses and told an affecting story about a family that goes thru many
tragic stages of chinese history. but it is not about the cowardly
nature of communism. nor is it about dark side of human nature. rather
it's about how there is always enough love, light, and common sense in
people to overcome the worst setbacks.
shanghai triad is his masterpiece, where he achieved perfect balance
between exquisite visual richness and raw dramatic power.
didn't see not one less.
--
http://thenewrepublic.com/ & http://www.newcriterion.com/
http://www.observer.com/arts.htm
http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies/
http://www.villagevoice.com/film/ &
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Square/8781/seadevil.jpg
Sent via Deja.com
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steve
On 5-Jan-2001, Man...an ancient race. SUPPORT THE GLF!!
<anthon...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> I think he was overpraised among the socalled fifth gen chinese
> filmmakers because his works were most western, emotionally accessible
> and universal, and pretty to watch.
Don't forget well acted and great musical scores.
> Red Sorghum is visually impressive but just a jumble of influences
> tossed together as in stir fried chinese vegetables. Little rashomon
> here, little comedy there, little patriotic film there, and some
> feminist rhetoric tossed here and there.
> Characters were thin, situations were either familiar or just plain
> silly and that stuff with the japanese came out of the left field and
> didn't fit in with the rest of the movie.
Wow, did we see the same film? I am not a film student (you sound like you
might be) so I cant comment on influences, but regardless of the genesis I
find the film compelling. Characters are not deep, but neither are they 2D
or characatures. And there I see nothing disqualifying about familiar
situations, though I disagree about the "silly" part. What was silly? The
wedding caravan? The suiter singing out of sight in the sorghum?
As for the japanese stuff, yes it came out of nowhere. You might call it a
flaw, but I saw it as much like the shower scene in "Psycho". We were
disarmed and that increased the shock and intensity of the scene. It sounds
to me as if you were resisting the film.
> Judo was a much better movie about how chinese society believe love and
> freedom should be wed together. But even here, there were too many
> visual flairs.
It's been too long since I saw that film, but I dont recall loving it.
> didn't see raise the red lantern.
Perhaps my favorite. I love the films structure. And, the characters are
very well developed. Gong Li is incredible, especially in the first scene.
The writing is also impressive. As wife number 4 Gong Li says:
"I am the masters coat. He can wear me, or he can take me off."
If you like ZY at all, this is a must see.
> Did see To Live and here yimou moved away from his overly stylistic
> excesses and told an affecting story about a family that goes thru many
> tragic stages of chinese history. but it is not about the cowardly
> nature of communism. nor is it about dark side of human nature. rather
> it's about how there is always enough love, light, and common sense in
> people to overcome the worst setbacks.
I felt the "cowardly nature" was the central theme. I could cite several
examples, but the best, of course, is where they send the exhausted child
off to the school to work because they fear accusations of counter
revolutionary sympathys. The child is killed by a falling wall while
catching a nap. Tragic and pointed. And there is no shortage of accusation
and counter accusation for personal gain. That is the ugliest side of human
nature, aggression out of fear. The film is all about that very thing.
I also disagree with the characterization of his other films as "stylistic
excess". Perhaps that is just a matter of taste, but the seduction of the
sorghum waving in the wind is subtle and effective as well as stylish. When
I think of stylistic excess, I think of empty pageantry as in "the last
emporer". ZY does not substitute styl for substance, he uses style to
enhance substance.
> shanghai triad is his masterpiece, where he achieved perfect balance
> between exquisite visual richness and raw dramatic power.
Yet, more stylish than previous films. Saw this one in the theater, liked
but did not love it, and haven't given it a video viewing. I'll have to
pick it up and watch it again.
> didn't see not one less.
Many people will find this film slow and shallow. I found it tragic and
interesting, but not compelling. The ending disturbed me, as some on screen
text basically pays homage to the chinese system. Perhaps ZY bowed to
political pressure, though his other films seem quite frank about communisms
cruelty and weakness. I am puzzled.
steve
--
"It aint me, man, it's the system."
Charles Manson
Wei Han
> Many people will find this film slow and shallow. I found it tragic and
> interesting, but not compelling. The ending disturbed me, as some on screen
> text basically pays homage to the chinese system. Perhaps ZY bowed to
> political pressure, though his other films seem quite frank about communisms
> cruelty and weakness. I am puzzled.
