‘The Promise’ Joins Wave of Stylized Chinese Action Movies
by Ky N. Nguyen
For better or for worse, fifth-generation Chinese director Chen Kaige has come a long way since the early days of his career. Although critically acclaimed, his then drab subject matter was not quite so crowd-pleasing as his later melodramas “Farewell My Concubine” and “Together.” Let’s face it: His newest action love story, “The Promise,” is a glorified popcorn movie designed for the masses. However, it’s still imported gourmet popcorn—made by experienced master chef Chen, who follows the populist path blazed by some of his art house peers.
A stylized modern update to the classic “wuxia” martial arts genre, the film is breathtakingly lensed by Peter Pau, who also shot “Crouching Tiger, Hid
den Dragon.” That breakthrough Ang Lee film catalyzed the recent wave of Chinese martial arts movies targeted toward international audiences. The cinematographer of Chen’s early work, Zhang Yimou, went on to direct his own critically acclaimed dramas (“To Live,” “Raise the Red Lantern”) before also successfully tackling wuxia within the past few years with “Hero” and “House of Flying Daggers.”
Opening Chen’s fantasy, the goddess Manshen offers a Faustian bargain to hungry orphan Qing Cheng (Cecilia Cheung), who’s guaranteed a luxurious life at the cost of losing every man she ever loves. Arrogant Gen. Guangming (Hiroyuki Sanada of “The Twilight Samurai”), the “Master of the Crimson Armor,” fends off a fierce assault of gods and bulls by sacrificing 133 slaves. Guangming picks up the only surviving slave, Kunlun (Jang Dong-Kun from “Tae Guk Gi”), who uses his blazing speed to serve the general. After Guangming is injured, he gives his armor to Kunlun, who sets out to save the king from invaders. Instead, the slave kills the king, who was about to kill his mistress Qing Cheng. Kunlun falls in love with her, and vice versa—although she believes it’s the general who saved her.
To a non-Mandarin speaker like myself, the actors did a capable job of filling admittedly stock roles. But native Mandarin audiences allegedly complained about their poor accents, echoing a criticism of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” Targeting the pan-Asian box office, the international cast features stars from Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. Made on a reported budget of $35 million, “The Promise” is China’s costliest film.
And they didn’t spend that kind of money to be subtle. The convoluted plot lines serve primarily to drive the spectacular visuals. Pau’s camerawork and many of the set pieces are often jaw-dropping. Nonetheless, the CGI special effects are noticeably unrealistic at times. This didn’t detract from my personal experience, giving the production design a textured artistic effect—sort of like the painted backgrounds of Eric Rohmer’s “The Lady and the Duke.”
The Promise (Wu Ji)
(Mandarin with subtitles; 102 min.; scope)
Opens Fri., May 5
AFI Silver Theatre
4 out of 5 stars
‘Army of Shadows’: Twilight Warriors of the Free French
French auteur Jean-Pierre Melville’s re-released “Army of Shadows” (1969) is his third attempt at examining the inner workings of the French resistance during World War II. Melville himself was involved with the Free French, whose code of conduct doesn’t seem to differ that much from the gangsters in Melville’s more well-known work. Honor and loyalty are of paramount importance, and betrayal receives the ultimate punishment.
After miraculously escaping from the Gestapo, civil engineer Phillipe Gerber (Lino Ventura) personally executes the informant who betrayed him. Later, Gerber works with Mathilde (Simone Signoret) to rescue their tortured colleague Félix (Paul Crauchet). The two escape sequences are remarkably staged. Except for perhaps the memorable opening frames depicting the Third Reich’s march into Paris, most of the action takes place off the battlefield. The work of the resistance is mostly conducted in shadowy rooms with decisions based on murky ethics.
Although Melville, especially with “Bob le Flambeur,” was considered to be the godfather of the Nouvelle Vogue (New Wave) that swept into the 1960s, he continues distancing himself from the movement he inspired. Similar to “Le Cercle Rouge” and “Le Samouraï,” “Army of Shadows” is told in a very detached, matter-of-fact and orchestrated style—reminiscent of Claude Berri’s resistance fighter biopic “Lucie Aubrac.” It seems that another French cinematic trend is storytelling via process.
