Showing posts with label history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label history. Show all posts

25 September 2016

Zhangjiajie: caverne e gamberi di fiume

Oggi giornata sulle montagne di Zhangjiajie, con imponenti strapiombi e drammatiche caverne carsiche. Ci avviciniamo al sito a piedi sotto un sole a piombo, e pagato il biglietto ci fanno salire su un pullmino che ci porta all'entrata delle caverne. Percorso di curve a gomito su per la montagna. Ad ogni curva parte un avviso in cinese e inglese: "stiamo per entrare in una curva, State seduti e aggrappatevi ai braccioli", così per decine di volte fino a che arriviamo a destinazione!

Sul piazzale antistante l'entrata delle caverne vedo un cartello, sempre cinese ed inglese, che legge così:

Tourism Etiquette Rules for Chinese Citizens

The cultivation of a congenial and harmonious travel environment benefits every tourist. it is our burden to be a tourist with refined manners and to observe the following tourism etiquette rules.

1. Keep the environment clean and tidy. Don't spit about or spit chewing-gum. Don't litter and don't smoke except in designated areas.

2. Observe public order. Don't yell or shout out loud and always join in a public queue for good order. Don't walk abreast on a sidewalk. Don't talk loudly.

3.Preserve the ecological environment. Stay off public lawns and refrain from picking flowers or fruits. Don't chase or catch animals or feed them irresponsibly.

4. Protect historical sites and cultural relics. Don't inscribe anything or scrawl graffiti on them. Don't touch or climb on top of them and observe restrictions when taking photos with them.

5. Be respectful to the people around you. Don't try to snapshoot pictures with foreign friends without their permission. Don't sneeze onto them.

6. Don't occupy public facilities for too long. Esteem the work of the service staff. And respect the local religious customs.

7. Show courtesy to others. be dressed appropriately. Don't go barebacked in public places. be considerate toward the aged, the disabled and give them priority. Be chivalrous to the female by allowing them first. Never use vulgar language.

8. Take part in healthy entertainments. Say no to feudal superstitious activities. Stay away from pornography, gambling and drugs.

Mi sembrano buoni principi, saggi insegnamenti. Chissà perché quanto appena riportato dovrebbe essere applicabile solo ai cinesi. Forse perché le autorità sono al corrente che, per tanti turisti cinesi, anche se non per tutti, i soldi sono arrivati prima dell'educazione, della cultura delle buone maniere. E poi chissà perché hanno sentito il bisogno di tradurre in inglese se i destinatari del messaggio sono i cinesi.

Poi c'è un altro cartello, questo rivolto a tutti indistintamente, che legge: 

Le buone maniere delle persone sono apprezzate tanto quanto le bellezze della natura

Le caverne sono impressionanti, si cammina per 15 chilometri sottoterra, in enormi volumi che ti fanno sentire piccolo. Ci sono anche cascate, la più alta misura oltre 50 metri di altezza.

Si paga un biglietto di 100 RMB. Entriamo con un gruppone, è obbligatorio. Ma appena dentro il nostro spirito libero ce li fa seminare e ci troviamo da soli, molto meglio per godersi le caverne!

C'è anche un giro in barca compreso nel biglietto. Le caverne infatti nascondono un lago sotterraneo che gira intorno agli anfratti più nascosti. C'è una lunga fila per salire a bordo ma fortunatamente ci sono due file: una per i gruppi, con centinaia di persone ad aspettare, ed una per i turisti individuali, con UNA persona che aspetta. Chissà perché? Naturalmente ci uniamo a lui e dopo pochi minuti siamo sul barchino. Ci viene fatto segno di sederci davanti così abbiamo il miglior posto per gustarci i colori delle luci che dipingono le pareti delle grotte.






Quando usciamo dalle caverne di Huanglongdong, la più impressionante, ci aspetta una sorpresa. C'è una manifestazione canora in corso una sorta di competizione per cori femminili. Tante signore sfoggiano colori sgargianti, eleganti, e sono piene di entusiasmo mentre posano per i fotografi. Purtroppo la competizione canora è già finita. Peccato mi sarebbe piaciuto assistere.



È stata una giornata lunga, siamo stanchi ed anche abbastanza affamati quando usciamo dal parco. Riprendiamo il bus che ci riporta in città, naturalmente stando attenti a restare seduti e ad aggrapparci ai braccioli ad ogni curva e poi a piedi verso l'albergo.

