I saw this film on Oct. 9th. 2011. It moves quite quickly at the beginning and there is a lot of war action portrayed in the failed attempts to overthrow the Qing Empire. Chartracters are all identified and that is the only part of the film that detracts from the viewing. The film is in Chinese and by the time you have read the subtitles the characters names are gone. The film is enjoyable if you know Chinese history of this period and if you don't it can be just a series of talking and action scenes and can be quite confusing. Sun yat-sen is the main character but Jackie Chan does get to be more than just an action figure. If you want to more about this period of Chinese this would be the movie to spur you on or illustrate better what was going on in China at this time. Yuan Shi-kai is one character who has appeared in a lot of historical films portraying this period and his actions are as always ones of greed and betrayal.
Reviews
8 Reviews
A quick view of modern Chinese history
3 October 2011
This film starts with the 1911 xinhai revolution and quickly goes over the chaos of the early republic and its trouble with Yuan shi-kai. The May 4th movement is portrayed as the touchstone to the founding of the communist party (certainly a lot of the future leaders of the party started getting involved in politics at this time). This could have been a much longer film covering more in depth coverage of the personalities of this time and still have my interest because of my study of Chinese history. For a general audience this film may have too many characters they know nothing about and find confusing. Even more so if you are not Chinese or a student of this time in history. How many people know about the Japanese occupation of the Shandong peninsula and its impact on Chinese thinking about the west? If you do have some knowledge of the people and time in China during the years covered in this film you will enjoy this movie.
Frauenzimmer
(2010)
3 women with a story not heard often.
25 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This documentary is about 3 women (over 49) who work as prostitutes in Germany. They are accepting at different levels about what they do. They have plans for the future and for the most part live very independent lives. One gets married,(the film does not say if she stays in the same line of work) one becomes a tattoo artist and one opens another bordello at the end of the film. They each have lives outside of their work one is very close to her family which seems to accept her line of work as just another job and is no big deal. This film covers a subject that is not often told in films about this subject matter. I saw this film at the Berlin & Beyond Film Festival in 2010
Richtung Leben
(2005)
Becoming Independent
17 January 2006
This short film deserves a wider viewing. This simple film is moving and poignant. If you get a chance to see it, do so. One really feels for the man and his Thai girlfriend. The mother is very well portrayed. This film has lessons that apply to any language or culture. The Thai/German actress is very good and very believable in this role, I hope that she gets a chance to act in other roles as well. Even if made on a small budget, a film like this can be very convincing. I did wonder if the experience of Somjai is equal to what is gained by Harald through their interactions with each other. I got to see this film at the 11th Berlin & Beyond Film festival in San Francisco in January of 2006.
Drum bun - Jó utat!
(2004)
Frustration when things go wrong in Transylvania.
17 January 2006
The filmmaker really gets across the frustration of being in a foreign land and not being able to speak the language or understand the customs. When things go wrong they are only made worse by not being able to communicate. This was shot on a low budget and one does wonder how much better it would be if the filmmaker had a bigger/better budget to work with. If you get a chance to see it, go see it if only to see what Transylvania looks like today. The filming was done primarily in Transylvania and they mostly speak Hungarian as opposed to the national language of Romania. The actor from Germany is great, as is the native actor who drives his bosses car and his girlfriend around Transylvania. I hope the film maker gets a chance to make more films.
The Gleiwitz Case
(1961)
How to make a big lie work.
26 September 2005
This movie shows what it takes to trick a country into going to war. The mindset of those carrying out the operation is shown. This feels almost like a documentary. Lots of closeups that foreshadow the techniques of Sergio Leone. At times it moves quite fast and conveys the speed of the whole operation. At one time it moves at a pace to give the feeling of the waiting and tension that the operation itself produces. This movie would be perfect to see with DOWNFALL. The beginning and the end of the second world war,perfect bookends to all of the movies depicting World War II. This movie teaches lessons that are as full of meaning for today and the world situation.
The Red Detachment of Women
(1970)
A Ballet of the Chinese Cultural Revolution
23 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
The music is very 19th century romantic in style and presentation. The artistic quality is very good. If you think all ballet is the "Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty" type then you should see this ballet. This ballet has battle and fight scenes that are very action oriented. This is an entertaining movie and should get a wider viewing. The ballet does incorporate some traditional Chinese musical themes and instrumentation. The make up seems to be inspired by Chinese opera. This ballet may not be to everyones taste, but it should keep you awake. The basic story is of a runaway servant of a cruel landlord, who hooks up with the local women's detachment of the Peolpe's Liberation Army during the late twenties or early thirties of the 20th century. The detachment works to overthrow the evil landlord and the Nationlist army on Hainan island. No need for spoiler info because if you know anything about the arts during the Cultural Revolution you will know how this story ends.
Bin ich sexy?
(2004)
Good capture of teen girl issues and goals and troubles.
10 January 2005
This film deals with a teen girls desire to become a model despite some body image problems. Issues of loss of a step father and some conflict with the mother add up to a lot of problems for the main character. Sub plots deal with the mother and her needs and starting a new relationship with a male co-worker. Adding a great deal of humor to the situation are a brother and sister in the family. Diversity issues that you might not think of when thinking of German films are handled as a matter of fact and with skill. The film deals with the body image problem quite well. New problems and goals for the teenager are handled with imagination and creativity that are sadly lacking in many teen films and television programs in this country. It would be great to have this film shown in the USA and get teen feed back for this German film.
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