Everlasting Regret (Changhen ge)

EVERLASTING REGRET (Changhen ge)               B+                  

Hong Kong  China  (115 mi)  2005  d:  Stanley Kwan

An unusual love story adapted from a Wang Anyi novel by the same name, which is a melodrama set through different historical periods in the history of Shanghai, spanning some fifty years from the 30’s to the 80’s, and is as much a love story to the city of Shanghai as to the people whose lives passed through there.  Thoroughly underappreciated, Kwan is one of the most brilliant filmmakers working today, as he’s able to capture silences, distance, and a kind of personal detachment and alienation as well as anybody.  Shot entirely in Shanghai, most all of it interior shots, which has drawn some criticism, since the film is an ode to a city.  But due to the radically reconfigured look of the city through the passing years, the director was only able to utilize a few exterior shots, using an old hotel staircase which is across from the Russian Embassy, a coffee shop, and a few residences from Old Shanghai that have maintained a timeless quality.  The film has a terrific film structure, with deliberate pacing, ornate cinematography by Huang Lian, and some interesting choices of music.  There are uncomfortable moments when the exaggerated melodrama kicks in, with some fairly lame dialogue, excessive emotional reactions and plenty of tears, but they are tolerable as Kwan altered the structure of the novel so the film would not be a tearjerker, where significant events are revealed by a simple subtitled sentence.  Kwan was present for the screening and described Ozu as his favorite filmmaker, also mentioning John Ford.  He felt this film could not have been made in Hong Kong ten years ago, and the only scene that was forcibly cut was showing the Communists taking possession of the wealthy homes.  

In something of a nod to Kwan’s earlier film Center Stage (Yuen Ling-yuk) (1991) starring the incomparable Maggie Cheung in a diva role, this Sirkian melodrama centers on Sammi Cheng, known for a musical career and for making comedies, going against type, playing the lead, Wang Qiyao, a beautiful young schoolgirl who is entered into a beauty contest by a local photographer, Mr. Cheng (Tony Leung), who is immediately taken with her looks and she wins one of the prizes in the Miss Shanghai contest.  Her girl friend Lili (Su Yan) is at first jealous, thinking she is the real beauty, but they maintain a lifelong friendship.  Qiyao captures the eye of a high ranking army official, Officer Li (Hu Jun), becoming his lover, attending glamorous Old Shanghai ballroom events where the fabulous costumes and elaborate interior decor resembles Scorsese’s recent film THE AVIATOR (2004).  By the late 40’s, the Communists drove the Nationalists off the Mainland, driving Nationalist Officer Li into hiding, cutting off all contact with Qiyao.  During this time, the Communists took possession of all the rich homes, driving the wealthy out of China as well, many moving overseas, to Taiwan, or Hong Kong, which was considered a slum in those days. 

In the mid-50’s, she meets a young businessman, Ming (Daniel Wu), and is about to marry him, actually carrying his baby, but his father successfully persuades him that he will be needed in the running of the new family business operations in Hong Kong, sending her support checks, but no further contact, forcing Qiyao to marry a terminally ill man to respectfully father her child.  The scene where Mr. Cheng takes their wedding photos is heartbreaking in its perfect understatement.  In the 70’s, she and Mr. Cheng grow closer, but he volunteers to work in the rural labor camps, believing the political view of the day that this is the duty of all educated men.  This volunteer duty lasts for ten years, however, and leaves Mr. Cheng looking like an old man.  But in this time period, China opens its doors and the same people that left China earlier are returning to the Mainland, property and possessions are returned, leaving Qiyao with her old home and even a little wealth.  She is introduced to a young admirer by none other than Mr. Cheng himself, and she has a brief love affair which is glowingly photographed, intimately capturing her head resting on his shoulder as they kiss and embrace, but he gets caught in a black market venture gone bad as he was planning to leave Shanghai, just as her previous lovers have done.  Interestingly, all four men in her life die, all outside of Shanghai, in Brazil, San Francisco, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.  Qiyao’s loyalty to her city reflects the sense of commitment needed to face the future, a quality missing from her fleeing lovers, which prepares her for any and all challenges that may lie ahead. 