Sulla strada mi cade lo sguardo su un cartellone, oggi è giornata:

Combatti il male della religione
credi nella scienza

Io non sono religioso, anzi, piuttosto tendente all'anticlericale, se potessi tornare indietro nel tempo vorrei essere un liberale del risorgimento italiano, quando si lottava per fare Roma capitale d'Italia. Liberale politico ed economico, e libertario di vedute sociali. Ma penso che la religione dovrebbe restare un fatto rigorosamente personale, e che lo stato debba intervenire solo quando il fanatismo religioso disturba la quiete civile.

E comunque sostenere nella stessa frase di combattere la religione (oggetto di "credo" per antonomasia) e poi esortare a "credere" nella scienza mi pare contraddittorio. Non si “crede” nella scienza, e la scienza non ce lo chiede. Ci fornisce informazioni, conoscenze, non credenze. O una cosa la sappiamo se abbiamo prove scientifiche che sia vera, o non la sappiamo, forse non ancora. Ma non si può "credere" nella scienza.

Poco più avanti vediamo un ristorantino dall'aria invitante. Lifang mi dice che si tratta di pesce e frutti di mare. O meglio frutti di fiume, difficile che arrivi pesce dal mare sulle montagne dello Hunan. Decidiamo di dare un'occhiata.

Ci accoglie con grande simpatia il gestore, un ragazzo spigliato sulla trentina, che assicura Lifang di avere ottimi gamberi di fiume. Non c'è altro da dire, dopo un secondo siamo seduti.

Si chiamano gamberi ma in realtà assomigliano molto più a degli astici in miniatura, sia per forma, sia per sapore. Il signor Wu ci racconta che fino all'anno scorso lavorava nella provincia della Zhejiang (vicino Shanghai) ma poi è voluto tornare a casa qui in Hunan. L'occasione è stata la conoscenza di un ottimo fornitore di gamberi di fiume, per cui era sicuro che avrebbe avuto materia prima di ottima qualità.
gamberi di fiume


Dopo averci servito una cena luculliana torna a sedersi con noi a chiacchierare un po’. Dice che non gli capita spesso, anzi praticamente mai, di avere stranieri nel locale. Lui è interessato a parlare con tutti, tranne che con i giapponesi. Non può dimenticare la storia. È abbastanza sorprendente come ci sia ancora così tanto astio verso il Giappone. Senza dimenticare gli orrori dell'occupazione nipponica, e le atrocità commesse, sono comunque passati oltre 70 anni. Anche in Europa le atrocità naziste non sono state da meno, anzi, ma adesso il risentimento verso la Germania è limitato.

Forse una ragione è che il Giappone non ha fatto quanto ha fatto la Germania per recuperare. E la propaganda cinese non perde occasione per ricordare al popolo i fatti degli anni venti e trenta del secolo scorso. Anche se non capisco il cinese, gli sceneggiati televisivi che ogni giorno ripropongono la guerra con il giappone, la resistenza dei partigiani (di quelli comunisti, non dei nazionalisti di Chiang) sono chiaramente mirati a tenere accesa la fiamma dell'odio. Eppure con il Giappone c'è un legame economico stretto, la Cina esporta tutto e importa tecnologia. E i cittadini giapponesi possono venire in Cina senza visto, privilegio che non è concesso a noi europei o agli americani.

E veramente non vengono neanche molti cinesi, infatti stasera siamo forse, sì e no, una quindicina di avventori. Stranieri qui ne vengono pochi, e i cinesi sono in grande maggioranza inquadrati in viaggi di gruppo e mangiano negli alberghi dove dormono, tutto organizzato dalle agenzie.

Ci regala un bicchierino di liquore di riso. A Roma ti darebbero un amaro (che poi è sempre dolce) offerto dalla casa,  ma il concetto è lo stesso. Ci recita un proverbio cinese, i cinesi hanno sempre un proverbio pronto a tutte le situazioni: "se sei con un amico, bevi fino a che sanguini".

03 March 2016

Film Review: Mongol (2007) by Sergei Bodrov, *****

Synopsis

A historical epic that covers the early life of the legendary Mongolian leader Genghis Khan (Tadanobu Asano).

The first part of a planned trilogy, the film focuses on the future ruler's brutal childhood, as he suffers starvation and slavery, through to the battle that would cement his power.

Inspired by a poem translated from the Chinese that supposedly tells of Khan's formative years, director Sergei Bodrov ('Prisoner of the Mountains') offers a multidimensional portrait of the conqueror, focusing on the deep relationship he had with his beloved Borte (Khulan Chuluun) who was not only his wife but his most trusted advisor.

Temüjin pledges to unify all of the Mongol tribes, and eventually does, and imposes three basic laws for them to abide by: never kill women and children, always honor your promises and repay your debts even at the cost of your life, and never, ever betray your Khan.