Actually I don't think it is bad. Anti-government/communism is not a
requirement
for a good movie. The particular chinese system it paid homage to indeed made
a lot of contributions to help many many poor kids go to school. One of
movies' purposes
is to make people concerned about the education situation in the poor areas.
After
you see such a tragic environment, if you would like to help those kids, going
through
that organization is one of the most practical solutions.
I think ZY is still honest and frank in a sense that he says you are GOOD or
BAD
at a partucular deed regardless if you are the government or the communism
system.
It is biased to think a movie is propaganda whenever it praises something the
government (or the government-backed organization) did, especially for a
communism
government.
> steve
> --
> "It aint me, man, it's the system."
> Charles Manson
-Wei
steve
On 5-Jan-2001, Wei Han <ha...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> > Many people will find this film slow and shallow. I found it tragic and
> > interesting, but not compelling. The ending disturbed me, as some on
> > screen
> > text basically pays homage to the chinese system. Perhaps ZY bowed to
> > political pressure, though his other films seem quite frank about
> > communisms
> > cruelty and weakness. I am puzzled.
>
> Actually I don't think it is bad. Anti-government/communism is not a
> requirement
> for a good movie. The particular chinese system it paid homage to indeed
> made
> a lot of contributions to help many many poor kids go to school. One of
> movies' purposes
> is to make people concerned about the education situation in the poor
> areas.
But doesnt that beg the question as to why such abject poverty exists? That
is what I find troubling, especially when (from his other films) ZY seems
well aware of the economic failure of communism.
> After
> you see such a tragic environment, if you would like to help those kids,
> going
> through
> that organization is one of the most practical solutions.
>
> I think ZY is still honest and frank in a sense that he says you are GOOD
> or
> BAD
> at a partucular deed regardless if you are the government or the communism
> system.
> It is biased to think a movie is propaganda whenever it praises something
> the
> government (or the government-backed organization) did, especially for a
> communism
> government.
Given that such governments have (and do) exert much control and influence
over artistic expression, I am always suspicious. I do not necessarily
think that this is propaganda, but I must wonder if the final text was
inserted to minimize political opposition to the art. Even the US is not
free of such pressures. Anyone who thinks so is naive.
Man an ancient race/Jean-Luc Peckinpah
st...@steve.com wrote:
>
>
> > Did see To Live and here yimou moved away from his overly stylistic
> > excesses and told an affecting story about a family that goes thru
many
> > tragic stages of chinese history. but it is not about the cowardly
> > nature of communism. nor is it about dark side of human nature.
rather
> > it's about how there is always enough love, light, and common sense
in
> > people to overcome the worst setbacks.
>
> I felt the "cowardly nature" was the central theme. I could cite
several
> examples, but the best, of course, is where they send the exhausted
child
> off to the school to work because they fear accusations of counter
> revolutionary sympathys. The child is killed by a falling wall while
> catching a nap. Tragic and pointed. And there is no shortage of
accusation
> and counter accusation for personal gain. That is the ugliest side
of human
> nature, aggression out of fear. The film is all about that very
thing.
You mean human cowardice under communism not cowardice OF communism.
I agree there somewhat but when living under Mao's totalitarian rule,
it wasn't exactly cowardly to go along with the party line. Otherwise,
you could end up in big doodoo.
Also, they sent the kid to his death not so much out of cowardice but
out of sense of obligation and in a spirit of national unity during the
Great Leap Forward when many people were led to believe if they worked
harder and harder, China would catch up to US in 10 yrs. Most chinese
from poorest peasant to Chairman Mao believed in this crazy hogwash.
> > shanghai triad is his masterpiece, where he achieved perfect balance
> > between exquisite visual richness and raw dramatic power.
>
> Yet, more stylish than previous films. Saw this one in the theater,
liked
> but did not love it, and haven't given it a video viewing. I'll have
to
> pick it up and watch it again.
But the style is finally mature and the very fabric and texture of the
story instead of playing a more or less decorative role.
In his earlier films, yimou gave us ordinary lives but clothed them
with stylistic flourishes, but here he starts out with people of
excesses of wealth and style and then looks underneath the veneer of
fame and fortune to find the ordinary and beastly lust for power.
I found this approach more pleasing.
