PC Translations

When the Spanish film Pan’s Labyrinth came to Singapore, I missed it (I was overseas). I was really glad to see, upon my arrival in Shanghai, that my friend had the DVD. I enjoyed watching the show over the weekend.

Pan’s Labyrinth isn’t quite what I had expected. It is more concerned with the “real world” of war and politics than your typical fantasy story is. The fairy tale elements are clearly in place simply to parallel and illustrate what is going on in “real” life. It is almost as if the fairy tale is simply there to help this young girl try to make sense of her world.

The fairy tale creatures were neither as amazingly beautiful nor as horrifying as is typical for a fairy tale. Sure, in some parts they are disgusting, but at no point does the viewer actually feel “oh boy, she’s in for it now.” The real fear occurs in the real-world events.

What I particularly enjoyed in the film was the paralleling of the doctor’s decision in real life, and the girl’s in her fairy tale setting. I thought it made a very important point about the choices we all have, even when we feel that we have none. It was protrayed quite beautifully. On the one hand, it felt a bit simplistic at times, but on the other, it was moving in its simplicity.

 

Crazy Stone is a crazily funny Chinese movie. I loved its circularity, its zany connections, and how disjointed it all was… and yet how it all flowed together.

Recently, after watching Babel with a friend, she bemoaned the fact that all these circuitous narratives, seemingly disjointed but ultimately connected by odd circumstances, and spanning cultures… how all these sorts of films (that are so popular these days) have to have a dreary, dark outlook on things. Crazy Stone is the exception. I found it an excellent counterbalance to all of that. Wonderful film, and hilarious too.

I picked up a great book upon the recommendation of a friend. I haven’t actually gotten to read all of it yet, but it looks great. It is Public Secrets, Public Spaces, and it is a scholarly look at Chinese cinema.

As I have said many times, I am no expert on Chinese movies, but this is the sort of book to start one on one’s way to becoming more “expert.” It is a sholarly study. And it seems to really understand the Chinese mindset.

What is great about the book, from what I have seen of it, is that it approaches Chinese film from the standpoint of what it expresses about Chinese culture. That makes it loads of fun to read. I hope to finish it up before too long.

If you are interested in Chinese film and/or its reception in the west, this is a must-have book.

Beijing Bicycle is a different sort of film than many of the other Chinese movies I’ve highlighted. It centers around a younger generation, post-Cutlural Revolution, and the problems they face. Many of the other films I’ve looked at have either been set during the Cultural Revolution or before. They are all very interesting, but this one is a different sort of interesting.

I like the modern setting of the movie, and how it explores the problems young people today in China’s overcrowded cities face. It centers around what seems to be a simple problem — a boy’s stolen bike. However, it is complicated by the fact that the bicycle is his livelihood. He has traveled to Beijing from the provinces, and makes his living as a courier. Life isn’t easy for a boy like this, and the film highlights this wonderfully.

There are some memorable scenes in the film. It is one definitely worth catching for anyone interested in understanding modern China, and particularly the young people there who are flocking into urban settings.