Review

A gripping tale of the cruel life in the steppe at the time of the rise of the Mongol empire, which would go on to take over most of China and establish the Yuan dynasty in the 13th century. Kublai Khan, who was the Emperor of China at the time of Marco Polo’s travels, was the grandson of Genghis, the protagonist of this film.

Other films about China are reviewed here in this blog.



14 January 2016

Film review: Ju Dou (1990), by Zhang Yimou, ****

 Synopsis


In Zhang Yimou and Fengliang Yang's sensuous, Oscar-nominated Ju Dou (1990), billowing bolts of red, yellow and blue dyed silk have more freedom than any of the main characters, who are cut off from the possibility of happiness by circumstances and convention.

The trouble starts early, when Tian-qing (Li Baotian) returns from a long road trip and first sets eyes on his new aunt, the beautiful young Ju Dou (Gong Li). Tian-qing's selfish, harsh silk-dyer uncle Jin-shan (Li Wei) - who reluctantly took Tian-qing in after his parents died - has already gone through two wives, and at first his third seems likely to join her predecessors. Jin-shan routinely beats and humiliates Ju Dou at night, berating her for failing to give him a son (he blames her despite his own impotence and sterility).

Tian-qing is drawn to his lovely, sorrowful "aunt," and eventually they begin a torrid affair. But the strict rules and customs of 1920s China make it impossible for them to build a life together, even after Jin-shan becomes paralyzed and Ju Dou gives birth to Tian-qing's son (whom Jin-shan claims as his own).




Review

A gripping story about how tradition and cultural context can make it impossible to find happiness. Wealth, prestige, beauty, strength, youth all abound in the big house of the cloth dyer, but no one is happy. And it is unhappiness of their own making. The bad old man has his evident faults, he seems to attract hate like a magnet. The young couple is brave and fight for their rights, at least as we can tell with XXI century eyes. But they also err in taking on a battle against their world (feudal rural China) and impossible odds.

Even the little boy who is born out of wedlock in this cruel environment becomes evil very soon in his life, and after his "official" father drowns in a pool of color dye he can only smile and seems bent on perpetuating his heartless character. He viciously kills his biological father when he realizes they are all the object of gossip in the village.

The final fire that consumes the dye factory is perhaps the only satisfying scene of the film, and I read it as a depiction of the last vestiges of feudalism in China crumbling down with the onslaught of modernity. Very good photography in this film. It is paradoxical that the long rolls of cloth of the dye factory give so much color to a very sad and dark story. The DVD is technically poor, seems a bad digitalization from a film roll, for this I take out one star.

The erotic charge is strong in some scenes in this movie and it is always present in the background, but very indirectly. I would not say this is an erotic tale. No nudity at all is to be seen, presumably to get past the Chinese censor.

See more reviews of films about China here on this blog.





25 November 2015

Film review: Curse of the Golden Flower (2006), by Zhang Yimou, ****

Synopsis

From Zhang Yimou, the Director of Hero and House of Flying Daggers, comes a stunning epic about the folly of war and the disintegration of one family under the weight of unrequited love, unforgivable betrayals, and a never-ending thirst for power.

On the eve of the Chong Yong Festival, golden flowers fill the Imperial Palace and when the Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) unexpectedly returns to his Empress (Gong Li) and two sons, the tension is clear in his lavish kingdom. His absence has given rise to illicit love affairs, dangerous alliances, and malicious conspiracies; all of which threaten to overthrow his power.

However, it may well be the Emperor’s own dark secret that threatens him most of all. As the secrets of the Imperial family unravel against this backdrop of breathtaking opulence and grandeur, an attack on the Palace by myriad armoured warriors results in a spectacular climax wrought with thrilling action and epic tragedy.

Interesting bonus features on the main actors and backstage.


Review

Another grand movie by Zhang Yimou with a sure-fire couple of protagonists in Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li). It will be a masterpiece for the lovers of wuxia and, more generally, of Chinese epic films. I am not, but liked the movie as well for the majestic historical reconstruction (a whole new Forbidden City) and marvellous costumes. Grand scenes of battle, with over one thousand extras (appropriately recruited in the Chinese army!) are memorable if utterly unrealistic.

What a sad life in the palace. From the Emperor to  the most humble of servants, everyone is watching everyone else, there is no privacy, no trust, no happiness really. I can't remember anyone smiling in this film! It makes you thank your fate for not being born a royalty in medieval China!

The western blurb for the movie (but not the Chinese) advertises it as taking place in the period of the late Tang dynasty. I was a bit disappointed because I expected more of a historical film about the Tang dynasty. I was led to think of this as a historical fiction, and it really is not.

See my selection of movies on China here in this blog.

You can buy the film here. Other films by Zhang Yimou here.