Li Yuhan
>Wei Han <ha...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> > Actually I don't think it is bad. Anti-government/
> > communism is not a requirement for a good movie.
> > The particular chinese system it paid homage to
> > indeed made a lot of contributions to help many
> > many poor kids go to school. One of movies' purposes
> > is to make people concerned about the education
> > situation in the poor areas.
>
> But doesnt that beg the question as to why such abject
> poverty exists? That is what I find troubling, especially
> when (from his other films) ZY seems well aware of the
> economic failure of communism.
What would you have ZYM do? Blame the poverty on communism? These areas were
at least as poor before the communists took over. Of course communism has
been a failure, in fact words are not enough and "economic failure" doesn't
even begin to describe it when economic politics threw the country into
famine killing tens of millions, but it's not really to blame for basic
rural poverty in China, is it?
LYH
steve
On 6-Jan-2001, Man an ancient race/Jean-Luc Peckinpah
<anthon...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > I felt the "cowardly nature" was the central theme. I could cite
> several
> > examples, but the best, of course, is where they send the exhausted
> child
> > off to the school to work because they fear accusations of counter
> > revolutionary sympathys. The child is killed by a falling wall while
> > catching a nap. Tragic and pointed. And there is no shortage of
> accusation
> > and counter accusation for personal gain. That is the ugliest side
> of human
> > nature, aggression out of fear. The film is all about that very
> thing.
>
> You mean human cowardice under communism not cowardice OF communism.
> I agree there somewhat but when living under Mao's totalitarian rule,
> it wasn't exactly cowardly to go along with the party line. Otherwise,
> you could end up in big doodoo.
True enough. My point (about the films point) deals with the tendency to
accuse as a method of defense. It was not sufficient, apparently, to simply
go along with the party line, but many lashed out at others in a seeming
effort to protect themselves from the same accusations.
> Also, they sent the kid to his death not so much out of cowardice but
> out of sense of obligation and in a spirit of national unity during the
> Great Leap Forward when many people were led to believe if they worked
> harder and harder, China would catch up to US in 10 yrs. Most chinese
> from poorest peasant to Chairman Mao believed in this crazy hogwash.
But it was in the context of accusations against their family that they felt
compelled to send the exhausted child to work. I call that cowardice on
both sides of the accusation. The point is made again in a tragic comedy of
errors when the grown daughter goes to the hospital to deliver and all the
doctors have been arrested as counter revolutionaries. I stress this point
because I find it to be the central theme of the film.
> But the style is finally mature and the very fabric and texture of the
> story instead of playing a more or less decorative role.
>
> In his earlier films, yimou gave us ordinary lives but clothed them
> with stylistic flourishes, but here he starts out with people of
> excesses of wealth and style and then looks underneath the veneer of
> fame and fortune to find the ordinary and beastly lust for power.
These sound like good observations to me. I'll look at ST again and keep
them in mind. Though I still love the other films and do not consider the
style elements the least bit excessive or anomolous.
steve
On 6-Jan-2001, "Li Yuhan" <li_y...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > But doesnt that beg the question as to why such abject
> > poverty exists? That is what I find troubling, especially
> > when (from his other films) ZY seems well aware of the
> > economic failure of communism.
>
> What would you have ZYM do? Blame the poverty on communism? These areas
> were
> at least as poor before the communists took over. Of course communism has
> been a failure, in fact words are not enough and "economic failure"
> doesn't
> even begin to describe it when economic politics threw the country into
> famine killing tens of millions, but it's not really to blame for basic
> rural poverty in China, is it?
It is the chinese system that isolates the people from the capitalists
advances of the free world, so it is indeed communism that is to blame for
the continued poverty. Otherwise, I agree with you sentiment. The economic
failure only scratches the surface.
Wei Han
This is not true. Actually I mean it is incomplete. China has been behind the
west since at least late Qing Dynasty. The communism system should be blamed
for what it did from 1949 to Culture Revolution. But the poverty before that
was not their fault.
Back to Not One Less, the reason of being poverty is already beyond the movie's
scope. The movie talks about the EDUCATION issue in poor areas. Poverty itself
is not the theme of the movie, but the cause of the tragic education reality.
Such an education issue could happen in any poor area, such as Africa, no
matter if it is communism system or capitalism or whatsoever.
