I just watched a
Chinese movie recently, another film by Zhang Yimou. I have seen some of his
movies and almost always the lead star is the popular Chinese actress Gong Li.
This is evident in his previous films which I have seen, The Red Sorghum, and
Raise the Red Lantern. The Red Sorghum movie, the way I remember it. It is
about the arranged marriage of a young village girl to a rich old man, owner of
a distillery. I like the way the movie depicts the provincial way of life. How Chinese life in the rural was like back then. And like most of Zhang’s
film, mostly it ends tragically. While Raise the Red Lantern, is another
memorable movie for me. (I apologize if I cannot give the full summary of the two movies because I have seen these two movies wayback, years have passed). Moving on, Raise the Red Lantern, reminds me of just one word, concubine. In Chinese period dramas like the Scarlet Heart, the emperor, or his siblings do have concubines. The concubines live in a mansion, they each have their own apartment or house, and if the master spends time with them during the night that is when the lantern is lit up. There is a lot of intrigue in this movie, and what you suspect at first, may not be what it seems. It is also a good movie, even if it doesn't have a happy ending still. Among all of Zhang Yimou's film, I like The Road Home best, the lead actress is Zhang Ziyi. It tells of the love story of a school teacher, and a young village girl.
Back to my movie review, To Live is a movie that tells of the story of a family in pre and post revolution in China. I am not that knowledgeable about the history of China, from dynasties, up to the present time ruling. But I know a bit about the Chinese civil war, separation of China (Chinese Communist Party) and Taiwan (Chinese Nationalist Party), This movie is about the struggles of a rich man, who is addicted to gambling, and the trials that he and his wife has to endure. This is another bitter-sweet film. The movie is over two hours long, but I didn't get bored watching it. If you want to learn more about the Chinese life, culture and history. The three films that I mentioned are all worth-watching. Grab a popcorn, and your favorite drinks. Enjoy watching!