Army of Shadows (L’Armée des Ombres)
(French with subtitles; 136 min.)
Opens Fri., May 12
AFI Silver Theatre
Landmark’s E Street Cinema
4.5 out of 5 stars
‘Three Times’: The More Things Change…
Although Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien is revered on the international film festival circuit, his films have had scant release in the United States. Local cineastes have been fortunate to be able to catch a rare repertory screening here and there. Following its premiere showings at Filmfest DC, the Proustian anthology “Three Times” continues at AFI Silver Theatre, giving lucky Washingtonians a second chance to see Hou’s latest work.
A customized visual style distinguishes each of the film’s three parts—set in 1966 (soldier boy and pool hall girl), 1911 (political intellectual and courtesan), and 2005 (photo shop clerk and rock singer). With first-rate performances, the same actor (Chang Chen) and actress (Shu Qi) show time passing while in love—and love’s memory as time passes. Hou explained, “It seems to me that by contrasting love stories from three different times, we can feel how people’s behavior is circumscribed by the times and places they live in.”
One reason Hou hasn’t caught on in the West is that his characters can be cold, distant and not so nice. The mood is often not very hopeful, and his pacing can be excruciatingly slow. So what do audiences get for their patient attentions? The devil is in the details and their revelations, brought vividly to life on the screen by Hou’s regular star cinematographer, Mark Lee Ping-bin (“Millennium Mambo,” Wong Kar Wai’s “In the Mood for Love”).
Following Wong’s habit, Hou explicitly uses music to echo his viewpoint. For example, the blatant lyrics of a well-known American classic, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” evoke the melancholy of 1966—when Taiwan was heavily influenced by the American military presence. Reinforcing the remembrance of things past, 1911 is shown largely silent with intertitles—save for traditional folk songs sung by the courtesan in a time of Japanese occupation. In the 2005 segment, reflecting Hou’s disenchantment with the disconnectedness of modern Taiwan, the troubled rock singer unleashes her internal chaos on stage—completely ignorant of her audience.
Three Times (Zuihaode Shiguang)
(Mandarin and Taiwanese with subtitles; 130 min.)
AFI Silver Theatre
4 out of 5 stars
Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.
Repertory Notes
Hirshhorn: Jonas Mekas Returns
On May 11, Jonas Mekas lectures at the Hirshhorn, where h
e was the very first speaker in 1976! Born in Lithuania, he represented his country at the 2005 Venice Biennale. Considered the godfather of New York experimental cinema, he trained Andy Warhol to use his first camera and founded Anthology Film Archives. On May 4 to 5, check out two different film programs by Mekas.
(202) 633-1000, www.hirshhorn.si.edu
Goethe-Institut: Soccer and Europe
On Mondays (except Memorial Day), prepare for the 2006 World Cup in Germany by watching soccer flicks from around the globe in the series “From Tor to Goal: Soccer Connects the World.” The soccer lounge will show select games June 9 to July 9. Celebrating the European Union, Europe Week films include “One Day in Europe” (May 9) and “L’Auberge Espagnole” (May 10).
(202) 289-1200, www.goethe.de/washington
Indonesian Directors at the Freer
Cosponsored by the Indonesian Embassy, “Growing Up: Three Indonesian Directors” continues May 7, 14, 19 and 21.
(202) 357-2700, www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp
French Ciné-Club Expands
La Maison Française’s Ciné-Club continues new monthly screenings at the Avalon Theatre with Laurent Cantet’s “Heading South” on May 17. Back on the grounds of the French Embassy, more films screen May 25 to 26.