In the US and worldwide buy it here:



If you liked it, you may wish to look at other films by Zhang Yimou



17 July 2015

Book review: Catching Fire - How Cooking Made Us Human (2009), by Richard Wrangham, *****

Blogger learning to be human
Synopsis

Ever since Darwin and The Descent of Man, the existence of humans has been attributed to our intelligence and adaptability. But in Catching Fire, renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham presents a startling alternative: our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. In a groundbreaking theory of our origins, Wrangham shows that the shift from raw to cooked foods was the key factor in human evolution.

Wrangham argues that it was cooking that caused the extraordinary transformation of our ancestors from apelike beings to Homo erectus. At the heart of Catching Fire lies an explosive new idea: the habit of eating cooked rather than raw food permitted the digestive tract to shrink and the human brain to grow.

When our ancestors adapted to using fire, humanity began. Time once spent chewing tough raw food could be used instead to hunt and to tend camp. Cooking became the basis for pair bonding and marriage, created the household, and even led to a gender-based division of labor.

Tracing the contemporary implications of our ancestors’ diets, this book sheds new light on how we came to be the social, intelligent, and sexual species we are today. As our ancestors adapted to using fire, humans emerged as "the cooking apes".


Review

Cogito ergo sum, said Descartes. Coquo ergo sum is the gist of this book. According to largely accepted scientific research, Homo erectus sprung up from the earlier Australopithecines by eating meat.The transition from homo erectus to homo sapiens, us, is owed to a major innovation: cooking.

Levi-Strauss, in his The Raw and the Cooked: Introduction to a science of mythology (Pimlico), wrote that fire marks the transition from nature to culture. Few would dispute that the cuisine of any nation is a major trademark of its cultural complexity and sophistication. And cooking, in its many diverse methods (grilling, steaming, boiling, baking etc) is an essential part of any major cuisine in the world.

Our bodies evolved because we learned to cook: besides a smaller stomach and larger brain, we lost our climbing ability (no need to climb if fire can protect camp on the ground) in favor of better running skills. And we have much smaller teeth compared to our ancestors who did not cook.

Cooking also played an essential role in making mankind a carnivore, as it makes it efficient to digest and store large amount of animal proteins in a way that would have been unthinkable with just raw meat. But for vegetarians there is some consolation as well: cooking made it possible to digest many more types of roots.

Finally, this book delves on the social implications of cooking: how it shaped the man/woman relationship in the house, and how it made it easier to use meals as a social event. Some cultures have peculiar (to us) habits: among the Bonerif of Papua, a woman will sleep with every man in the village except her brothers before finally getting married; but the moment she feeds a man she is committed and irrevocably considered his wife!



In the UK you can buy it here:



In France and Belgium



In the US and worldwide buy it here



If you feel inspired to become more human, consider buying one of these books about cooking!

03 November 2014

Book review: South Africa: A Traveller's History (2003), by David Mason *****

Travel to multi-colored South Africa
Synopsis

A Traveller's History of South Africa is intended as a comprehensive single volume survey of one of today's most popular and exciting destinations. Lifting the lid on this most multi-cultural of societies - and its chequered past - the book will begin by tracing the evolution of South Africa from prehistoric times, taking into account the most recent archaeological and anthropological findings. It will then chart the penetration of the region by European explorers and traders; the political, social and economic developments that follow on from this, and finally, the complicated descent into state repression of the majority black population after the Second World War. Bringing the story up to date, the book will also include practical information for the visitor, as well as a full compendium of historical facts and data.


Review

Well written brief history of South Africa, will be a friendly companion to travelers there and will help appreciate the country better than a guide book.

Racial issues of course are prominent in this book, and the white vs black juxtaposition is described in a wealth of details. But the history of South Africa is one of parallel struggles amongst the white colonizers, one the one hand, and among indigenous Africans, on the other. English and Dutch settles (less the French) fought each other as much as Zulu fought Xhosa.

Interesting to learn that the NNC (forerunner of the ANC) supported segregation because it saw it as a way to acquire power over African tribal rulers. Yet, as Mandela put it, segregation developed over time to become " the codification inone oppressive system that was monolithic, diabolical in detail, inescapable in reach and overwhelming it power".

See other books and films about South Africa I reviewed in this blog.





12 October 2013

Book review: Bangkok, the story of a city (1970), by Alec Waugh, ***

Royal Thai Dynasty
Synopsis

In Bangkok, Alec Waugh has created a most fluent, truthful and affectionate portrait of the dynasty and culture which created it. Cutting through confusion and veiled mystery, he unravels the plots, coups, wars, assassinations, invasions and counter-coups of three hundred years of history as if it were this evening's street gossip. This loving description of the genius, fascination and enduring vitality of Thailand is told with Waugh's customary delight in life and sensual appreciation. The story is brought up-to-date with an afterword by Bruce Palling, former "Times" correspondent in Thailand.


