Entertaining China

Optional Film List
Chinese Music Websites

Film Screenings

The following Chinese films will be shown in Room 104 of the Massey College of Business. These films have been chosen by David Moser's class, Entertaining China: . All films are Chinese, but have English subtitles and anyone is welcome to attend.

September 14, 6:00 p.m.	Call For Love
September 21, 6:00 p.m.	Devils on the Doorstep
September 25, 6:00 p.m.	Together
September 28; 6:00 p.m.	To be chosen from these films

Call for Love (爱情呼叫转移): September 14, 6:00 p.m.

This film is a 2007 romantic comedy directed by Zhang Jianya (张建亚) and starring comedic actor Xu Zheng as well as Chinese popular actresses such as Fan Bingbing, Eva Huang Shengyi, Annie Yi and Gong Beibi. The film's story revolves around a man who, after 7 years of marriage, has become bored with the routineness of his life and offhandedly tells his wife that he wants a divorce. After he makes this shocking announcement, his cell phone rings and he answers. His infuriated wife takes his cell phone and throws it and agrees to divorce. Of course, the logical thing to do is get your cell phone fixed so Xu goes to a phone repair shop.

The proprietor tells him it'll take some time to fix the phone, but gives him a different one to use in the meantime. However, this is no ordinary cell phone. The proprietor is actually an angel and the phone he gives Xu has a unique feature not yet available under most phone plans (I've checked with Verizon and Sprint on this to make sure). Each time Xu dials a number, the phone magically triggers his meeting a woman who he will have a date with so that he can find his true love. The only catch is that there's a limit of 12 woman (maybe you can get more by purchasing an upgrade to your phone service plan). The 12 women Xu meets are all very attractive, but each has some quality that gives Xu some doubt. While this is basically a comedy, the film also criticizes some of the changes that have taken place in China and modern Chinese peoples' obsession with money and technology.

Devils on the Doorstep (鬼子来了): September 21, 6:00 p.m.

This Cannes Film Festival award winning film, directed by and starring Jiang Wen, was shot in black & white to create an old, war movie atmosphere. The film's story occurs toward the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War and involves a Chinese village that is forced to take two Japanese soldiers prisoner. The villagers are afraid of being discovered and decide that they must kill the prisoners although the appointed executioner does not want to do so. The film deals with a very serious subject in a humorous way with a Chinese interpreter mistranslating much of what is said by the Chinese and Japanese. It also sarcastically criticizes the commonly portrayed view of China being a helpless victim of foreign invaders.

Together (和你在一起): September 25, 6:00 p.m.

Together is a 2003 film directed by Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine, Yellow Earth, The Emperor and the Assassin). A 13 year old violin prodigy (Liu Xiaochun) from a poor rural town is brought to Beijing by his father, a widowed cook who hopes to have his son study at a famous conservatory and have a chance to become a professional musician. Xiaochun does well in an audition, but is denied admission due to his poor background. Nevertheless, his determined father persuades an eccentric teacher to give Xiaochun private lessons. Xiaochun's father takes odd jobs to support his son. Xiaochun and his father also develop a friendship with Lili, an attractive female neighbor who, despite living off a series of rich "boyfriends," has a strong sense of morals.

Xiaochun's father, who lives to see his son succeed, ultimately convinces the violin teacher at the famous conservatory (played by director Chen Kaige) to give his son a chance. However, Xiaochun has begun to question whether playing the violin is what he's cut out for which leads to a conflict with his father. His father has also kept an important secret from Xiaochun which further threatens their relationship. Xiaochun has to struggle with the ambitions of his father, the opposing views of his two teachers over what music is about, and his youthful attraction to Lili in an effort to determine what’s really important in life.

Optional Films: In addition to the films shown in class, you are to watch at least one of the films listed below which will be the subject of your film review (item #3 in the grade summary above). There will be several non-class viewing times scheduled for some of the films which you may attend. Alternatively, you may watch any of the films on your own. Copies of most, if not all, should be available in the library. The films listed include some of the most well-known Chinese films as well as some of the most popular recent Chinese films.