For the homage text at the end, here is my interpretation.
The movie tells a story on the education situation in a poor villege. At the
end, the run-away student were found and sent back to study with the
TVstation's help. However, do you really believe such an ending would take
place in reality? In most cases, no. The ending is just a wish, not an ultimate
solution. Then what is the solution? The movie didn't discuss it and it was
not the movie's responsibility.
However, Not One Less wanted to let more people be aware of this situation
because many people do not realize it. People in Shang Hai and Beijing are
closer to NY than the rural area in China. It also wants to encourage people to
help the situation after they know it. But how?
The organization the ending text paid homage to is one of efforts to help poor
kids to have a chance to study. It is government-backed, but it is not the
government. (Practically, any systematic efforts to help those poor kids need
the government's collaboration.) For individuals like us, the easiest way to
contibute is to go through this organization. As I understand, you pay about
30-40 US dollars per year, the organization will find a matching poor student
for you. Your donation will help pay the student's study expenses. In the
meantime, you can establish a personal communication link with that student by
mails or something else. He will report you his scores, his studies. You can
encourage him and sponsor him more if you want to.
It is appropriate to add the homage in the movie because it praises such an
effort and informs you such
the organization's existence. We need more efforts like that. It would be
unfair that you cannot praise something just because it is communism system
backed. It is true that the government would like to see such a homage and may
benifite from it as well. But that doesn't comprise the appropriateness of
putting it into the movie. The effort should be addressed no matter if the
communism government supports it or not.
-Wei
Paul J. Adams
> I think he was overpraised among the socalled fifth gen chinese
> filmmakers because his works were most western, emotionally accessible
> and universal, and pretty to watch.
I'm really getting tired of this "too Western" nonsense. First the critics
favored Zhang over Chen for being more "genuinely Chinese," while Chen's
films were "Western" because they were spectacular and pleasing to the
eye... as if spectacle is a uniquely "Western" phenomenon (and as if Chen's
first film didn't get its pleasingly spectacular look from Zhang's own
cinematography). Then came the less familiar style of the Taiwanese
director Hou Xiao Xien, and suddenly Zhang was "Western" and "inauthentic,"
presumably because critics prefer inaccessibility and unfamiliarity, in
other words a new brand of exoticism. In reminds me in an unpleasant way of
how several members of the old Cahier du Cinema crowd dismissed the films of
Kurosawa because they weren't "Japanese" enough.
"Give us more exotic oriental films! We want to relish the 'differentness'
of your culture! Don't allow yourself to be influenced by the international
trends in cinema! We want cultural art, not personal art! Let us decide
for you what is 'genuine' in your culture. We define 'genuine' as
'anti-Hollywood.'"
By the way, I liked the one film I saw by Hou (The Puppet Master). I just
don't base my appreciation of his film on it's 'authenticity' or it's
'Easternness.'
informatics
steve
On 9-Jan-2001, "Paul J. Adams" <zadi...@qwest.net> wrote:
> I'm really getting tired of this "too Western" nonsense. First the
> critics
> favored Zhang over Chen for being more "genuinely Chinese," while Chen's
> films were "Western" because they were spectacular and pleasing to the
> eye... as if spectacle is a uniquely "Western" phenomenon (and as if
> Chen's
> first film didn't get its pleasingly spectacular look from Zhang's own
> cinematography). Then came the less familiar style of the Taiwanese
> director Hou Xiao Xien, and suddenly Zhang was "Western" and
> "inauthentic,"
> presumably because critics prefer inaccessibility and unfamiliarity, in
> other words a new brand of exoticism. In reminds me in an unpleasant way
> of
> how several members of the old Cahier du Cinema crowd dismissed the films
> of
> Kurosawa because they weren't "Japanese" enough.
I like the sentiment expressed here. Art should be evaluated on it's own
merit, not by some expectation of what the artist should express. That
being said I will readily admit to being a film lover but not a student of
film, so I realize my opinions may be a bit naive and uninformed. Still,
I'm happy to like what I like and discuss it with others.
> "Give us more exotic oriental films! We want to relish the
> 'differentness'
> of your culture! Don't allow yourself to be influenced by the
> international
> trends in cinema! We want cultural art, not personal art! Let us decide
> for you what is 'genuine' in your culture. We define 'genuine' as
> 'anti-Hollywood.'"
