SCREENING LOG - 4/01--4/07, 2002

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I watched The God of Cookery, Ossessione, The Empress Yang Kwei Fei, Swordsman in Double Flag Town, The Old Well, Ulee's Gold, Broken Blossoms and The Orphan of Anyang. In order of preference:

Broken Blossoms (1919, D.W. Grffith) second viewing

A Chinese missionary lives a vacant life in an English harbor town until an abused young woman seeks shelter in his home. I revisited this classic to see if it belonged in my top ten. The verdict: maybe. Its views on human nature and racial character may seem quaint, if not offensively patronizing, but that in no way detracts from the quiet, lyrical beauty of the scenes involving the two lovers, an achievement of human intimacy that is sorely lacking in the other Griffith movies I've watched. Off the top of my head, I can only think of L'ATALANTE as another film that depicts the encounter of strangers with such sweet sensualness and mystery.

Ossessione (1942, Luchino Visconti)

After my third Visconti film, he is making a lot of sense to me now. This Italian adaptation of THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE offers a mind-blowing connection to two of the genres that would dominate 40s cinema, Italian neo-realism and American film noir, creating the kind of dramatic thrust (and I do mean thrust) that seems characteristic to Visconti's films. Given the period and social conditions of its production, it is stunningly explicit in its sexual content, and so of course it was banned. Having seen this, I have more appreciation for LA TERRA TREMA and SENSO and look forward to seeing more.

The Old Well (1986, Wu Tianming)

Wu Tianming, who spearheaded the rise of the Xi'an film studio that single-handedly produced the acclaimed Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers, took his own turn at directing with this exceptional film, that, in its exploration of sexual relationships and collective destinies, recalls much of Visconti's brand of neo-realism. Zhang Yimou (!) gives a remarkable performance as a young man caught in the midst of his village's generations-long project to make an old well draw water once more.

The Orphan of Anyang (2001, Wang Chao)

First-time director Wang Chao is on record as saying, "THE ORPHAN OF ANYANG is something you've never seen in China... the truth." While that pretentious statement reflects something of the aggrandizing treatment Chao gives to the story of a jobless man who takes care of an orphaned baby, he's certainly on to something. (Besides, we all know the truest depiction of China can be seen in Jia Zhangke's PLATFORM, so who's he trying to kid?) Wang uses a mix of long shots, close-ups and elliptical editing to remarkable dramatic effect, and his camera captures the real-life details of everyday China with vividness and care. This is Chinese post-neo-realist filmmaking of the highest order, for those who admire the works of Hou Hsiao Hsien, Tsai Ming Liang and Jia Zhangke, there's a new kid on the block. To hell with BEJING BICYCLE; this is something truly worthy of DeSica and the Italians.

The Empress Yang Kwei Fei (1955, Kenji Mizoguchi)

I loved the way this Mizoguchi set up this story of a servant girl who is used by cunning conspirators to exploit the weaknesses of a widowed Emperor. It got lost in where the film was taking me midway, but enjoyed it well enough without being dazzled by it. Mizoguchi's late-period use of color is a delight. The ending makes the whole film more than worthwhile.

The God of Cookery (1996, Stephen Chow, Lik-Chi Lee)

Huh? That's how most would respond to this no-prisoners, all-over-the-map send-up of Chow Yun-fat's GOD OF GAMBLERS series and celebrity cooking shows, employing more madcap nonsequitirs and cultural inside jokes than one can shake a chopstick at. Stephen Chow, the funniest and most popular actor in Hong Kong, takes the same kind of turn Jim Carrey did with THE CABLE GUY: effacing his own celebrity status to show a darker inner self, in his case as a money-grubbing neurotic. He meets his downfall Tom Cruise-style and works his way back, from the back alleys of struggling chefs to culinary re-training at Shaolin Temple. This film is horribly uneven and unscrupulous, but after all, that's the genius of Hong Kong cinema, where anything and everything is possible. It all comes down to three words: "Pissing Beef Balls"! Yummmm!

Swordsman in Double Flag Town (1991, Ping He)

Young man walks into a frontier town to claim his bride and kick some butt. A mainland Chinese attempt to compete with Hong Kong and American action movies is generally effective, meditative and retains many of the qualities that made the Fifth Generation so appealing. The action is kept to a minimum, which allows atmosphere to build up (though I think the film relies a bit too heavily on the desolate beauty of desert landscapes) In short, think Sergio Leone meets Zhang Yimou.

Ulee's Gold (1997, Victor Nunez)

A stodgy Florida bee-keeper must confront his own isolationist attitude to the world when his drugged-up daughter-in-law resurfaces with a couple of bad guys in tow. As much as I wanted to like this film, it kept reminding me of countless stories I read as a writing student that use a lead character's occupation as a metaphorical gimmick: this man must apply his skills at calming and caring for bees to his personal relationships -- get it? The story is standard-issue Sundance, arch and predictable, but Fonda's performance makes it well worth watching.

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