The Emperor and the Assassin (荊柯刺秦王; Jīng Kē cì Qín Wáng; 1999; 162 min.) A film directed by Chen Kaige and based on the same historical scenario as the film Hero (the unification of China in the 3^rd century B.C. by the First Emperor), but told in a different way.
	Assembly (集结号;Jí jié hào; 2008; 124 min.): Set during the Chinese civil war of the 1940s. A Communist Army Captain and his troop are ordered to defend a coal mine until they hear the retreat assembly of the bugle. However, the Captain never hears the bugle call and ends up being the only survivor. He spends the rest of his life feeling guilty for the death of his men and trying to prove and obtain recognition for their heroic sacrifice.
Farewell My Concubine (霸王别姬;Bàwáng Bié Jī; 1993; 171 min.): A critically acclaimed film directed by Chen Kaige which tells the story of two Peking opera stars during the political turmoil of the mid-20^th century in China. Time Magazine ranked this as one of the 100 best films ever made.
	To Live (活着; Huózhe; 1994; 125 min.): An excellent film directed by Zhang Yimou which follows the life of a family from the 1940s through several decades of turmoil and tragedy, including the Cultural Revolution. The film’s critical views of some Chinese government actions and policies led to its being banned in China. Note: I’d show this film in class, but some of you have already seen it since it is used in other classes.
The Blue Kite (Lan feng zheng; 1993; 140 min.): A film about the lives of ordinary Chinese families before and during the Cultural Revolution. The story involves a woman who gets married in 1953 and has a baby boy. Her husband is arrested and sent to a labor camp where he dies. The mother later marries a second and third time and while each man tries to be a good father, the chaotic circumstances of the times pose insurmountable challenges. The characters’ trials and tribulations mirror the suffering of the Chinese people.
	Raise the Red Lantern (Da hong deng long gao gao gua; 1991; 125 min.): Directed by Zhang Yimou, this film tells the story of a beautiful but poor young woman (played by Gong Li) who becomes a concubine (4^th wife) of a rich merchant in the 1920s. The relationships between the wives are full of drama, conflict and tragedy.

	Beijing Bicycle (Shiqi sui de dan che; 2001; 113 min.): A film about a teenager (Guo) who moves to Beijing from the countryside and gets a job as a bicycle messenger. His bike is stolen by another teenager, Jian, who is trying to impress a girl with his new bike. Guo gets beaten up a few times while trying to recover his bike so he can get his job back. The film portrays themes of modernization in China, materialism, and differences in social class (urban/rural, rich/poor).

	Lust Caution (色戒; Sè, Jiè; 2007; 157 min.): Espionage thriller by Ang Lee based on actual events during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in the late 1930s. A group of students from Lingnan University (a Belmont exchange partner university) in Hong Kong devise a plot to have an attractive female acting student play a real life role seducing a Chinese conspirator so he can be assassinated. Note: The film contains some fairly explicit sex scenes so if you may be offended by that, feel free to pick another optional film instead.
Kung Fu Hustle (功夫;Gōngfu): A 2004 martial arts comedy set in the 1940s and involving a wannabe gangster and gets caught up in a war between the notorious Axe Gang and residents of Pig Sty Alley. The film contains outrageous special effects and references/parodies of many popular Asian and Western films. This is Chinese comedy, not all of which translates well, so Westerners may not appreciate all of the humor.
	The World (Shijie; 2004; 105 min.): Directed by Jia Zhangke, the film tells the story of two employees of a Beijing theme park consisting of scaled replicas of the world’s famous landmarks (Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal) and examines the impact of urbanization and globalization on a traditional Chinese culture.
IP Man (叶问; Yè Wèn; 2008; 106 min.): A semi-biographical film about Ip Man who was a famous martial arts master and teacher of the Wing Chun martial art style. The story is set during the Second Sino-Japanese War in the 1930s-40s when the Japanese army occupied of Ip Man’s home in Foshan, China.
	If You Are The One (非诚勿扰; Fēichéng Wùrǎo; 130 min.): A 2008 romantic comedy which has proven to be extremely popular in China. The story revolves around a man who becomes rich by selling an invention and then uses the Internet to search for the love of his life. Instead, he befriends a gorgeous woman trying to get over a love affair with a married man. In America, this would be considered a "chick flick," but its a pretty good one.
Red Cliff (赤壁; Chìbì; 2008 & 2009; 280 min.): A two-part epic historical drama which depicts a huge battle (The Battle of Red Cliffs) that occurred in China 1800 years ago. The battle contributed to the end of the Han Dynasty and the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. The film was hugely popular in Asia and the biggest box office success of any film in China (surpassing Titanic).
Chungking Express (重庆森林; 1994): A film by Wong Kar-wai which consists of two separate stories, both about a Hong Kong cop and his relationship with a woman. The first stars Takeshi Kaneshiro and Brigitte Lin and the second stars Tony Leung and Faye Wong. As with most of Wong Kar-wai's films, the story is vague, but the imagery and characters can be spectacular. The film also has an intersting soundtrack, including repeated playings of California Dreamin' by The Mamas & the Papas and Faye Wong's Cantonese cover of Dreams (originally by The Cranberries) played during the ending credits.
	Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (巴尔扎克与小裁缝; 2002): A Chinese-French drama/romance. The story revolves around two Chinese boys from bourgeoisie families sent to a remote village in Sichuan province for re-education during the Cultural Revolution. Both of the boys fall in love with a beautiful girl known as the Little Seamstress (Zhou Xun).