If that were the test they would still be thrilled by ZY. No "hollywood" in
his films, unless you define that as clear focus and good color. What
studio, for example, would create "Story of Qui Ju"?
> By the way, I liked the one film I saw by Hou (The Puppet Master). I just
> don't base my appreciation of his film on it's 'authenticity' or it's
> 'Easternness.'
Is this available on video? Tell me more about it.
thanks,
Paul J. Adams
> Is this available on video? Tell me more about it.
Yes. I haven't gotten to see any of Hou Hsiao Hsien's movies in theaters
yet, but several of his films are available on video.
I don't think that The Puppetmaster is widely regarded as one of Hou's best
films, but it's the only one I've seen yet. There are several regular
posters on this newsgroup who are fans of Hou's films, so if you start a
thread requesting recommendations, I'm sure you'll get some good feedback.
The Puppetmaster is basically the story of a guy who puts on puppet shows,
and the story of his family and community. The story is told in a pretty
straight-forward narative, interspersed with narration from the main
character as an old man, looking back. The film spans several decades of
the Puppetmaster's life, and leads up to the time when he is invited by the
Japanese occupying force to use his puppet shows for anti-American
propaganda. The film develops its narrative very slowly, with mostly static
wide shots, and long takes. It is very atmospheric, and not at all
romanticised. I think it is the lack of romanticism and melodrama that
causes Hou's critics to distinguish him from the Chinese filmmakers Zhang
and Chen.
Personally, based on the viewing of one film, I like Hou's style and
appreciate its difference, but by no means do I prefer it to Zhang or Chen.
Perhaps if I saw Flowers of Shanghai or City of Sadness I would be more
thoroughly converted, but I don't think Hou Hsiao Hsien fans and Zhang Yimou
fans need to be mutually exclusive clubs. To be fair, there aren't many
people who say that they should be... just a few who seem to imply it by the
analysis of which director is more "Western" than the other, just as some
people once implied that we needed to condemn Kurosawa in order to
appreciate Ozu.
Extremecam
> There are several regular
> posters on this newsgroup who are fans of Hou's films, so if you start a
> thread requesting recommendations, I'm sure you'll get some good feedback.
>
If you can find it, watch the documentary "Hou Hsiao Hsien on Hou Hsiao
Hsien". It will give you an insight into Hou Hsiao Hsien's directorial
style and survey of several of his film works. I think it's on VCD only.
It is in Mandarian Chinese with English subtitles only. Cheers!
deadmead
"Paul J. Adams" <zadi...@qwest.net> 撰寫於郵件
news:jNQ66.8023$8b.5...@news.uswest.net...
well, if a HHH fan can speak (with bias here), HHH is a better director than
Zhang Yimou
and Chen. IMO, the order would be HHH, Zhang and then Chen. And I'm not
really based on
"more Western or Eastern" issue to do so. I prefer HHH's filmic style to
that of the Zhang and
Chen. I love both Ozu and Kourosawa, but I prefer Ozu's works to
Kourosawa's.
Basically, they are all great directors, but if you're talking about the
depth and consistency,
I would put HHH to stand side by side with Ozu and Kuorsawa. Viewing HHH's
early works
(when his filmic style didn't completely mature), I'm "bias" to love them
because they gave
me the Taiwanese flavor which I couldn't get from mainland China directors'
works. In his
later works with his fully realized filmic style, his works show the
similiar style and depth of
traditional Chinese literature. Thus, his works touches me more than Zhang's
and Chen's.
Personally I think STORY OF QUI JU is Zhang's best works and one of my
favorite movies.
deadmead
>
deadmead
> "Man...an ancient race. SUPPORT THE GLF!!" <anthon...@hotmail.com>
wrote
> in message news:933fr7$kbc$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
>
> > I think he was overpraised among the socalled fifth gen chinese
> > filmmakers because his works were most western, emotionally accessible
> > and universal, and pretty to watch.
