Thursday, March 19, 2009

Ju Dou

Gong Li  w/d Zhang Yimou

His first big international hit.  Beautifully shot...he made full use of the fabric-dyeing location with many lush views of bolts drying in the breeze.

The plotline was straight melodrama, perhaps a little overcooked for a modern audience but not fatally so. Most interesting was the sociological detail of traditional Chinese life, especially the public shaming and humiliation used as a corrective for the transgressive behavior by the two principals. The development of the monster child was very effective as a moralistic resolution.

Solid, legitimate work of world cinema.

7

No comments:

Post a Comment