Review

King Rama V Chulalongkorn (1853-1910)
This is a book mostly about the ruling dynasty of Thailand. I was a bit disappointed because I expected a history of the city of Bangkok, which this book is not, even though of course the dinasty resides in the capital. Waugh relies more on anecdotal stories and personal experience than on methodical historical research. He does infuse his narrative with a full flavor and unbound passion however, and just for this it is worth reading this volume. The reader will understand much about intrigue at the court. I would have liked to know about the people of Bangkok, their economic and social issues and the problem they have faced in their everyday life throughout history.





04 August 2013

Book review: Ah ku and Karayuki San: Prostitution in Singapore, 1870-1940 (1993), by James Francis Warren, *****

Synopsis

Among the many groups of foreign workers whose labor built Singapore in the 20th century, there may be none as marginalized in memory as the women who travelled from China and Japan to work in Singapore as prostitutes.

This definitive study sketches in the trade in women and children in Asia, and -- making innovative use of Coroner's Inquests and other records -- hones in on the details of the prostitutes' lives in the colonial city: the daily brothel routine, crises and violence, social relations, leisure, social mobility for the luckier ones, disease and death.

The result is a powerful historical account of human nature, of human relationships, of pride, prejudice, struggle and spirit. Ordinary people tumble from the pages of the records: they talk about choice of partners, love and betrayal, desperation and alienation, drawing us into their lives.

This social history is a powerful corrective to the romantic image of colonial Singapore as a city of excitement, sophistication, exotic charm and easy sex.

In the years since its original publication in 1992, this book, and its companion Rickshaw Coolie, have become an inspiration to those seeking to come to grips with Singapore's past.

This monograph shows how prostitution flourished in Singapore due to the massive influx of male migrant labourers without a corresponding increase in women immigrants. Another reason was the famine in south-east China and north-west Kyushu, which moved many families to sell their young daughters to traffickers. It describes the two brothel zones set up in Singapore. The VD epidemic that struck following the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Ordinance, as a result of agitation by Victorian moralists in England, is highlighted. As elsewhere, wishing a "problem" away did not solve it, if fact if made it worse. The second part of the text deals with events in the lives of these Chinese and Japanese prostitutes.


Review

Like in his other book on Rickshaw coolies, the author tells us about the history of Singapore around the turn of the XX century as seen by some of the most humble people living there. In particular, we are led through Singapore by the Chinese ah ku (euphemistic Cantonese for lady) and the Japanese karayuki-san (Japanese: the women who went South, to China).

These women were running away from abject poverty at home, and were prepared to take any risk to buy or bribe their way to Singapore in the hope of making a livelihood. But what awaited them in Singapore was not a promised land, but rather violence, hard work, disease, exploitation. Many died violent deaths. Most got VD.

While exploitation was rampant, the exploiters had no easy life. We understand that "to run a good brothel in Singapore around 1900 required courage, shrewd judgement of character, physical stamina on a round-the-clock basis, a decent knowledge of first aid , do-it-yourself gynecology, and skill in self-defense" (p.229)

Some however were able to make a living, pay off their debt and open a brothel of their own. A few lucky or cunning ones were even able to marry one of their clients and become ladies in the Victorian society.

More about prostitution in Singapore today can be read here, including a useful bibliography.

05 June 2013

Recensione film: La meglio gioventù (2003), di Marco Tullio Giordana, *****


Sinossi

E' la storia di due fratelli attraverso quarant'anni di vita italiana, dal 1960 a oggi. Attraverso questo piccolo nucleo di personaggi rivivono ne "La meglio gioventù" avvenimenti e luoghi cruciali della storia del nostro paese: dalla Firenze dell'alluvione alla Sicilia della lotta contro la mafia, dalle grandi partite della nazionale contro la Corea e la Germania alle canzoni che hanno fatto epoca, dalla Torino operaia degli anni settanta alla Milano degli anni ottanta, dai movimenti giovanili del terrorismo, dalla crisi degli anni novanta al tentativo di inventarsi e costruire un paese moderno.


Recensione

Sono sei ore di film, e forse ne sarebbero bastate di meno, ma è un piacere gustarsi questo semi-documentario su 40 anni di storia d'Italia. Gli attori sono bravi ma non eccellenti, il che, paradossalmente, secondo me è un pregio, perché fa apparire questo film più realistico, meno recitato. Le storie dei vari personaggi si intrecciano bene ed il ritmo è sempre incalzante.