Don't Go Breaking My Heart

DON’T GO BREAKING MY HEART (Daan gyun naam yu)       B-

Hong Kong (115 mi)  2011  ‘Scope  d:  Johnny To       co-director:  Wai Ka-fai

What’s a film festival without a Johnny To tribute to romanticized love stories featuring plenty of eye candy, an over saturated color scheme, young up and coming professionals in love, and enough ongoing silliness to recall the days of Love American Style, a popular early 70’s TV show that featured an ongoing rotation of celebrities, or some variation like MARRIAGE ITALIAN STYLE (1964) with Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni?  What’s not to like, as this is as sugar coated as movies get, a light and breezy love triangle that features two guys trying to get the same girl?  Louis Koo showing his best Bruce Lee profile is a playboy seen in the opening driving his Mercedes convertible (later a Maserati) through the streets of Hong Kong as Shen Ran, the CEO of his own investment company, who spots the adorable girl of his dreams riding on a bus, Zixin (Gao Yuan Yuan), but loses her in the crowd.  Instead, she’s immediately helped by a street drunk Qihong (Daniel Wu), an overly friendly helpful guy who offers her a hand just after she’s been dumped by a Video game loving, toy collecting, and frog-possessing former boyfriend who’s moved on with a pregnant and overly hysterical new girlfriend.  Zixin unloads all her unwanted ex-boyfriend’s possessions on Qihong, including his entire liquor supply and pet frog which are most appreciated, pretty much dumping the rest.  It turns out Qihong is a former architect who’s actually designed several buildings in Hong Kong, so Zixin asks him to stop drinking and design another, agreeing to meet in a week, which of course, never happens, as life takes some crazy turns.    

Wouldn’t you know, Shen Ran’s skyscraper office faces the desk of Zixin in the neighboring building, where he starts plastering notes and pictures in the window to get her attention, which actually works, also attracting the attention of another buxom office worker, Angelina (Larisa Bakurova), who works a few stories below thinking all the attention is directed at her.  When he suggests they meet, he gets smothered by the sexualized Angelina, who takes his mind off Zixin, who sees them together the following morning, posting “asshole” on the office window.  This turns into a game of hard to get as she never wants to see him again, set in the financial turmoil of the international economic crisis, where each company was forced to make big cutbacks, but Shen Ran eventually buys Zixin’s company, becoming her boss, where he immediately finds ways to make her busy and keep her close at hand.  He orders her to pick out a new luxury car, a penthouse suite, as well as the interior furnishings, all ultra-stylish examples of extreme wealth on display, where he attempts to buy his way into her heart.  And it nearly works, until she realizes why she doesn’t trust the guy.  Incredibly, a cleaned up Qihong reappears in the office across the way, as he’s back designing buildings, including one in Zixin’s home town of Suzhou, where he’s forced to compete in this office window charade of attracting the girl’s attention through playful originality, and the guy’s a born natural, featuring a sentimental singing frog. 

What to do, what to do, as she’s got her heart falling for two gorgeous guys, each one loaded, where Hong Kong is back in the flush of money and success, where the city is once again a showpiece on display in a Hong Kong film which is fortunate to have such a panoramic skyline and backdrop for movies.  Despite all the love and silliness, the film doesn’t sustain the interest throughout, lagging somewhat as the game gets prolonged, as the competition just elevates to the ridiculous, as these guys are like super characters with the money and power to accomplish just about anything.  Zixin’s talent is her joyful optimism, as she’s a cheerful addition to any room, where even in her most gloomy state, she continues to radiate warmth and affection, though her playfulness is a bit girlish.  Koo exudes his playboy charm, still something of a snake at heart, while Wu also has a boyish and trustworthy nature, the kind of guy who’s not nearly as interesting, but is reliable and dependable - - hint:  marriage material.  Who would you rather be married to, the charming, James Bond style international playboy who commands instant respect wherever he goes, or the likeable guy adored by your family for all the right reasons, as he’s never full of himself, placing her interests first, but he’s also not nearly as much fun to be around as the snake?  As for the sexual sizzle, which guy?  Her indecisiveness takes forever, which can get annoying, where you might start to root for a third option, like dump the girl and let the guys have a go at it, which would at least be a surprise.  Whatever happens, expect all is right in the ever invigorated Hong Kong film industry which keeps churning out the hits.