Peking Opera Blues (1986) [Film Review]

Peking Opera Blues; or, Knife Horse Actresses

     Hurry up… One by one… follow the hero! Oh, it’s you! Damn you! Want them to know that we’ve got a woman in the repertoire? I’ll lose face! Go and wash your face.

I have been meaning to watch Peking Opera Blues for a long time, but never had the right opportunity to see it. I have read a great deal of positive comments about the film, both on IMDb as well as HKMDB. Enthusiastic recommendations left me under the impression that this motion picture might be Tsui Hark’s greatest achievement. On top of that, there’s Brigitte Lin (real name: Ching-hsia Lin) in the leading role, so I just had to finally see the film!
Release Info

Directed by: Tsui Hark Starring: Brigitte Lin, Cherie Chung, Sally Yeh

Language: Cantonese Original Title: 刀馬旦 Runtime: 104 min

 

Synopsis

China, year 1913. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the country is in a political turmoil. General Yuan Shikai ascends the presidency and he needs financial support from Europe in order to stay in power. General Tsao (Kenneth Tsang) serves as the middle man in this process. However, his daughter, Tsao Wan (Brigitte Lin), secretly works for the revolutionaries and tries to intercept the proof of Shikai’s transactions. She is aided in her mission by Sheung Hung (Cherie Chung), a woman in search for a box of jewels, and Bai Niu (Sally Yeh), the daughter of an opera impresario.

 

Daughters, Jewels, Heroines

As you could expect from Tsui Hark, this movie is basically a mixture of different genres. Right from the very first scene, the viewers are thrown into action, a comedy of mistakes, a bit of slapstick, and hardcore drama. That’s Peking Opera Blues in a nutshell. As a result, I can’t say that I wholeheartedly enjoyed this film because it tries to put too many extravagant dishes on one plate. However, I appreciate the interesting storyline, great performances, fast-paced action, as well as Hark’s personal comment on theatre-acting etiquette in old China.

 

I found it very interesting that Brigitte Lin plays a woman dressed up like a military gentleman throughout the whole film (talk about gender ambiguity!). In one of the scenes, the character of an impresario played by the legendary Wu Ma tells his daughter in anger that women are not allowed to perform on stage. Ironically, towards the end, all three female protagonists (plus two other men who help them out) find themselves on a stage in full make-up performing for the main villain. This was the best part of the film for me. It reminded me a bit about the Takarazuka Revue.

 

Even though the comedy seems rushed in a few places, I liked the light-hearted tone of the film until it made a U-turn (Tsao Wan’s harrowing torture scene). Nevertheless, dramatic shifts are balanced by spectacular shootouts and fight scenes. In addition, the action is accompanied by James Wong’s epic music score.

 

Speaking about performances, Brigitte Lin totally nails it as a spy torn between the love for her father and devotion to the country. Also, she is ridiculously pretty with a “manly” haircut. Cherie Chung and Sally Yeh are great additions, especially in terms of comic relief. Kenneth Tsang may be hidden under layers of heavy make-up, but he gives a compelling performance as Tsao Wan’s father. Wu Ma has a small but interesting role as an opera impresario.

 

Recommendations

I recommend this film if you want to see something unusual from Tsui Hark. I liked the film, but I would not call it Hark’s masterpiece or “one of the greatest films ever made,” as stated by Quentin Tarantino. Rather, Peking Opera Blues is a fun and entertaining movie. It is a good choice for a Sunday afternoon.

Overall score: 7/10

Raise the Red Lantern (1991) [Film Review]

Raise the Red Lantern; or, Desperate Housewives

     “If I’m able”… You just wait and see what I can do!

Raise the Red Lantern is a 1991 drama film directed by Zhang Yimou and based on a novel "Wives and Concubines" by Su Tong. It is frequently cited as one of the best Chinese movies of all time. It even received the Academy Awards’ nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film in 1992. Being a sceptic at first, the movie struck me with its gripping storyline, wonderful art design, and breathtaking cinematography.

Release Info

Directed by: Zhang Yimou Starring: Gong Li, He Saifei, Cao Cuifen

Language: Mandarin Original Title: 大紅燈籠高高掛 Runtime: 125 min

 

Synopsis

China, the 1920s. Songlian (Gong Li) is a university student who mourns the death of her father. After nagging from her step-mother, and in view of dire financial situation, she drops studying and decides to become a wife of a wealthy businessman. She marries into the Chen family, acquiring the status of the Fourth Mistress. Songlian familiarises herself with all the peculiar customs at the house, many of which involve the usage of lanterns. Little does she know that there is a strong competition among the Mistresses for the favours of Master Chen (Ma Jingwu). Songlian has to find her way through the maze of conspiracies and compete with Yuru (Jin Shuyuan), Zhuoyun (Cao Cuifen), Meishan (He Saifei), and her servant Yan’er (Kong Lin).