Dal miracolo economico degli anni sessanta alle prime crisi sindacali, al terrorismo, passando per l'abolizione dei manicomi, la vittoria della Coppa del Mondo del 1982, tangentopoli e fino a ritrovare i nostri protagonisti con i capelli bianchi ed i figli che si sposano.

Credo che questo film possa essere utile soprattutto agli stranieri per capire meglio il nostro paese, magari prima di venirci in viaggio, con le sue luci, le sue ombre e le sue contraddizioni, senza romanticismi e luoghi comuni.


19 February 2013

Film review: Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) by Rob Marshall, *****

Synopsis

An adaptation of Arthur Golden's best-selling novel by the director of Chicago, Rob Marshall, transports us into a mysterious and exotic world that casts a potent spell. A Cinderella story like no other, Memoirs of a Geisha stars Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh and Gong Li.

The director of Chicago, Rob Marshall, transports us into a mysterious and exotic world that casts a potent spell. A Cinderella story like no other, this film takes the viewer to Japan in the late 1930s to discover what role geishas played in high society. We can follow the life of a young girl whose family sells to be a maiko (apprentice geisha) in an okiya, a geisha house. She has to put up with a lot (jealousy, competition, envy) before finally becoming a full geisha.


Review

Wonderful photography in this film, not hard to guess it won Dion Beebe a cinematography Oscar. Ditto for the costumes by Colleen Atwood. It is a long film, but it flows fast and you are left at the end wanting for more.

The film has been banned in China as too sensitive, probably because of Chinese actresses being employed in the role of geishas, seen as degrading in China.

Memorable quote, the Chairman to Sayuri: «We must not expect happiness, Sayuri. It is not something we deserve. When life goes well, it is a sudden gift; it cannot last forever!»

Bonus contents are also very well made and add a lot of value to this BD:
-Geisha Bootcamp (See how the actresses became geishas),
-Building the Hanamachi (Behind-the-scene documentary),
-The Look of a Geisha (Inside the wardrobe and make-up),
-The music (composer John Williams take you through his approach to the score),
-and other background material on Japan and "making of" the film.

Buy your European BD here.




Buy your US BD here


You can buy the book on which this film is based here



15 February 2013

Film Review: Confucius (2010) by Hu Mei, ****

Synopsis

From the acclaimed producer of John Woos Red Cliff and Jet Lis Warlords, comes this powerhouse biopic of the legendary Chinese philosopher, Confucius.

In 500 B.C., during China's Spring and Autumn Period, Kong Ze (Confucius), a commoner reverred for his outstanding wisdom, is made Minister of Law in the ancient Kingdom of Lu. Under his inspired leadership, Lu ascends to new heights but becomes a target of conquest for the warlike nation of Qi. Threatened with annihilation by their powerful neighbour, a desperate people turn to their greatest teacher to lead their most powerful army. When Confucius delivers a stunning victory against all odds, a jealous aristocracy sets out to destroy him, but they under-estimated a remarkable man whose wisdom is more powerful than the sword.

With breathtaking cinematography from Oscar-winning director of photography, Peter Pau (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Confucius is a compelling invitation to discover the remarkable story of one of history's greatest heroes.



Review

An impressive big budget movie that will teach you a lot about Confucius and China in the VI-V centuries B.C. Huge sets have been build to replicate imperial palaces and other scenery. Acting is excellent, with Chow Yun-fat at his best.

The script is a bit confusing however, maybe it needs to be watched a few times. Too many intrigues and intertwined stories make it hard to follow.


For travelers, the most famous of innumerable quotes by Confucius is «A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

You can watch the theatrical trailer here.

You can see a selection of movies on China I have reviewed on this blog here.



09 October 2012

Film review: Lust, Caution (2007) by Ang Lee, ****

Synopsis

After Brokeback Mountain andThe Hulk, multitalented director Ang Lee returns to Asia with this Mandarin-language erotic drama. Lust, Caution pairs celebrated actor Tony Leung (2046) with gifted newcomer Tang Wei. In 1938, China is occupied by the Japanese, but it's not only the country's neighbours who are hated by the loyal Chinese. The nation's resistance also centres on those who willingly collaborate with Japan. Wong Chia Chi (Tang Wei) is part of an acting group, but their sights are set beyond the stage: they want to use their abilities to attack Mr. Yee (Leung), a known traitor. Wong poses as a businessman's wife, and she begins to lure Mr. Yee in, but they're separated before she has her chance. Three years later, they meet again in Shanghai, and a heated affair begins. As Wong grows closer to Mr. Yee, there is doubt that she can aid in her lover's downfall.