>
> I'm really getting tired of this "too Western" nonsense. First the
critics
> favored Zhang over Chen for being more "genuinely Chinese," while Chen's
> films were "Western" because they were spectacular and pleasing to the
> eye... as if spectacle is a uniquely "Western" phenomenon (and as if
Chen's
> first film didn't get its pleasingly spectacular look from Zhang's own
> cinematography). Then came the less familiar style of the Taiwanese
> director Hou Xiao Xien, and suddenly Zhang was "Western" and
"inauthentic,"
> presumably because critics prefer inaccessibility and unfamiliarity, in
> other words a new brand of exoticism. In reminds me in an unpleasant way
of
> how several members of the old Cahier du Cinema crowd dismissed the films
of
> Kurosawa because they weren't "Japanese" enough.
ok, I don't know which group of critics you're familiar with. HHH's "The
Green, Green Grass
of Home" (1983), "All the Youthful Days" (1983) "The Sandwich Man" (1983)
and "A Summer at Grandpa's" (1984) got recognized by French critics before
or at the
same time Chen's "Yellow Earth" introduced the fifith generation of mainland
China
filmmakers to the westerners. HHH's masterpiece "The time to live and the
time to die"
(won the FIPRESCI Award of Berlin film festival) and "Dust In the Wind" came
before
Zhang's debut "Red Sorghum." And when "Red Sorghum" won the Golden Bear at
Berlin,
when many western critics tried to make it into the landmark of the 5th
generation films, people
at New York Film festival were crazy about HHH's "Daughter of the Nile."
Then, HHH's "City
of Sadness" got the Golden Lion at Venice. If you consider the western
critics as a whole, the
mainland China 5th generation movies and the Taiwanese New Wave films were
recognized and
appreciated at the same time. Yet, in the US alone, mainland China
filmmakers' films are easier to
get than HHH's and Edward Yang's films. In Europe and Japan, you can watch
HHH's works in
art-house movie theaters and on TV. All told, HHH wasn't recognized and
appreciated by western
critics AFTER Zhang and Chen, and until now, he still hasn't been recognized
and appreciated by
some western critics (many of them are US ones). Just check your local video
stores with bigger
sections of foregin movies, you would see what I mean.
Another thing is that, I think many western critics wouldn't think HHH's
style as "less familiar" since
you can find many similarities between Ozu and HHH. Also, HHH's works have a
profitable market
in Japan; now the Japanese studio would give HHH's funds to make movies.
This whole thing got
started with his early works such as "The Sandwich Man," "The Time To Live
And The Time To Die,"
and "Dsut In the Wind"; a group of Japanese audience loves his works because
they finally get to
see Ozu type of films again which haven't been there since Ozu died in 1963.
deadmead
deadmead
"Extremecam" <extre...@home.com> ????? news:3A5C77EB...@home.com...
before watching this documentary made by a French(?) director, you may want
to have your own first hand encounter with HHH's works.
deadmead
deadmead
"steve" <st...@steve.com> 撰寫於郵件 news:93fror$nmc$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...
>
,snip..................................>
> > By the way, I liked the one film I saw by Hou (The Puppet Master). I
just
> > don't base my appreciation of his film on it's 'authenticity' or it's
> > 'Easternness.'
>
> Is this available on video? Tell me more about it.
>
> thanks,
> steve
do you read Chinese? if not, it would be difficult for you to find anything
in the US.
just like I said in another post, HHH hasn't been recognized and appreciated
by the majority
of American film critics, and most of the audience yet, and that's why his
works are so
difficult to find in the US. To those who could read Chinese, I can give you
some information
about his movie on VCDs and DVDs online. If you can't the only choice is
probably his
latest "Flowers OF Shainghai" which has bothe English and Chinese subitiles,
but the English
subtitles aren't really clear to see.
deadmead
deadmead
"deadmead" <kjc...@loyno.edu> 撰寫於郵件
news:w5u76.378$pc7....@bgtnsc07-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
BTW, IMO, Jiang Wen (the "my grandpa" in RED SORGHUM) is probably going to
become the best mainland China director among all the 5th generation and
post-5th
generation filmmakers. As an established actor in mainland China cinema,
he's only
directed two movies so far. The latest one DEVILS ON THE DOORSTEP got him
a grand jury prize at Cannes last year. AFAIK, this film is currently banned
in mainland
China, and I don't know when I'll have a chance to see it! But his 1994
debut IN THE HEAT
OF THE SUN, IMO, outshines each one of Zhang and Chen's works.
I cannot say he IS the best mainland China director right now because he
only made two
movies and I only saw one of them, but I see the potential.
deadmead
>
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deadmead
>
> > Is this available on video? Tell me more about it.
