nostalgia and sketchy men
i don't know why i've taken to pairing subject linings for my posts...and sensationalist ones too.
It being the "Printemps du Cinema" (every movie at every movie theatre 3,50E), Regina and I went to Montparnasse and watched "Wu-Ji", also known as "La Legende des Cavaliers du Vent" and "The Promise"...Regina attracted by the Korean actor Dong-Kun Jang and I by the director Chen Kaige, whose works I first experienced with "Farewell My Concubine".
The only thing this movie did for me was get me weepy-eyed about love and nostalgic about China. Hearing Chinese, albeit with Japanese and Korean accents (Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada played a role), stirred this immense longing in me to be back in China...
Apart from the icy beauty of Cecelia Cheung, the boyish good looks of Nicholase Tse (in a very one dimensional character) and yes, Regina, the handsome Dong-Kun Jang, and the vivid (although sometimes badly edited) cinematography...this is yet another large scale blockbuster attempt a la "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" that does not at all reflect Chinese or Hong Kong cinema and basically sells out to the Western audience. Although I'm not even sure Western audiences will like this...I had a difficult time following the plot, even though I heard the dialogue in Chinese and read it in French at the same time, the scenes were abrupt, sometimes random, without coherence and elegance of continuity and logical sense. Borrowing from the words of a critic, it's as though Chen Kaige created his own fantasy world, but neglected to make any rules for it, allowing it to evolve into a rather fluffy hazy mess. I remember seeing snippets of "The Promise" on the editing table of Centro, the HK special effects company that was polishing up the movie...and I was told that this is the most expensive film made in China...I don't know where the money went (oh wait, I know, the lavish, but artificial costumes that almost overshadowed the actors who wore them)...
Anyway, after the movie, on the metro, I was accosted by this random guy. Dialogue:
Random Indian guy: "Do you speak English?"
Me: "Yes."
Him: "Are you Japanese?"
Me: "No."
Him: "Are you Korean?"
Me: "No I am not. [exasperated tone]. I am Chinese."
Him:"So do you live here?"
Me: "Yes. I go to school here."
Him: "Oh that is nice. You speak English very well."
Me: [sarcastic tone] "Yes, well I hope I do, because I'm American."
Him: "Do you like Indian food?"
Me: [patience wearing short.] "Yes."
Him: "So my brother has an Indian restaurant. Would you like to come sometime? Why don't I give you my number so you can contact me later?"
Me: [ticked off and letting it show] "I don't have a cell phone, I'm sorry. Bye"
No joke, this is the second time I've been accosted by some random Southeast Asian man in the metro asking me if I was Japanese/Korean/any type of Asian but Chinese. Do I wear a sign that says, "Hello Southeast Asian men, please hit on me"? Also, I get very annoyed when strangers ask me what type of Asian I am...does it really matter unless you're fantasizing about Thai child prostitutes or Japanese geisha or any other type of "Asian stereotype", in which case that is even more disgusting? I don't even look Thai or Japanese. I still recoil thinking about that Nepalese guy the last time who thought I was Thai and then proceeded to enumerate all the other Asian ethnicities except Chinese.
Anyways, off to work I go....my expose research awaits me!
It being the "Printemps du Cinema" (every movie at every movie theatre 3,50E), Regina and I went to Montparnasse and watched "Wu-Ji", also known as "La Legende des Cavaliers du Vent" and "The Promise"...Regina attracted by the Korean actor Dong-Kun Jang and I by the director Chen Kaige, whose works I first experienced with "Farewell My Concubine".
The only thing this movie did for me was get me weepy-eyed about love and nostalgic about China. Hearing Chinese, albeit with Japanese and Korean accents (Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada played a role), stirred this immense longing in me to be back in China...
Apart from the icy beauty of Cecelia Cheung, the boyish good looks of Nicholase Tse (in a very one dimensional character) and yes, Regina, the handsome Dong-Kun Jang, and the vivid (although sometimes badly edited) cinematography...this is yet another large scale blockbuster attempt a la "Hero" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" that does not at all reflect Chinese or Hong Kong cinema and basically sells out to the Western audience. Although I'm not even sure Western audiences will like this...I had a difficult time following the plot, even though I heard the dialogue in Chinese and read it in French at the same time, the scenes were abrupt, sometimes random, without coherence and elegance of continuity and logical sense. Borrowing from the words of a critic, it's as though Chen Kaige created his own fantasy world, but neglected to make any rules for it, allowing it to evolve into a rather fluffy hazy mess. I remember seeing snippets of "The Promise" on the editing table of Centro, the HK special effects company that was polishing up the movie...and I was told that this is the most expensive film made in China...I don't know where the money went (oh wait, I know, the lavish, but artificial costumes that almost overshadowed the actors who wore them)...
Anyway, after the movie, on the metro, I was accosted by this random guy. Dialogue:
Random Indian guy: "Do you speak English?"
Me: "Yes."
Him: "Are you Japanese?"
Me: "No."
Him: "Are you Korean?"
Me: "No I am not. [exasperated tone]. I am Chinese."
Him:"So do you live here?"
Me: "Yes. I go to school here."
Him: "Oh that is nice. You speak English very well."
Me: [sarcastic tone] "Yes, well I hope I do, because I'm American."
Him: "Do you like Indian food?"
Me: [patience wearing short.] "Yes."
Him: "So my brother has an Indian restaurant. Would you like to come sometime? Why don't I give you my number so you can contact me later?"
Me: [ticked off and letting it show] "I don't have a cell phone, I'm sorry. Bye"
No joke, this is the second time I've been accosted by some random Southeast Asian man in the metro asking me if I was Japanese/Korean/any type of Asian but Chinese. Do I wear a sign that says, "Hello Southeast Asian men, please hit on me"? Also, I get very annoyed when strangers ask me what type of Asian I am...does it really matter unless you're fantasizing about Thai child prostitutes or Japanese geisha or any other type of "Asian stereotype", in which case that is even more disgusting? I don't even look Thai or Japanese. I still recoil thinking about that Nepalese guy the last time who thought I was Thai and then proceeded to enumerate all the other Asian ethnicities except Chinese.
Anyways, off to work I go....my expose research awaits me!
posted by Kate | 6:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home