At times, Lust, Caution evokes memories of Wong Kar-Wai's In the Mood for Love. Both are heat-filled period films that feature Leung, but while the earlier picture focused on a love that was never consummated, Lust, Caution allows its lovers to realise their passion as often as one could imagine. Despite this, it never allows the sex to get in the way of the plot or the images. Director of photography Rodrigo Prieto has worked with directors as diverse and impressive as Oliver Stone, Julie Taymor, Spike Lee, and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and he continues this fine tradition with his second pairing with Lee after Brokeback Mountain. Here Prieto has a head start thanks to beautiful costumes and beautiful people, but this is another film that is simply gorgeous to look at.


31 August 2012

Emily of Emerald Hill and the Peranakan Museum, Singapore

Peranakan Museum in Singapore
Today I visited this unique museum in Singapore, dedicated to the Peranakan, or Chinese from the Malay peninsula. A unique contribution to Singapore's multicultural identity, where each component cultural heritage (Chinese, malay and Tamil) and its language is protected, while English is the cement common to all.










In the museum I could see an exhibition of Emily of Emerald Hill, a short play by Singaporean playright Stella Kon.


As she tells us in her blog, Emily of Emerald Hill is a one-woman play about a Nonya matriarch who dominates her family, yet in the end finds that she loses what she loves most. The play won the First Prize in the National Play-Writing Competition 1983. Since then it has been presented more than a hundred times, by eight different performers, in Singapore, Malaysia, Hawaii and Edinburgh. It has been translated into Chinese and Japanese and broadcast over Radio Iceland. A film version is under negotiation.

Emily is a short and passionate play that takes the reader inside the heart of a Peranakan family of the 1950s. Traditional Chinese values are intertwined with English habits that were common in the richer class of Singapore. The matriarch defers to her husband, but in the end it is she who calls the shots in the house. She is loving but also possessive. Servants are treated with dignity but firmness, children (especially sons) are spoiled and daughters-in-law are expected to be submissive. Wives are expected to tolerate their husbands' cheating. It is a materially comfortable life but also a straightjacket for the younger generation that wants to try it out on its own.




You can buy the book and other works by contacting Stella Kon at stelkon@singnet.com.sg


You can watch a trailer of the play here.

And another here.


15 August 2012

Giorgio Perlasca (1910-1992): history, books, films.

Today is the twentieth anniversary of the death of Giorgio Perlasca. See his website in Italian. It is surprising to me that someone who, alone, has done so much for so many should still be relatively unknown, especially outside of Italy and perhaps Israel. Perlasca saved over five thousand Jews, far more that Schindler did with his "list" of Hollywood fame.

Anche in Italia indifferenza per la sua morte, con un funerale disertato dalle maggiori autorità politiche, anche locali. Un altro caso di come il nostro paese trascura i suoi eroi. Quelli veri, non quelli costruiti in televisione e in certi libri di storia.

Puoi comprare il box con due DVD in italiano qui




Unfortunately this film is not available in English.

Il film è tratto da materiale contenuto in questo libro:




Altri libri su Giorgio Perlasca sono disponibili qui.

29 July 2012

Film review: Egypt, Rediscovering a Lost World (2006), BBC, ****

Synopsis

Focusing on three of the most important discoveries from the world of the ancient Egyptians, this series journeys back in time to explore Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, the Great Giovanni Belzoni's finds from the reign of Ramesses II and Jean-François Champollion's deciphering of the hieroglyphs. Join Carter, Belzoni and Champollion as they overcome immense obstacles to unlock the secrets of an as-yet undiscovered world and reveal their seminal finds. Then travel even further back, to the amazing period of Egyptian history unveiled by their astounding work.




Disc 1:
Episode 1 and 2 : Carter and Tutankhamon
Episode 3: Belzoni and Ramses, first part

Disc 2:
Episode 4: Belzoni and Ramses, second part
Episode 5 and 6: Champollion and the hieroglyphs

Disc 3:
The making of the pyramids
Extras: trailers, photo gallery, fact files, visual effects


Review

Tut Ankh Amun funeral mask, Cairo Museum
This is a fictional rendering of the life and work of the three most important discoverers of ancient Egypt. It is a comprehensive work, at least as much as can fit into three DVDs packed with action. The idea of a fictional narration instead of a pure documentary is a good one in this case, as it helps bring the characters to life. The three stories of research and discovery are interlaced with the personal lives of the three men, their strengths and weaknesses, and it all makes for an entertaining as well as instructive narration.