 

The House of Intrigues

Even though I have not read Su Tong’s novel, the style of Raise the Red Lantern reminded me greatly about the works of Anchee Min, and Lisa See. Probably because the two authors also explore the relations between women in their novels. Similarly, Raise the Red Lantern predominantly focuses on women rather than men. We never see the close up of Master Chen, loyal servants are always in the background, whereas Chen’s eldest son, Feipu (Xiao Chu), has only two brief exchanges with Songlian which do not go particularly well. Men are only the burden in this story, tricking women into obedience and submission.

 

In the case of women, on the other hand, the situation is a bit different. When someone is outwardly arrogant, you would think that this person is the baddie; but in fact, the worst kind of a villain is the one with the warmest smile. Women compete between each other ruthlessly in order to acquire higher status, which is a part of Sailong’s tragedy because she does not know how to stay afloat in this dying ground filled with customs and colours. Speaking of which, red colour plays the pivotal role in the film. You can see the whole courtyard and rooms being lit with red, or even characters dressed up in red. In my opinion, red lanterns stand for the tragic fate of Chinese women.

 

From the technical side, the aforementioned cinematography elevates the viewing experience. The movie was shot on location in old Qiao’s Family Courtyard, a lavish, extremely symmetrical residential compound built in the 18th century. Every shot of that compound can be framed and hanged on a wall. It’s that beautiful. In addition, the haunting music score by Zhao Jiping cannot go unnoticed. In many scenes, the music transpires naturally from the film (for instance, playing vinyl records or Meishan's (the Third Mistress) wonderful courtyard singing sequence); however, the music can also be heard in the background of the key scenes.

 

With regard to performances, Gong Li is absolutely amazing in the leading role. However, Cao Cuifen and He Saifei are also brilliant as the competing Mistresses. Relatively young Kong Lin has a very good role as Songlian’s servant.

 

Recommendations

If you have not yet seen Raise the Red Lantern, then please watch it. The film is a wonderful story that will certainly leave you thinking about many social issues. Be careful to grab a decent DVD edition of the film because many releases had quite bad picture quality. All in all, Raise the Red Lantern is Zhang Yimou’s best of the best.

Overall score 8/10

Enter the Dragon (1973) [Film Review]

Enter the Dragon; or, Blood and Steel

     Don’t think. Feel. It is like a finger pointing away to the moon. Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.

Enter the Dragon is a 1973 co-production of Warner Bros. and Concord Production Ltd. which is regarded nowadays as the greatest martial arts film of all time. This was the fourth (and the last complete) movie with Bruce Lee in the leading role after his major breakthrough in Hong Kong in the early 1970s. Even though the film’s aim was to introduce Bruce to Western audiences; unfortunately, Bruce’s untimely passing disrupted the plans for his future films in Hollywood. Nevertheless, Enter the Dragon is still perceived as the paragon of a classic kung fu actioner, so let’s take a closer look at this motion picture.

Release Info

Directed by: Robert Clouse Starring: Bruce Lee, Shih Kien, John Saxon, Jim Kelly

Language: English, Cantonese Original Title: 龍爭虎鬥 Runtime: 102 min

 

Synopsis

Lee (Bruce Lee) is a professional instructor of martial arts from the Shaolin Temple. His services are recruited by the British authorities who order him to infiltrate the private residence of a crime lord known as Han (Shih Kien). Lee attends the martial arts competition that is organised on Han’s island and meets other attendees, such as Roper (John Saxon) and Williams (Jim Kelly). All three come into contact with the elusive Han who actually deals with drug trafficking. Lee takes it upon himself to stop his criminal activity and also settle the score with Han’s bodyguard, O’Hara (Bob Wall).

Bruce Lee: The Crackdown

After Big Boss (1971), Fist of Fury (1972), and Way of the Dragon (1972), Bruce Lee exploded in popularity across Asia. However, he was still unknown in the West (his biggest role there being that of Kato in The Green Hornet (1966-1967) series). Producers Fred Weintraub and Paul Heller approached Bruce about the possibility of making a movie with them and, after Golden Harvest approved the deal, Enter the Dragon received the green light.

