Director: Zhang Yimou
We have once again decided to watch 1 of the films among our list of 40 films together. We have chosen to watch the day itself after we have Mr. Tan had went through on China National Cinema as we felt that it will give us a deeper insight to the works of both the director Zhang Yimou and Gong Li (who acted as the main female lead in the film, Qiu Ju ) who have established their reputation with their previous collaboration (Jou Du, Raise the Red Lantern and Red Sorghum) .
Just before the lesson itself, we had each done some research on the reviews of this film respectively.
Me: Pei Shan! I found this blog that showed quite a few photos of the scenes in the film itself. You can use it to do your photo montage as you have always liked to do.
Pei Shan: Sure. And here it is:
Pei Shan: I have done the research and have done up the montage this time round already. Ha.
XIaoTing: Ok! Let’s focus on watching the film. From my research, the Chinese view this film as comedy. However, the Western critics who have written the reviews that I have found could not really phantom why the Chinese have thought that certain parts were humorous.
Me: I guessed it might be due to the different cultures of the East and the West. Maybe it is because some of the meaning of the film originally in Chinese has been lost during translation for the Western critics. We shall just watched and decide if we felt that it is a comedy.
Pei Shan: Maybe Gong Li is too pretty for them to perceive her as a comic actress i.
We began watching the 110 minutes film.
Pei Shan: Actually, the doctor has already given a remedy that will redress Qiu Ju’s concern about her husband’s possible incapacity from this scene:
Subtitle translates: Keep it straight and let the air get at it.
Xiaoting: Yes. If only Qiu Ju has not been so determined and feministic, the ending might not have been so tragic for the chief of the village, who is actually deserving of his position. He did not bear grudge to the grief he has suffered due to Qiu Ju’s complaints; instead, he did his duty as a village chief to help his villagers as he carry Qiu Ju to the hospital when Qiu Ju got into labor late one ngiht and could not deliver her baby such that both her baby and herself were in danger. If only…
Me: But there is no wrong being a feminist and fighting for her right isn’t it. I agree with one of the point from one of the reviewi that Qiu Ju is just another victim of any legal system of justice. We are just being too often caught in dilemma about what is right or wrong as well as the emotional and humanity aspects that might be linked and intertwined with it.
Xiao Ting: O that is quite philosophical. Let’s get back to the question on if I have felt if this is a comedy. I don’t think so. What do the 2 of you think?
Pei Shan: Maybe as we are “rojak” of the East and West culture. Yes, I do not think it is exactly a comedy to me.
Me: Yes, I agree. However, I do feel sad for the village chief’s plight at the end.
[1] Stone, A. A. (1993, September/October). Comedy and Culture in Boston Review. Retrieved from http://bostonreview.net/BR18.5/alanstone.html
[2] NB47. (2007, Nov 24). Zhang Yimou- Qiu Ju da guan si ('The Story of Qiu Ju') 1992. Retrieved from http://avaxhome.ws/video/genre/drama/quiju_by_yimou.html
[3] Retrieved from http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDYwNjAwMzI=.html
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