I am not sure why the authors chose this particular order of the episodes, in that Belzoni should come first, as his discoveries preceded the work of the two others. Carter's episodes should be the last: not only did he work a century after Belzoni and Champollion, but his subject, Tutankhamun, lived a thousand years after Ramses and the inventors of the hieroglyphs. The viewer might want to watch episodes 3 and 4 first, then 5 and 6, and finally 1 and 2.


Abu Simbel before restoration
Acting is not going to win any Oscars but that's not why one buys this set. The third "bonus" DVD on the pyramids is the worst of the three. The CGI are rather poor (more like 1990s than 2010) and the narrator's voice tries to be solemn but is just boring.

You can read my review of the book on Giovanni Belzoni by Marco Zatterin (in Italian) here on this blog.

Buy the European DVD set here:




In the US you can buy it here:

08 May 2012

Book review: The Romanov Family Album (1982), edited by Robert Massie, ****


Review

A great book which will make you feel you are living in the imperial family of pre-revolutionary Russia. The photos are B&W, and come from the collection of a family friend of the Romanovs who took them to the United States.

Not all are good quality, the book was printed in 1982 and perhaps a better job could be done with new technology  thirty years on in digitalizing the old originals. However the grain of the pics contributes to recreate the atmosphere of the time.






















The text accompanying the pictures presents a benevolent image of the imperial family. Too benevolent perhaps. But this is not the purpose of this book, which is about the photographs, and not about political interpretation of the Tsar's rule.


Buy your book here

26 March 2012

Recensione film: Operazione Valchiria (2008) di Bryan Singer, ****

Sinossi

Tratto da una stupefacente storia vera, Operazione Valchiria, è la cronaca del coraggioso e ingegnoso piano per eliminare uno dei più perversi tiranni che il mondo abbia mai conosciuto. Orgoglioso della divisa che indossa, il colonnello Stauffenberg è un ufficiale leale che ama il suo paese, ma che è stato costretto ad assistere con orrore all'ascesa di Hitler e alla Seconda guerra mondiale. Ha continuato a servire nell'esercito, sempre con la speranza che qualcuno trovasse il modo per fermare Hitler prima che l'Europa e la Germania fossero distrutte. Quando si rende conto che il tempo stringe, Stauffenberg decide di entrare in azione e nel 1942 cerca di persuadere i comandanti del fronte orientale a rovesciare Hitler.

Poi, nel 1943, mentre si sta riprendendo dalle ferite subite in combattimento, si unisce a un gruppo di uomini inseriti nei ranghi del potere che cospirano contro il tiranno. La loro strategia prevede di usare lo stesso piano di emergenza di Hitler per consolidare il paese nell'eventualità della sua morte - l'Operazione Valchiria - per assassinare il dittatore e rovesciare il governo nazista. Con il futuro del mondo e il destino di milioni di persone, oltre alla vita della moglie e dei figli, appesi a un filo, Stauffenberg da oppositore di Hitler diventa l'uomo che deve uccidere Hitler.

Film Review: Valkyrie (2008), by Brian Singer, ****

Synopsis
On the front lines in North Africa, German Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) grows increasingly opposed to Adolf Hitler's policies. Following the Allied invasion of Normandy, von Stauffenberg spearheads an elaborate plan with confederates to smuggle a bomb into the Fuhrer's tightly guarded military headquarters. Based on a true story, this crackling war thriller directed by Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects") co-stars Kenneth Branagh, Carice von Houten, and Tom Wilkinson.

13 December 2011

Book Review: The Rape of Nanking, by Iris Chang, ****

Japanese soldier beheading a Chinese man
Synopsis

In December 1937, in what was then the capital of China, one of the most brutal massacres in the long annals of wartime barbarity occurred. The Japanese army swept into the ancient city of Nanking (Nanjing) and within weeks not only looted and burned the defenseless city but systematically raped, tortured, and murdered many thousands of Chinese civilians. The story of this atrocity continues to be denied or minimized by the Japanese government, though some in Japan do recognize it. Based on extensive interviews with survivors and newly discovered documents in four different languages (many never before published), Iris Chang has written an emotional account of that disgraceful episode.


07 December 2011

Film Review: Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), by R Fleischer, T Masuda and K Fukusaku, *****

Synopsis

Today is the sixtieth anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. That is one reason to review a forty years old movie. Another is the publication of a stunning new Blu-ray edition. A Japanese-American co-production, director Richard Fleischer (Soylent Green) and two Japanese directors put together this ultrarealistic account of the bombing of Pearl Harbor as presented from the perspectives of both nations, as diplomatic tensions rise between the two countries. While the Japanese military plans its attack on American military installations, the American forces nearly stumble into a much greater calamity due to a series of errors and mistakes. As the two sides plunge closer to war, the tension escalates until the final, spectacular air raid, arguably the most realistic ever filmed.