This movie commemorates and documents the political struggles leading up to the founding of the People’s Republic of China…just in time for the 60th Anniversary National Day.
Here’s the deal: The movie incorporated cameos of 30 or so famous Chinese movie stars (from here and overseas). I heard there were some complaints from mainland Chinese that they used some non-mainland actors in the movie, but the actors were all superb. I didn’t recognize Jackie Chan!
The auditorium (on campus) was packed. Here’s a review (in English) of the movie from China’s government-owned TV, CCTV:
http://www.china.org.cn/video/2009-09/14/content_18585357.htm#
And here’s a review from TIME:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1928956,00.html
So….the lights dimmed….there were no trailers!….nor any announcements regarding cell phones, from what I could tell… and the scenes began to unfold. A person with no knowledge of China’s 20th century history may be a little bored with the political discussions/faction building/etc. etc. that make up a fair portion of the film, but — well, you can’t just gloss over the political intricacies with this topic.
Each time a new character appeared on the screen, the entire auditorium exploded into a buzz of discussion — “that’s so-and-so from such-and-such movie!” This was a delightful part of the movie experience for me. Truly, the cameos were outstanding. One cameo featured a man yelling to signal his troops for a massive shout of readiness as Mao surveyed them. After viewing the National Day parade just a week prior (October 1st) and seeing the troups shouting powerfully in unison…it’s a pretty compelling moment.
Another cameo featured Mao’s cook — a vignette so charming, you just knew Cookie would take one for the team.
The portrayal of Zhou Enlai was lovingly filmed. This nation adores his memory. In one scene, for example, he goodnaturedly assures Mao that capitalists can serve a useful purpose — sometimes you need to have a store open so you can buy a pack of smokes. I’d see the movie again just to watch the Zhou Enlai scenes.
If I were to redo history, I think I’d work on Mao’s hairstyle. The cinematographers, however, stuck to the photographic history with regard to Mao’s coiffure, unlike some of the women in small supporting roles, who looked a little too modern.
The one drawback to the evening? The guy next to me. His cell phone went off 3 times…and he answered it each time! Tsk tsk.
Answered the cell phone??? I am too easily distracted, that would drive me batty! Thanks for sharing this experience.
Liz
I am loving reading of your adventures. The signs in English are a riot!