(202) 966-6000, www.theavalon.org
(202) 944-6091, www.la-maison-francaise.org
National Museum of Women in the Arts: Chile and More
“Chile on Film” continues May 10, 17, 18 and 25—with the last two showcasing double programs. On May 14, “Mama Mia” celebrates Mother’s Day with shorts on mother and child. On May 31, the “Sisters in Cinema” series presents Julie Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust.”
(202) 783-7370, www.nmwa.org
The Screening Room at DCJCC
The Washington Jewish Film Festival’s year-round program includes “The Tollbooth” (May 1), “Jews of Iran (May 8) and “Anya (In and Out of Focus)” (May 30). “A Cantor’s Tale” (May 23) is a special presentation of the Washington Jewish Music Festival (May 16 to 24).
(800)494-TIXS, www.wjff.org
AFI Silver Theatre
From May 9 to 12, see local filmmakers’ efforts for the 48 Hour Film Project on the big screen. On May 26, AFI kicks off retrospectives of Scottish actor Sean Connery and American director Robert Altman. American writer Elaine May’s directorial career, which ended with “Ishtar,” is reviewed May 5 to 7.
(301) 495-6700, www.afi.com/Silver
National Gallery of Art
On May 7 at 4 p.m., “The Poetic Reality of Satyajit Ray” features a lecture on the Indian neorealist master by his friend, Partha Mitter, a research professor at the University of Sussex. A screening of “Pather Panchali” follows, commemorating the film’s 50th anniversary. “Video Master: Nam June Paik” looks at the late Korean video artist’s early groundbreaking work (May 14, 1 p.m.; May 20, 12:30 p.m.). On May 20 at 2:30 p.m., “In Praise of Independents: ‘The Flaherty’” shows highlights from the documentary conference. And Austrian-born American writer-director Billy Wilder’s retrospective continues through May 29.
(202) 842-6799, www.nga.gov/programs/film.shtm
Coming Attractions
On Tue., May 9, at 7 p.m. at Landmark’s E Street Cinema, the Washington, D.C. Film Society’s popular trailer program provides a sneak peak at the summer releases. Viewers get expert commentary from the Film Guys, Bill Henry and WTOP’s Joe Barber, plus promotional goodies from the studios.
www.dcfilmsociety.org
Maryland Film Festival
Well worth the drive to Baltimore, the Maryland Film Festival returns May 11 to 14 with lots of guests and independents. Wow, has it been eight years already?
(410) 752-8083, www.mdfilmfest.com
Facets Multimedia Video and DVD Releases
For a wuxia martial arts fix after “The Promise,” Facets brings you the popular Chinese television series “Laughing in the Wind Vol. III.” If Germany’s Wim Wenders can make a film in the West, why not try out Oldrich Lipsky’s Czech Western musical, “Lemonade Joe” (1964)? “Thank You for Smoking” actor Robert Duvall, a legendary tango fanatic from Northern Virginia, is interviewed in Jorge Zanada’s “Tango, Our Dance” (1988). Nam June Paik, whose video art plays at the National Gallery this month, makes an appearance in the documentary “The Net: The Unabomber, LSD and the Internet” (2003). If you missed “Damnation” (1988)—by Hungarian Béla Tarr (“Werckmeister Harmonies”)—at the National Gallery’s 1998 retrospective, experience the road to Hell in the comfort of your home. If you want more demons, Polish director Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s “Mother Joan of the Angel” (1961) won the Special Jury Prize at Cannes. German director Edgar Reitz’s “Heimat II: Chronicle of a Generation” (1992), meanwhile, looks back at German youth in the 1960s. Winning best Screenplay at the Polish Film Festival, Sylwester Checinski’s popular comedy “Calls Controlled” (1991) finds the Communist apparatus mistakenly pegging a common man as a Solidarity leader. “Videograms of a Revolution” (1992) provides original footage shot by the Romanian revolters against Ceausescu. Iranian reactionaries so hated “Born Under Libra” (2004) that they kidnapped director Ahmad Reza Darvish, abandoning him to die in the desert (fortunately, he was rescued).
(773) 281-9075, www.facetsvideo.com
— Ky N. Nguyen
