I watched it on the flight to China, simply because it stars Tang Wei, one of my favorite Chinese actresses. It didn’t disappoint, though I am not a big fan of mystery/thriller films. It has a good story, and though the pace is slow, it keeps holding you. Tang keeps surprising her audience, this time by speaking Korean in the film. The poster is a great design too.
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The Golden Era (黄金时代) is a 2014 Chinese-Hong Kong biographical drama film directed by Ann Hui, starring Tang Wei, based on the life of a Chinese female writer Xiao Hong in the 20th century who died at the age of 30.
With a length of 179 minutes and a character with a controversial personal life, The Golden Era is understandably not a crowd-pleaser, but I got interested in Xiao's life and writings, because a female with such a turbulent life and a rebellious mind in such an unfortunate era of wars must have so much to write about her pains, her brief lost joy and her loneliness. Hui's directing is definitely personal, and Tang's acting definitely boosted the likability of Xiao. They got me because these two ladies are two of my favorites in the Chinese film industry. Do I need to mention that Tang learnt Shanghainess and Suzhou dialect for her role in Lust, Caution, Cantonese for her role in Crossing Hennesey, English for her studies in UK, and Korean for her marriage with the Korean director Kim Tae-yong? A Simple Life: a 2011 film directed by Ann Hui starring Deanie Ip and one of my favorite actors Andy Lau. I wonder if anyone without Chinese background could fully understand the subtle emotions and the unspoken warmth between the two protagonists. But the fact that Ip won the best actress reward at the 68th Venice International Film festival proves that love transcends languages and cultures.
Due to personal and family events in the last three years, I’ve been thinking a lot about aging, illness, loneliness and death. And I think I’ve finally come to be at peace with these inevitables of one’s life, though not without any sadness. It’s a privilege that is denied to many to get older, so I never view aging as a sad stage of life. What is sad is the loneliness and emptiness in one’s heart, no matter young or old. Center Stage: a 1991 film directed by Stanley Kuan starring Maggie Chang, is based on the true story of China’s first prima donna of the silver screen Ruan Lingyu. I rewatched it after 15 years not out of my interest of her life but of Maggie Cheung’s performance. Elegance, reservedness, and the perfect model for Qi-pao, she is irresistible on the screen, just as in her later film In the Mood for Love.
The film is not only a documentary of Ruan Lingyu who ended her life at 24 due to tabloid and her ex, but also a mini documentary of the actors of the film, especially of Maggie Cheung who said: if I need to die, I would choose to die by myself, not because of anybody else. I would not show my sadness to make you (the media) satisfied. I would watch every film by her. My favorite Chinese-speaking actress even though she speaks also Cantonese, English and French at native level. Last but not least, the theme song 葬心 is also a masterpiece. |
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May 2024
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