>
> Yes. I haven't gotten to see any of Hou Hsiao Hsien's movies in theaters
> yet, but several of his films are available on video.
> I don't think that The Puppetmaster is widely regarded as one of Hou's
best
>
mmm... "The Puppetmaster" is right up there with "The Time to Live and the
Time to Die," "City of Sadness," and
"Flowers of Shainghai."
deadmead
the wily Filipino
>> If you can find it, watch the documentary "Hou Hsiao Hsien on Hou Hsiao
>> Hsien". It will give you an insight into Hou Hsiao Hsien's directorial
>> style and survey of several of his film works. I think it's on VCD only.
>> It is in Mandarian Chinese with English subtitles only. Cheers!
>
>before watching this documentary made by a French(?) director, you may want
>to have your own first hand encounter with HHH's works.
The documentary's called "HHH," I think, and it was made by Olivier
Assayas (who directed the fantastic "Irma Vep", and yes, is married to
Maggie Cheung).
Does anyone know when Hou Hsiao-Hsien's movies are coming out on DVD?
This kept being announced when his films made the festival circuit
last year, but no specific dates were given...
deadmead
"the wily Filipino" <no...@email.address.com> ?????
news:h6hu5t050t9qb7hu8...@4ax.com...
you might want to describe the "context" a litte clearer. Which part of the
world are
you in and what kind of version of HHH's films on DVD are you looking for?
The DVD of FLOWERS OF SHAINGAHI (with English subtitles) was out two years
ago, and you can find it in several Asian DVD stores online. Caution
though, the subtitles
aren't very chear.
another thing is that his films have made the film festival circuit since
1983.
deadmead
the wily Filipino
>> Does anyone know when Hou Hsiao-Hsien's movies are coming out on DVD?
>> This kept being announced when his films made the festival circuit
>> last year, but no specific dates were given...
>
>you might want to describe the "context" a litte clearer. Which part of the
>world are
>you in and what kind of version of HHH's films on DVD are you looking for?
I'm in San Francisco; an all-Region version of "Goodbye South Goodbye"
would be wonderful.
Thanks for the info on "Flowers of Shanghai." Which online stores
would you recommend? (I got my DVD player only very recently, so I
haven't been poking around online looking for DVD deals very long.)
>another thing is that his films have made the film festival circuit since
>1983.
I was referring to the one last year when almost all his films were
shown, one after the other...
deadmead
>
> I'm in San Francisco; an all-Region version of "Goodbye South Goodbye"
> would be wonderful.
we got this movie on DVD in Taiwan, and so it maybe region coded.
and I don't think any American distributor would be interested in
releasing this movie on DVD in the US. In the future maybe, but don't
know how long...
I was in SF a few years back, and I remember there's a great video store
(the
name of the store escapes me now), and there are many "Chinese video stores"
right? you should have the chance to find HHH's films on video at least.
However,
the quality maybe terrible.
The image in HHH's works is very, very delicate, mostly dark in tone, and so
a
bad quality print would definitley damage your viewing experience; yet, if
there's
no other choice...
>
> Thanks for the info on "Flowers of Shanghai." Which online stores
> would you recommend? (I got my DVD player only very recently, so I
> haven't been poking around online looking for DVD deals very long.)
you can try http://us.yesasia.com
if you can read Chinese, they also have THE TIME TO LIVE AND THE TIME TO DIE
and CITY OF SADNESS on vcd.
deadmead
shc
"deadmead" <kjc...@loyno.edu> wrote in message
news:XV886.616$4y6....@bgtnsc07-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
they had 'city of sadness' in stock about a month ago. i also ordered
'shanghai flowers' but it's still being backordered. 'city of sadness' has
no english but only chinese subtitles.
deadmead
"shc" <jhc...@earthlink.net> 撰寫於郵件
news:QNd86.11411$ag.3...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
ok, then you may try Five Star Laser to get "Flowers of Shainghai."
It's precisely becasue "City of Sadness" vcd only has Chinese subtitles
that I said if you could read Chinese, you could try.
deadmead
shc
i wasn't complaining. just thought those info i gave might help the other
guy. 'city of sadness' with chinese subtitles is perfectly fine with me.
thanks.