The movie is very distinct with its style and aesthetics. Rather than being a faithful depiction of the East, it is more like a fable influenced by comic books. However, one has to appreciate the film for its simple storyline and lavish execution. There is a secluded island, martial arts tournament, and an over-the-top bad guy with an underground lair (he is just a Bond villain but without Bond). Enter the Dragon instils a unique feeling that Asia is a strange and exotic land with tough guys and beautiful ladies where everything is possible.

Interestingly, from the interviews from the American crew, it can be inferred that they just winged it and everything was awesome, but Linda Lee Caldwell contradicted that. She stated that Bruce was actively involved in numerous rewrites of the script, he brought onboard his own crew of martial artists, and choreographed his own stunts. Clearly, if it had not been for Bruce, the movie would not have achieved such success as it did.

With regard to performances, Bruce Lee is as great as in all of his previous films. There are also very good supporting performances of John Saxon and Jim Kelly who do a bit of fighting in the film. Shih Kien is deliciously campy as the main villain (but unfortunately his real voice was not used in the film). Sammo Hung and Angela Mao also have small but noticeable parts. If you pay attention to the action scenes, you can also spot Jackie Chan and Yueh Wah doing some stunts.

Recommendations

Highly recommended to every enthusiast of kung fu flicks. Enter the Dragon is a well made motion picture with great fights and an exhilarating finale. It is a real shame that we never got to see more films with Bruce Lee (I'm not even counting Game of Death from 1978).

Overall score: 8/10

The Captain (2019) [Film Review]

The Captain; or, Into the Storm

     Attention passengers, I am the purser of this flight. The pilot and flight attendants are trained day to day, in order to ensure everyone's safety. That is our purpose on-board this aircraft. Please trust our captain. We will go home together.
After Operation Mekong (2016), Operation Red Sea (2018), and The Bravest (2019), the Chinese cinema industry continues on with the series of epic tales about infallible servicemen. Andrew Lau’s The Captain is such a movie and it was inspired by a true story of the Sichuan Airlines flight 3U8633 incident.

Release Info

Directed by: Andrew Lau Starring: Zhang Hanyu, Yuan Quan, Ou Hao, Du Jiang

Language: Mandarin Original Title: 中国机长 Runtime: 111 min

Synopsis

The story takes place on the 14th of May, 2018. Captain Liu Chuanjian (Zhang Hanyu) prepares for a standard flight from Chongquing to Lhasa together with his two co-pilots as well as the flight attendants supervised by a Chief Purser (Yuan Quan). Passengers board an Airbus A319 plane and everything seems to be in order. Forty minutes after take-off, on the altitude of 32,000 feet, the windshield blows out, sucking one of the co-pilots halfway out of the cockpit. The plane is now depressurized and with inoperative radio communication. To make matters worse, the flight is cut off on the Tibetan Plateau from the nearest emergency landing site because of the raging storm. The only hope for the survival of 119 passengers are Captain Liu Chuanjian and his crew.

 

Plane vs. Nature

The Captain is a fascinating disaster movie which, instead of descending into slow-paced American procedural dramas like Flight (2012) or Sully (2016), goes all action and throws callbacks to such memorable motion pictures like Airport (1970) and Miracle Landing (1990). Even though Zhang Hanyu dominates the screen with his charismatic presence, The Captain is not a one-man show because it strives to faithfully retell the tragedy of Sichuan Airlines flight. The movie goes to such an extent on this matter that it even pays a beautiful tribute to the real heroes in the end credits.

 

The movie’s primary assets are awesome visuals, evidently improved with decent CGI effects. In addition, elaborate action sequences will certainly keep the viewers on the edge of their seats. However, some should prepare for a little dose of clichés (flashbacks about loved ones, passengers having panic attacks) and pathos (trusting the crew) which are, in a way, obligatory for this kind of movie.

 

With regard to performances, Zhang Hanyu is obviously too cool for school as the captain saving the day. Second best performer, and a true highlight of this picture, is Yuan Quan as the Chief Purser. There are also some really good performances from the actors and actresses playing the passengers in distress.

 

Recommendations

If you have a chance, then get on board with The Captain, fasten your seat belts, and experience the worst case scenario with a miraculous ending. Apart from being an informative account of the crew’s heroism, it is also one gripping story. The Captain will keep you entertained from beginning to the end.

Overall score: 9/10